By iamsandykay on September 13, 2025 ( Leave a comment )

Book Review – The Joker Is Wild

Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild
by Samuel Garza Bernstein

Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild by Samuel Garza Bernstein

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Book Description:

Dynamic and debonair, Cesar Romero was best known for creating the role of the Joker in the 1960s Batman television series. As the first actor to play Batman and Robin’s villainous nemesis, Romero established the character’s giddy, manic tone and the iconic laugh that subsequent actors like Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix would use as the starting points in their own Oscar-nominated (Nicholson) and Oscar-winning (Ledger and Phoenix) performances. As a closeted gay man of Latin American descent, Romero gracefully faced many personal challenges while maintaining his suave public image and starring opposite legends ranging from Shirley Temple to Marlene Dietrich, Carmen Miranda to Frank Sinatra, and Kurt Russell to Jane Wyman.

The first biography of the consummate entertainer, Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild, captures the critical moments of Romero’s childhood, adolescence, and accomplishments in Hollywood. Author Samuel Garza Bernstein shares anecdotes regarding Romero’s public and personal life, as well as Romero’s private disdain for his reputation as the “Latin Lover,” a discriminatory stereotype he found constrictive both in terms of his range as an actor and as a man who kept his sexuality private.

Cesar Romero is an in-depth study of a significant Hollywood star and his impact on the entertainment industry. Batman made him immortal, but with more than four hundred film and television credits, his six-decade career as an actor, dancer, and singer made him a true Hollywood icon.

My Take:

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and University Press of Kentucky
in exchange for my honest review.

Immersive read filled with incredulous stories.

This autobiography reads like flipping through a magazine [complimentary] or sitting down with your friend at the coffee shop to ~~gossip~~ discuss everything that is going on in your lives, at work, in the world [also complimentary]. Filled with sensational stories that are just fantastical enough to be true and those that add a wonderful depth to a remarkable actor and man. The included Chronology, Bibliography, and Index add interesting context to the work, showing how busy and Cesar Romero was in his career. The inclusion of photos in a biography or autobiography are always a great addition to the work.

Ride the rollercoaster of the highs and lows of stardom.

The story goes deep in this book – all the way to the heart of Cesar Romero. A young actor outwardly shining like a star but internally struggling with supporting those he cares about. This biography shows how the ups and downs of stardom (struggling financial, always searching for work, insecurities even when you do make it “big”) have existed always. As a reader you ride that rollercoaster of the highs and lows throughout the book and throughout Cesar Romero’s life.

The Final Verdict

My rating: 4 stars

Would I recommend? Yes

Great read that transforms a well-recognized character (Joker) into a human (Cesar).