Cesar Romero
| Cesar Romero | |
|---|---|
 Romero at his home in Los Angeles in 1973 | |
| Born | Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (1907-02-15)February 15, 1907 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1994(1994-01-01) (aged 86) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California U.S. |
| Other names | Butch The Latin from Manhattan |
| Alma mater | Collegiate School |
| Occupation | Actor, singer, dancer, voice artist, comedian |
| Years active | 1933–1992 |
Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor, singer, dancer and vocal artist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years.
His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in costume dramas, characters in light domestic comedies, and the Joker on the Batman television series, who was included in TV Guide's 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.[1]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Television
3 Personal life
4 Death
5 Filmography
5.1 Films
5.2 Television
6 Radio appearances
7 In popular culture
8 References
9 External links
Early life
Romero as part of the deck crew aboard the USS Cavalier in the 1940s
Cesar Julio Romero Jr. was born in New York City on February 15, 1907, the son of Cesar Julio Romero Sr. and Maria Mantilla.[2] His mother was said to be the biological daughter of Cuban national hero José Martí. His father was born in Barcelona, Spain and immigrated to the United States in 1888, where he was an import/export merchant.[3][4] His mother was a concert singer.[citation needed]
He grew up in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, and was educated at Bradley Beach Elementary School, Asbury Park High School,[5] the Collegiate School, and the Riverdale Country Day School. However, that lifestyle[clarification needed] changed dramatically when his parents lost their sugar import business and suffered losses in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Romero's Hollywood earnings allowed him to support his large family, all of whom followed him to the American West Coast years later. Romero lived on and off with various family members (especially his sister) for the rest of his life.[citation needed]
On October 12, 1942, he voluntarily enlisted in the United States Coast Guard as an apprentice seaman[6] and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He reported aboard the Coast Guard-manned assault transport USS Cavalier in November 1943. According to a press release from the period, Romero 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 rating of Chief Boatswain's Mate.[7]
Career
Romero in Public Enemy's Wife (1936)
Romero with Carmen Miranda in Week-End in Havana (1941)
At 6'3", Romero routinely 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. He also played a minor role as Sinjin, a piano player in Glenn Miller's band, in the 1942 20th Century Fox musical Orchestra Wives.
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. Romero had a lead role as the Pathan rebel leader, Khoda Khan, in John Ford's British Raj-era action film Wee Willie Winkie (1937) and The Little Princess (1939) alongside Shirley Temple. He also appeared in a comic turn as a foil for Frank Sinatra and his crew in Ocean's 11 (1960).
Romero sometimes played the leading man, for example in Allan Dwan's 15 Maiden Lane (1936) opposite Claire Trevor, as well as winning the key role of the Doc Holliday character (with name changed to "Doc Halliday") in Dwan's Wyatt Earp saga Frontier Marshal three years later. 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 Hernán Cortés, a historical conquistador in Spain's conquest of the Americas.[citation needed]
Television
Among many television credits, Romero appeared several times on The Martha Raye Show in the mid-1950s. He portrayed Don Diego de la Vega's uncle in a number of Season 2 Zorro episodes.[8]
Romero in his role as the Joker on the classic 1960s TV show Batman
In 1958, he guest-starred as Ramon Valdez, a South American businessman, who excels at dancing the Cha-Cha with Barbara Eden in her syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire in the episode entitled "The Big Order". He performed the mambo with Gisele MacKenzie on her NBC variety show, The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He guest-starred in 1957 on CBS's The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour on the first episode of the seventh season ("Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana"). He played "Don Carlos", a card shark on the episode, "The Honorable Don Charlie Story" of NBC's Wagon Train. On January 16, 1958, he appeared on The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1959, Romero was cast as Joaquin in the episode "Caballero" from The Texan.[9]
In 1960, he was cast as Ricky Valenti in "Crime of Passion" from Pete and Gladys.[citation needed] In 1965, Romero played the head of THRUSH in France in "The Never Never Affair" from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. From 1966 to 1968, he portrayed the Joker on Batman. He refused to shave his moustache for the role, and so the supervillain's white face makeup was simply smeared over it throughout the series' run and in the 1966 film.[10]
His guest star work in the 1970s included was a recurring role on the western comedy Alias Smith and Jones as 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.[10] Romero later portrayed Peter Stavros on Falcon Crest (from 1985–1987). He also appeared in a sixth-season episode of The Golden Girls, where he played a suitor named Tony Delvecchio for Sophia.[10] 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.
