Long before Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix laughed their way through their respective big-budget movies playing the Joker, Cesar Romero (1907-1994) put his stamp on the role in TV's Batman (1966-1968). Samuel Garza Bernstein's Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild is an affectionate biography of the golden-age star, a frank look at the life of a jobbing actor, and a glimpse at the cost of being gay in Old Hollywood.
Romero was born in New York City; his mother was of Cuban descent and his father was born in Spain. Romero developed a passion for dance (his grace would one day help him play the Joker), which led to stage work, which led to screen work and a 1934 move to Hollywood. He could and would play any film genre, and he regularly landed non-leading roles in big movies (1954's Vera Cruz, 1960's Ocean's Eleven) and guest-starring spots on television, including in the campy superhero show for which he's best remembered.
Playing the Joker required white full-face makeup--the rare acting gig that didn't hinge on Romero's ethnicity. In his prime, he was sold as a "Latin lover" in movie magazines that kept asking: When would the tall, dark, and handsome bachelor get hitched? Bernstein (Starring Joan Crawford) handles Romero's probable homosexuality gingerly, speculating but admitting that there's no confirmation, even from interview subjects who knew the actor. Cesar Romero will leave readers appreciative of Romero's gifts and perhaps wistful that, for whatever reason, he didn't find love in his lifetime. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer