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Cesar Romero

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Cesar Romero
Romero as photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1934
Born
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr.

(1907-02-15)February 15, 1907
New York City, New York,
United States
DiedJanuary 1, 1994(1994-01-01) (aged 86)
Santa Monica, California,
United States
Other namesButch, Latin from Manhattan
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1990

Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was a Cuban American film and television actor, who played The Joker in the 1960s television series Batman. In 1966, the show was transferred to movie theaters, and Romero became the first actor to portray the Joker in a motion picture.

Early life

Romero on board the USS Cavalier (APA-37)

Romero was born in New York to prosperous Cuban parents. That lifestyle, however, changed dramatically when his parents lost their sugar import business and suffered losses in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Fortunately, Romero's Hollywood earnings allowed him to support his large family, all of whom followed him to the West Coast, years later. Romero lived on and off with various family members, especially his sister, for the rest of his life.

In October 1942, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and served in the Pacific Theater. He reported aboard the Coast Guard-manned assault transport USS Cavalier in November, 1943. According to a press release from the period he saw action during the invasions of Tinian and Saipan. The same article mentioned that he preferred to be a regular part of the crew and was eventually promoted to the rank of chief Boatswain's Mate.[1]

Career

In Public Enemy's Wife (1936)

Romero played "Latin lovers" in films from the 1930s until the 1950s, usually in supporting roles. He starred as The Cisco Kid in six westerns made between 1939 and 1941. Romero danced and performed comedy in the 20th Century Fox films he starred in opposite Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable, such as Week-End in Havana and Springtime in the Rockies, in the 1940s.

In The Thin Man (1934), Romero played a villainous supporting role opposite the film's main star William Powell. Many of Romero's films from this early period saw him cast in small character parts, such as Italian gangsters and East Indian princes. He also appeared in a comic turn as a subversive opponent to Frank Sinatra and his crew in Ocean's Eleven.

20th Century Fox, along with mogul Darryl Zanuck, personally selected Romero to co-star with Tyrone Power in the Technicolor historical epic, Captain from Castile (1947), directed by Henry King. While Power played a fictionalized character, Romero played Hernan Cortez, a historical Conquistador in Spain's conquest of the Americas.

Television

Among his many television credits, Romero aappeared several times on NBC's The Martha Raye Show in the middle 1950s. He played the role of Don Diego de la Vega's uncle in a number of Season Two Zorro episodes.[2] In 1958, he guest starred as Ramon Valdez, a South American businessman, who excels at doing the Cha-Cha with Barbara Eden in her syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire in the episode "The Big Order". He performed the mambo with Gisele MacKenzie on her NBC variety show, The Gisele MacKenzie Show. Also in 1957, he guest-starred on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on the first episode of the seventh season.

On January 16, 1958, Romero appeared on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.[3] In 1965, Romero played the head of THRUSH in France in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ("The Never Never Affair").

File:Cesar Romero Joker.png
Cesar Romero in his role as The Joker in Batman.

From 1966 to 1968, Romero played The Joker in ABC's television series, Batman. He refused to shave his mustache and so it was covered with white makeup when playing the supervillain throughout the series' run, and in the spinoff 1966 film.

In the 1970s, Romero portrayed the absent father of the Freddie Prinze character Chico Rodriguez in Chico and the Man, and later Peter Stavros in the television series Falcon Crest (1985–1987). Among Romero's guest star work in the 1970s was a recurring role on the western comedy Alias Smith and Jones, starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. Romero played Señor Armendariz, a Mexican rancher feuding with Patrick McCreedy (Burl Ives), the owner of a ranch on the opposite side of the border. He appeared in three episodes. He also appeared as Count Dracula on Rod Serling's Night Gallery, and guest-starred in an episode of Bewitched.

Apart from these television roles, Romero appeared as A.J. Arno, a small time criminal who continually opposes Dexter Riley (played by Kurt Russell) and his schoolmates of Medfield College in a series of films by Walt Disney Productions in the 1970s. He also appeared in a sixth season episode of The Golden Girls, where he played a suitor named Tony Delvechio for Sophia who disappoints her when she tells him "I love you" after a night of passion and he doesn't return the sentiment.

Personal life

Romero believed in liberation theology. Romero was a dedicated Christian, and believed in a utopian society whose belief is that Christ's kingdom would be very similar to Marx's envisionment of communism, and held to this belief until his death.[4][5]

Romero always claimed his grandfather on his mother's side was Cuban poet and patriot José Martí.

Romero never married, but made regular appearances on the Hollywood social circuit in the company of attractive actresses. However, he was almost always described in interviews and articles as a "confirmed bachelor," and after his death was reported by many sources to be gay.[6][7]

Romero died in 1994 from bronchitis and pneumonia. He was cremated and his ashes interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in South Los Angeles community of Inglewood, California.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Cesar Romero – USCG: Frequently Asked Questions
  2. ^ Bill Cotter. "Zorro Episodes Descriptions Second Season: 1958-1959". Bill Cotter. Retrieved 2008-12-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ 16, 1958 "The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. Retrieved November 25, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  4. ^ Cesar Romero at IMDb
  5. ^ Steve Starr (2006). "Cesar Romero". Entertainment Magazine Online. Retrieved 2007-05-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Boze, Hadleigh (1996), Hollywood gays, Barricade Books, ISBN 1569800839
  7. ^ Hernandez, David (2010), Broken Face in the Mirror, Dorrance Publishing, p. 130, ISBN 1434964841
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