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Personal life
Romero never married and had no children, but made frequent appearances at Hollywood events escorting actresses, such as Joan Crawford, Linda Darnell, Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman and Ginger Rogers; he was almost always described in interviews and articles as a "confirmed bachelor".[11] Romero talked about his homosexuality with author Boze Hadleigh in a series of interviews which were published in 1996 - two years after Romero's death, in Hadleigh's book Hollywood Gays.[12][13]
Charlie Harper, lead singer of English punk band UK Subs, was reportedly a nephew of Romero.[14]
A registered Republican, in October 1960, he appeared in the Nixon-Lodge Bumper Sticker Motorcade Campaign.[15]
Death
On January 1, 1994, aged 86, Romero died from complications of a blood clot while being treated for bronchitis and pneumonia at Saint John's Health Center[16] in Santa Monica, California.
His body was cremated and the ashes were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.[17]
For his contributions to the motion picture and television industry, Romero has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
Films
The Shadow Laughs (1933) as Tony Rico (first film role)
The Thin Man (1934) as Chris Jorgenson
British Agent (1934) as Tito Del Val
Cheating Cheaters (1934) as Tom Palmer
Strange Wives (1934) as Boris
Clive of India (1935) as Mir Jaffar
A Dream Comes True (1935) as Himself (uncredited)
The Good Fairy (1935) as Joe
Cardinal Richelieu (1935) as Andre de Pons
The Devil Is a Woman (1935) as Antonio Galvan
Hold 'Em Yale (1935) as Gigolo Georgie
Diamond Jim (1935) as Jerry Richardson
Metropolitan (1935) as Niki Baroni
Rendezvous (1935) as Nieterstein
Show Them No Mercy! (1935) as Tobey
Love Before Breakfast (1936) as Bill Wadsworth
Nobody's Fool (1936) as Dizzy Rantz
Public Enemy's Wife (1936) as Gene Maroc
Wee Willie Winkie (1937) as Khoda Khan
Dangerously Yours (1937) as Victor Morell
Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937) as Himself (at Fictional Premiere) (uncredited)
Happy Landing (1938) as Duke Sargent
Always Goodbye (1938) as Count Giovanni 'Gino' Corini
My Lucky Star (1938) as George Cabot Jr
Five of a Kind (1938) as Duke Lester
Wife, Husband and Friend (1939) as Hugo
The Little Princess (1939) as Ram Dass
The Return of the Cisco Kid (1939) as Lopez
Frontier Marshal (1939) as Doc Halliday
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) as Rhadini
The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939) as Cisco Kid
Hollywood Hobbies (1939) as Himself (uncredited)
He Married His Wife (1940) as Freddie
Viva Cisco Kid (1940) as Cisco Kid
Lucky Cisco Kid (1940) as Cisco Kid
The Gay Caballero (1940) as Cisco Kid
Romance of the Rio Grande (1941) as Cisco Kid / Real and fake Carlos Hernandez
Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941) as J.J. 'Shep' Morrison
Ride on Vaquero (1941) as Cisco Kid
The Great American Broadcast (1941) as Bruce Chadwick
Dance Hall (1941) as Duke McKay
Week-End in Havana (1941) as Monte Blanca
A Gentleman at Heart (1942) as Tony Miller
Tales of Manhattan (1942) as Harry Wilson
Orchestra Wives (1942) as St. John 'Sinjin' Smith
Springtime in the Rockies (1942) as Victor Prince
Coney Island (1942) as Joe Rocco
Wintertime (1943) as Brad Barton
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Victory Show (1946) as Himself
Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) as Pepe Castro
Captain from Castile (1947) as Hernán Cortéz
That Lady in Ermine (1948) as Joe Sanger
Julia Misbehaves (1948) as Fred Ghenoccio
Deep Waters (1948) as Count Mario
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) as Blackie Jobero
Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. (1949) as Himself
Love That Brute (1950) as Pretty Willie Wetzchahofsky
Once a Thief (1950) as Mitch Moore
Happy Go Lovely (1951) as John Frost
Lost Continent (1951) as Major Joe Nolan
FBI Girl (1951) as FBI Agent Glen Stedman
The Jungle (1952) as Rama Singh
Lady in the Fog (aka Scotland Yard Inspector) (1952) as Philip 'Phil' O'Dell
The Sword of Granada (1953) as Don Pedro de Rivera
Street of Shadows (aka Shadow Man) (1953) as Luigi
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) as Firouz
Vera Cruz (1954) as Marquis Henri de Labordere
A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954, TV Short) as Himself
The Americano (1955) as Manuel Silvera / "El Gato" / Etc.
