Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild by Samuel Garza Bernstein

Batman had bang, bop, and bling—and Cesar Romero was the crown prince of camp.

The new biography Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild by Samuel Garza Bernstein finally gives this stylish trailblazer his due. It’s packed with juicy anecdotes, surprising insights, and a respectful look at Romero’s struggles—especially his distaste for being typecast as the “Latin Lover,” a label that limited both his career and personal identity.

Let’s face it—most kids from my generation didn’t need to debate who the best Joker was. It was Cesar Romero! Before the Joker went gritty, brooding, and started winning Oscars for method acting and face-paint-induced madness, there was Romero—dynamic, debonair, and delightfully over-the-top. He didn’t just play the Joker; he invented him. That maniacal cackle? The theatrical flair? The gleeful chaos in technicolor? All Romero. And yes, he did it with style—while refusing to shave his mustache. That’s right, the man painted over it.

Long before Jack Nicholson got his creep on, Heath Ledger dove into chaos, or Joaquin Phoenix danced in dingy bathrooms, Cesar Romero was laying the foundation—laughing maniacally in purple suits and causing headaches for Adam West and Burt Ward on the gloriously campy 1960s Batman TV show. He was the first to bring Gotham’s clown prince of crime to life, and he did it with the swagger of a man who knew how to wear a tux better than anyone in the room.

But beyond the greasepaint and punchlines, Romero lived a fascinating double life. As a closeted gay man of Latin American descent in the Golden Age of Hollywood, he navigated a world that loved his suave image but didn’t always love what lay beneath it. He starred alongside everyone from Shirley Temple to Marlene Dietrich, Carmen Miranda to Frank Sinatra, Kurt Russell to Jane Wyman. Seriously, the man had more star connections than Hollywood Boulevard has tourists.

And his wardrobe? Let’s just say if fashion were a superpower, Romero would’ve been in the Justice League. He once said to live well, one must dress well—and never repeat an outfit. His closet reportedly held 30 tuxedos, 200 sports jackets, and 500 suits. I have socks older than my last blazer.

You’ll learn about his behind-the-scenes moments with the Rat Pack, including four films with Sinatra (who had his tuxedo rivalries), and how Romero became immortal not just through Batman but through over 400 film and television appearances across six decades. That’s not a resume—that’s a cinematic galaxy.

Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and even Jared Leto all walked the Joker path after him (and snagged Oscar attention, though only Ledger won for the role). But let’s not forget the man who did it first—with flair, with laughter, and with a painted-over mustache.

This biography isn’t just a must-read—it’s a keeper. A tribute to a true original who danced through Hollywood with charm, wit, and enough suits to clothe an entire awards season. Long live the first (and forever fabulous) Joker—Cesar Romero.