Cesar Romero

César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. 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 live-action Batman television series of the mid-1960s, who was included in TV Guides 2013 list of the 60 nastiest villains of all time. Romero was the first actor to play the character.

Early life

César Julio Romero Jr. was born in New York City on February 15, 1907, the son of César Julio Romero Sr. (1872–1951) and María Mantilla (1880–1962). His mother was a concert singer and said to be the biological daughter of Cuban national hero José Martí. His father was born in Barcelona and immigrated to the United States in 1888, where he was an import/export merchant. He was a first cousin of silent film star Emerson Romero, who was a few years older than César and came to New York in 1907 to attend a school for the deaf.

Romero grew up in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, and went to Bradley Beach Elementary School, Asbury Park High School, the Collegiate School, and the Riverdale Country Day School. After his parents lost their sugar-import business and suffered losses in the Wall Street 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, who referred to himself as "a Latin from Manhattan", lived on and off with various family members for the rest of his life.

On October 12, 1942, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard as an apprentice seaman and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He reported aboard the Coast Guard-crewed assault transport 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.

Career

The Romero routinely played "Latin lovers" in films from the 1930s until the 1950s, usually in supporting roles. Romero played Antonio Galvan, one of two suitors vying for Marlene Dietrich in The Devil is a Woman.

Romero starred as the Cisco Kid in six westerns made between 1939 and 1941. He 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 (1941) and Springtime in the Rockies (1942). .

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 stars William Powell and Myrna Loy.

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) starring Shirley Temple and Victor McLaglen and a supporting role as the Indian servant Ram Dass in The Little Princess (1939), also with Temple.

Romero also appeared in a comic turn as a foil for Frank Sinatra and his crew in Ocean's 11 (1960) starring the Rat Pack (Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop).

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 acclaimed Wyatt Earp saga Frontier Marshal (1939) starring Randolph Scott and Nancy Kelly three years later. Twentieth Century Fox, along with mogul Darryl Zanuck, 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.

Among almost countless television credits, Romero appeared several times on The Martha Raye Show in the mid-1950s.

He portrayed Don Diego de la Vega's maternal uncle in a number of second-season Zorro episodes.

In 1958, he guest-starred as Ramon Valdez in 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 sharp 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, and on September 26 of that year, he hosted the Cuban installment of John Gunther's High Road.

In 1960, he was cast as Ricky Valenti in "Crime of Passion" from Pete and Gladys. 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. He appeared in three episodes. Romero later portrayed Peter Stavros on Falcon Crest (from 1985 to 1987).

He also appeared in a sixth-season episode of The Golden Girls, where he played a suitor named Tony Delvecchio for Sophia (Estelle Getty).

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.

Political activities A registered Republican, Romero appeared in the Nixon-Lodge bumper sticker motorcade campaign in October 1960. Four years later, Romero initially supported Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. in the write-in campaign supporting Lodge for president. Romero appreciated and said he liked Lodge's strong anti-Communist stance in South Vietnam where Lodge was at the time the United States ambassador. During 1964, Romero supported Barry Goldwater in the general election.

Also in 1964, Romero was very involved in the U.S. Senate race in California that pitted one of Romero's best friends and fellow actor, Republican nominee George Murphy (who nicknamed Romero "Butch"), in his successful bid to oust then-Senator Pierre Salinger, a Democrat.

The Senate race was a heated contest where Salinger had already narrowly defeated then-California State Controller Alan Cranston, who would become a senator in 1968, in the Democratic primary. Both men had "primaried" Senator Clair Engle, who had sought re-nomination despite being terminally ill with a brain tumor; Engle died less than two months after the primary. Then-Democratic Governor Pat Brown appointed Salinger instead of Cranston to fill the vacancy; although the appointment seemed reasonable since Salinger had won the primary, it was roundly criticized by Romero and Murphy as cronyism since Salinger had been the White House press secretary for the late President John F. Kennedy, a close ally of Brown. Romero appealed to disappointed Cranston backers after the primary to support Murphy. Romero's urging helped Salinger lose a race no one thought could be lost.

Murphy lost the full use of his voice during his term when part of his larynx was removed due to throat cancer. Romero implored other Hollywood stars to try to help Murphy win re-election in 1970. However, Murphy lost re-election to John V. Tunney, the son of boxing legend Gene Tunney.

After Murphy's Senate defeat, Romero scaled back his involvement in politics but would take part for a Hollywood friend, such as Ronald Reagan in his successful gubernatorial bids in 1966 and 1970 as well as all four of his presidential bids in 1968, 1976, 1980, and 1984. Romero also joined with fellow actors and actresses in lobbying the United States Congress to present the then-dying John Wayne with a Congressional Gold Medal for his service to the nation.

Personal life and death Niche of Caesar Romero at Inglewood Park Cemetery under a statue of a Terpsichorean lyre. Romero never married and had no children. Many Hollywood historians and biographers have speculated on Romero being very private about his sexuality. In 1996, Boze Hadleigh wrote a book, Hollywood Gays, containing a series of claimed interviews in which Romero allegedly came out. Romero died two years before the book was released, and while many of the interviews in the book are disputed as possible forgeries, many are not disputed.

On January 1, 1994, Romero died at 86 from complications of a blood clot while being treated for bronchitis and pneumonia at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

His body was cremated and the ashes were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

For his contributions to the motion picture and television industry, Romero has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6615 Hollywood Boulevard for film and another star at 1719 Vine Street for television.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1933 The Shadow Laughs Tony Rico 1934 The Thin Man Chris Jorgenson British Agent Tito Del Val Cheating Cheaters Tom Palmer Strange Wives Boris 1935 Clive of India Mir Jaffar A Dream Comes True Himself Uncredited The Good Fairy Joe Cardinal Richelieu Andre de Pons The Devil Is a Woman Antonio Galvan Hold 'Em Yale Gigolo Georgie Diamond Jim Jerry Richardson Metropolitan Niki Baroni Nieterstein Show Them No Mercy! Tobey 1936 Love Before Breakfast Bill Wadsworth Nobody's Fool Dizzy Rantz Public Enemy's Wife Gene Maroc 15 Maiden Lane Frank Peyton 1937 She's Dangerous Nick Sheldon / Al Shaw Armored Car Petack Wee Willie Winkie Khoda Khan Dangerously Yours Victor Morell Ali Baba Goes to Town Himself Uncredited 1938 Happy Landing Duke Sargent Always Goodbye Count Giovanni 'Gino' Corini My Lucky Star George Cabot Jr Five of a Kind Duke Lester 1939 Wife, Husband and Friend Hugo The Little Princess Ram Dass The Return of the Cisco Kid Lopez Frontier Marshal Doc Halliday Charlie Chan at Treasure Island Rhadini The Cisco Kid and the Lady Cisco Kid Hollywood Hobbies Himself Uncredited 1940 He Married His Wife Freddie Viva Cisco Kid Cisco Kid Lucky Cisco Kid Cisco Kid The Gay Caballero Cisco Kid 1941 Romance of the Rio Grande Cisco Kid / Real and fake Carlos Hernandez Tall, Dark and Handsome J.J. 