The Racers (1955) as Carlos Chavez
The Leather Saint (1956) as Tony Lorenzo
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as Abdullah's henchman
The Story of Mankind (1957) as Spanish Envoy
Villa!! (1958) as Tomás Lopez
My Private Secretaries (1959) as Rafael Travesi
Ocean's 11 (1960) as Duke Santos
Pepe (1960) as Himself
Seven Women from Hell (1961) as Luis Hullman
The Runaway (1961) as Father Dugan
If a Man Answers (1962) as Robert Swan / Adam Wright
We Shall Return (1963) as Carlos Rodriguez
The Castilian (1963) as Jerónimo
Donovan's Reef (1963) as Marquis Andre de Lage
Saint Mike (1963)
A House Is Not a Home (1964) as Lucky Luciano
Two on a Guillotine (1965) as John Harley 'Duke' Duquesne
Sergeant Deadhead (1965) as Admiral Stoneham
Marriage on the Rocks (1965) as Miguel Santos
Batman (1966) as The Joker
Madigan's Millions (1968) as Mike Madigan
Hot Millions (1968) as Customs Inspector
Skidoo (1968) as Hechy
Crooks and Coronets (1969) as Nick Marco
Midas Run (1969) as Carlo Dodero
Target: Harry (1969) as Lt. George Duval
Latitude Zero (1969) as Dr. Malic / Lt. Hastings
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) as A. J. Arno
A Talent for Loving (1969) as Don Jose
The Red, White, and Black (1970) as Col. Grierson
The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World – TV Movie documentary (1971) as Himself
Once Upon a Wheel (1971) as Himself
The Last Generation (1971) (archive footage)
The Proud and the Damned (1972) as San Carlos' Mayor
Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) as A. J. Arno
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe (1974) as Dr. Richard Grimaldi
The Haunted Mouth (1974) as B. Plaque (Narrator)
The Strongest Man in the World (1975) as A. J. Arno
Timber Tramps (1975) as Greedy sawmill mogul
Carioca Tigre (1976) as Don Rosalindo Y Guana
Mission to Glory: A True Story (1977) as Admiral Atondo
Lust in the Dust (1985) as Father Garcia
Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business (1995) (documentary)
The Right Way (1998) as Mr. Peretti (final film role)
Television
The Ed Wynn Show – episode – Episode #1.31 – Himself (1950)
Passport to Danger – 31 episodes – Steve McQuinn (1954–1958)
The Red Skelton Hour – 12 episodes – Various (1956–1970)
Navy Log – episode – The Beach Pounders – Host (1957)
The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (1957)
Wagon Train – episode – The Honorable Don Charlie Story – Hon Don 'Charlie' Carlos de Fuentes (1958)
Death Valley Days – episode – Oblivion (1959)
The Texan – episode – Caballero – Captain Joaquin Acosta (1959)
Zorro – 4 episodes – Esteban de la Cruz (1959)
Rawhide – 4 episodes – Various (1959–1965)
Stagecoach West – episode – A Time to Run – Manolo Lalanda (1960)
Five Fingers in episode "Counterfeit", never aired on NBC (1960)
Stagecoach West – episode – The Big Gun – Colonel Francisco Martinez (1961)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre 1961 Season 5 Episode 26 The Man from Everywhere
The Beachcomber (1962)
Rawhide – episode – "The Child Woman" – Big Tim Sloan (1962)
Fractured Flickers – episode – Episode #1.14 – Himself (1963)
77 Sunset Strip (1963)
Burke's Law (1963–1965)
Dr. Kildare (1964)
The Mike Douglas Show – 3 episodes – Himself (1964–1970)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – episode – The Never-Never Affair – Victor Gervais (1965)
Branded – episode – The Mission: Part 2 – Gen. Arriola (1965)
Bonanza – episode – The Deadliest Game – Guido Borelli (1965)
Ben Casey – episode – Did Your Mother Come from Ireland, Ben Casey? – Frederic Delano (1965)
Daniel Boone – episode – Gabriel – Esteban de Vaca (1966)
Batman – 22 episodes – The Joker (1966–1968)
Daniel Boone – episode – Bitter Mission – Colonel Carlos Navarro (1967)
T.H.E. Cat (1967)
Get Smart – episode – The Reluctant Redhead – Kinsey Krispen (1968)
Here's Lucy – episode – A Date for Lucy – Tony Rivera (1969)
Daniel Boone – episode – The Grand Alliance – Buenaventura (1969)
Julia – 4 episodes – Bunny Henderson / Bernard Henderson (1970)
Bewitched – episode – Salem, Here We Come – Ernest Hitchcock (1970)
It Takes a Thief – episode – Beyond a Treasonable Doubt – Mike (1970)
The Jimmy Stewart Show – episode – A Hunch in Time – Harris Crofton (1971)
Love, American Style – episode – Love and the Duel/Love and the Note/Love and the Young Unmarrieds (segment "Love and the Duel") (1971)
Nanny and the Professor (1971)
Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971)
The Merv Griffin Show – episode – Episode dated 16 November 1971 – Himself (1971)
Alias Smith and Jones – episodes – The McCreedy Bust, The McCreedy Bust: Going, Going, Gone, & The McCreedy Feud – Armendariz (1971–1972)
The Mod Squad – episode – The Connection – Frank Barton (1972)
The Jimmy Stewart Show – episode – A Bone of Much Contention – Admiral Decker (1972)
Chase (1973)
Ironside – episode – The Lost Cotillion – Tony Hudson (1974)
Banacek – episode – The Vanishing Chalice – Marius Avantalu (1974)
