The first Joker was friends with a Brazilian actress and fell in love with Rio de Janeiro

The box office failure and controversy raised by “Joker: Delirium for Two,” starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, has sparked debate on social media over which actor gave the best performance of the comic book villain.

Jack Nicholson (‘Batman’, 1989) and Heath Ledger (‘Dark Knight’, 2008, for which he posthumously won the Oscar for supporting actor) are the most cited, especially by TikTokers.

The new generations do not know Cesar Romero, the first actor to play the DC character, created in 1940. He made 22 episodes of the “Batman” series, on the ABC channel, between 1966 and 1968. He was 59 years old when he appeared in the role for the first time.

To accept the role he made only one request: not to shave his moustache. The producers were reluctant at first, but agreed. In close-up scenes you can see the locks under the white makeup.

Born in New York, of Cuban and Italian descent, Romero has had a long career in TV and film. He was one of Hollywood’s first Latino heartthrobs.

He starred alongside a rising Brazilian star: Carmen Miranda. Together they made “Weekend in Havana” (“It Happened in Havana”, 1941) and “Springtime in the Rockies” (“My Brazilian Secretary”, 1942). A couple with a large height difference: the artist measures 1.91 m and the actress measures 1.52 m.

The two became friends. Cesar came to Rio twice. Once, during the 1946 carnival. He said he was in love with Brazil. His latest work has to do with the country.

Released in July 1995 (a year and a half after the actor’s death, at the age of 86, from complications due to pneumonia), the documentary ‘Carmen Miranda: Banana is my Business’ contained his testimony on the career of his Brazilian friend, who died of cardiac arrest 30 years earlier.

Cesar Romero never married or had children. When he died, he left an estate valued today at 5 million dollars, approximately R$28 million. His heirs were a brother and four nephews.

Source: Terra