'Shep' Morrison Ride on Vaquero Cisco Kid The Great American Broadcast Bruce Chadwick Dance Hall Duke McKay Week-End in Havana Monte Blanca 1942 A Gentleman at Heart Tony Miller Tales of Manhattan Harry Wilson Orchestra Wives St. John 'Sinjin' Smith Springtime in the Rockies Victor Prince 1943 Coney Island Joe Rocco Wintertime Brad Barton 1946 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Victory Show Himself 1947 Carnival in Costa Rica Pepe Castro Captain from Castile Hernán Cortés 1948 That Lady in Ermine Joe Sanger Julia Misbehaves Fred Ghenoccio Deep Waters Count Mario 1949 The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend Blackie Jobero Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. Himself 1950 Love That Brute Pretty Willie Wetzchahofsky Once a Thief Mitch Moore 1951 Happy Go Lovely John Frost Lost Continent Major Joe Nolan FBI Girl FBI Agent Glen Stedman 1952 The Jungle Rama Singh Lady in the Fog Philip 'Phil' O'Dell 1953 The Sword of Granada Don Pedro de Rivera Street of Shadows Luigi Prisoners of the Casbah Firouz 1954 Vera Cruz Marquis Henri de Labordere 1955 The Americano Manuel Silvera / "El Gato" / Etc. The Racers Carlos Chavez 1956 The Leather Saint Tony Lorenzo Around the World in 80 Days Abdullah's henchman 1957 The Story of Mankind Spanish Envoy 1958 Villa!! Tomás Lopez 1959 My Private Secretaries Rafael Travesi 1960 Ocean's 11 Duke Santos Pepe Himself 1961 Seven Women from Hell Luis Hullman The Runaway Father Dugan 1962 If a Man Answers Robert Swan / Adam Wright 1963 We Shall Return Carlos Rodriguez The Castilian Jerónimo Donovan's Reef Marquis Andre de Lage Saint Mike Unknown role 1964 A House Is Not a Home Lucky Luciano 1965 Two on a Guillotine John Harley 'Duke' Duquesne Sergeant Deadhead Admiral Stoneham Marriage on the Rocks Miguel Santos 1966 Batman The Joker 1968 Madigan's Millions Mike Madigan Hot Millions Customs Inspector Skidoo Hechy 1969 Crooks and Coronets Nick Marco Midas Run Carlo Dodero Target: Harry Lt. George Duval Latitude Zero Dr. Malic / Lt. Hastings The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes A. J. Arno A Talent for Loving Don Jose 1970 The Red, White, and Black Col. Grierson 1971 Once Upon a Wheel Himself The Last Generation Unknown role Archive footage 1972 The Proud and the Damned San Carlos' Mayor Now You See Him, Now You Don't A. J. Arno 1974 The Haunted Mouth B. Plaque Also Narrator 1975 The Strongest Man in the World A. J. Arno Timber Tramps Greedy sawmill mogul 1976 Carioca Tigre Don Rosalindo Y Guana 1977 Mission to Glory: A True Story Admiral Atondo 1979 The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe Dr. Richard Grimaldi 1985 Lust in the Dust Father Garcia Flesh and Bullets Judge in Santa Monica 1988 Judgement Day Octavio Simple Justice Vincenzo DiLorenzo Mortuary Academy Ship's Captain 1995 Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business Himself 1998 The Right Way Don Genese Final rolePosthumous release