Dinah! – episode – Episode #1.24 – Himself (1974)
Medical Center (1975)
Ellery Queen – episode – The Adventure of the Wary Witness – Armand Danello (1976)
Chico and the Man (1977)
Vega$ – episode – Lost Women – Christopher Vincente (1978)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – episode – Vegas in Space – Amos Armat (1979)
Fantasy Island – episode – Pentagram/Casting Director/A Little Ball – Sheikh Hameel Habib (1979)
Charlie's Angels – episode – Dancin' Angels – Elton Mills (1980)
Fantasy Island – episode – Loving Strangers/Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1981) as Maestro Roger Alexander
Matt Houston (1982)
Fantasy Island – episode – The Butler's Affair/Roarke's Sacrifice (1983) as Edmond Rome
Hart to Hart – episode – Chamber of Lost Harts (1983) as Dr. Villac
Fantasy Island – episode – The Tallowed Image/Room and Bard (1983) as Mr. Kragen
Magnum, P.I. – episode – Little Games (1985) as Doc Villoroch
Murder, She Wrote – episode – Paint Me a Murder (1985) as Diego Santana
Family Feud – 2 episodes (1985) as Himself
Falcon Crest – 51 episodes (1985–1988) as Peter Stavros
Riptide (1985–1986)
The Tracey Ullman Show (1988)
The Golden Girls – episode – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They Die (1990) as Tony Delveccio
Murder, She Wrote – episode – Murder in Milan (1992) as Marcello Abruzzi (final television appearance)
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Hollywood Star Playhouse | Diamonds of Gulaga[18] |
In popular culture
Romero received an honorary mention on the popular television series M*A*S*H in Season 4 Episode 2 (Change of Command).[19]
Wally Cleaver grew a mustache on Leave it to Beaver and The Beaver joked that he was no Cesar Romero.
A fictional Romero dressed as the Joker was a correspondent on the Australian satire news show Newstopia.[20] The character of Romero was played by Shaun Micallef.
References
^ Bretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt; (March 25, 2013). "Baddies to the Bone: The 60 nastiest villains of all time". TV Guide. pp. 14–15.
^ Candelaria, Cordelia. Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture, Volume 2.
^ Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1023; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0593; FHL microfilm: 1375036
^ National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Roll #: 453; Volume #: Roll 0453 - Certificates: 1250-1499, 11 Jan 1918-14 Jan 1918
^ Voger, Mark. "'Batman' TV cast on the creation of a camp classic", NJ.com, November 8, 2014; retrieved November 15, 2014. "CESAR ROMERO – The actor who created the role of the Joker lived in Bradley Beach as a child, and attended Bradley Beach Elementary School and Asbury Park High School."
^ Wire service, "Cesar Romero Signs As Coast Guardsman", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, October 13, 1942, Volume 49, page 9.
^ Cesar Romero – USCG: Frequently Asked Questions, uscg.mil; accessed July 27, 2017.
^ Bill Cotter. "Zorro Episodes Descriptions Second Season: 1958-59". Bill Cotter. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
^ "The Texan". Classic Television Archive. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
^ abc Cesar Romero on IMDb
^ "Ceser Romero". Emol.org. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
^ Hadleigh, Boze (1996). Hollywood Gays; ISBN 156-980-0839
^ William J. Mann, Behind the Screen (2001), pp. 157-58
^ "UK SUBS - Inland Empire Weekly". Ieweekly.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
^ Nixon-Lodge Bumper Sticker Motorcade Campaign, latimes.com; accessed April 17, 2017.
^ "Cesar Romero, Actor, Dies at 86; A Suave Player in Films and TV". The New York Times. 1994-01-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3rd ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 40453-40454). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition
^ Kirby, Walter (November 16, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". Newspapers.com. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 48. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
^ "Change of command - MASH 4077 Season 4 Episode 2". 20th Century Fox. Missing or empty|url=(help);|access-date=requires|url=(help)
^ "Newstopia - TV Episode Calendar". Episodecalendar.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cesar Romero. |
Cesar Romero on IMDb
Cesar Romero at the Internet Broadway Database
Cesar Romero at the TCM Movie Database
Cesar Romero at AllMovie
Cesar Romero profile, Virtual-History.com; accessed April 17, 2017.
Cesar Romero in "Jean Boone - Interview with Cast of Batman, The Movie (1966)", texasarchive.org; accessed April 17, 2017.
Steve Starr (2006). "Cesar Romero". Entertainment Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
Romero Family Papers Regarding José Martí dloc.com (Digital Library of the Caribbean); accessed April 17, 2017.
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