Television Year Title Role Notes 1950 The Ed Wynn Show Himself Episode: "Cesar Romero, Irene Hervey, Allan Jones" 1951 Stars Over Hollywood N/A Episode: "A Letter From Home" 1954–58 Passport to Danger Steve McQuinn 33 episodes 1954 A Star Is Born World Premiere Himself Television short 1956–67 The Red Skelton Hour Various 11 episodes 1957 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars N/A Episode: "Old Spanish Custom Navy Log Himself/host Episode: "The Beach Pounders" The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show Carlos Garcia Episode: "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana 1958 Wagon Train Hon Don 'Charlie' Carlos de Fuentes Episode: "The Honorable Don Charlie Story" 1959 Zorro Esteban de la Cruz 4 episodes The Texan Captain Joaquin Acosta Episode: "Caballero" John Gunther's High Road Himself Episode: "Cuba" Death Valley Days Don Augustin Oblivion Episode: "Olvera" Hotel de Paree Charlie Pendleton Episode: "Sundance and the Violent Siege" 1959–65 Rawhide Various 4 episodes 1960 Love and Marriage Himself 1 episode Stagecoach West Manolo Lalanda Episode: "A Time To Run" Five Fingers Ferri Episode: "Counterfeit" 1960–61 Stagecoach West Colonel Francisco Martinez 2 episodes 1961 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre The Man from Everywhere Episode: "The Ballet of the Pater Bullet" 1962 The Beachcomber Jaoquin PerezKrasny 2 episodes 1963 Fractured Flickers Himself 1 episode 77 Sunset Strip Lorenzo Cestari Episode: "5: Part 4 1963–65 Burke's Law Various 5 episodes 1964 Dr. Kildare Dr. Paul Marino Episode: "Onions, Garlic and Flowers That Bloom in the Spring" 1964–70 The Mike Douglas Show Himself Unknown episodes 1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Victor Gervais Episode: "The Never-Never Affair" Bonanza Guido Borelli Episode: "The Deadliest Game" Branded Gen. Arriola Episode: "The Mission: Part 2" Ben Casey Frederic Delano Episode: "Did Your Mother Come from Ireland, Ben Casey?" 1966–69 Daniel Boone Esteban de VacaAdm. Alejandro BuenaventuraColonel Carlos Navarro 3 episodes 1966–68 Batman The Joker 22 episodes 1967 T.H.E. Cat Gordon Amley Episode: "Queen of Diamonds, Knave of Hearts" 1968 Get Smart Kinsey Krispen Episode: "The Reluctant Redhead" 1969 Here's Lucy Tony Rivera Episode: "A Date for Lucy" 1970 Julia Bunny HendersonBernard Henderson 5 episodes Bewitched Ernest Hitchcock Episode: "Salem, Here We Come" It Takes a Thief Mike Episode: "Beyond a Treasonable Doubt" 1971 The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World Himself Television movie documentary The Jimmy Stewart Show Harris Crofton 2 episodes Love, American Style Young Unmarrieds 1 episode Nanny and the Professor Schiavoni Episode: "The Man Who Came to Pasta" Mooch Goes to Hollywood Himself Television movie The Merv Griffin Show Himself 1 episode 1971–72 Alias Smith and Jones Armendariz 3 episodes 1972 The Mod Squad Frank Barton Episode: "The Connection" The Jimmy Stewart Show Admiral Decker 2 episodes 1973 Chase Parker Episode: "A Bit of Class" 1974 Ironside Tony Hudson Episode: "The Last Cotillion" Banacek Marius Avantalu Episode: "The Vanishing Chalice" Dinah! Himself 1 episode 1975 Medical Center Packy Episode: "The High Cost of Winning" 1976 Ellery Queen Armand Danello Episode: "The Adventure of the Wary Witness" 1977 Chico and the Man Gilberto Rodriguez Episode: "Chco's Padre" 1978 Vega$ Christopher Vincente Episode: "Lost Women" 1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Amos Armat Episode: "Vegas in Space" 1979–83 Fantasy Island Various 4 episodes 1980 Charlie's Angels Elton Mills Episode: "Dancing' Angels" 1982 Matt Houston Miles Gantry Episode: "Who Would Kill Ramona?" 1983 Hart to Hart Dr. Villac Episode: "Chamber of Lost Harts" 1984–86 The Love Boat Various 4 episodes 1985 Magnum, P.I. Doc Villoroch Episode: "Little Games" Family Feud Himself 1 episode 1985–88 Falcon Crest Peter Stavros 52 episodes 1985–86 Riptide Angelo Guirilini 2 episodes 1985–92 Murder, She Wrote Marcello AbruzziDiego Santana 2 episodes 1988 The Tracey Ullman Show Roland Diego 1 episode 1990 The Golden Girls Tony Episode: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They Die" 1993 Edna Time! Himself Episode: "Pilot"

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1929 The Street Singer John Broadway 1932 Dinner at Eight Ricci Broadway

Footnotes