Editing Cesar Romero (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Cesar Romero - USCG 2.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Romero as part of the deck crew aboard the {{USS|Cavalier|APA-37|6}}, c.&nbsp;1944]]
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).<ref>Candelaria, Cordelia. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3uD6PKXl3q4C&pg=PA705 "''Cesar Romero''"]. ''Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture''. Vol. 2. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 705. {{isbn|978-0-3133-3211-1}}</ref> His mother was a concert singer and said to be the biological daughter of Cuban national hero [[José Martí]].<ref name="GPUS">Handel, Charles (September 7, 1959). [http://www.mediafire.com/view/mao6ozehw80gmnd/.png "A Look at TV: Gunther Plans Unusual Shows"]. ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]''. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref><ref name="LA Times Obit">Oliver, Myrna (January 4, 1994). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-03-mn-8129-story.html "César Romero, Suave Star for Over 60 Years, Dies at 86"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref><ref>Marti, José; Allen, Esther. (April 30, 2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=HWdaNYx_OygC&dq=%22Maria+Mantilla%2C+who+is+widely+believed+to+have+been+Marti%27s+daughter%22&pg=PR29 "''José Martí: Selected Writings''"]. New York: Penguin Books. Page XXIX. {{ISBN|978-0-1424-3704-9}}.</ref><ref>Coons, Robbin (March 2, 1936). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bg4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4_wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3495%2C2257586&dq=maria-mantilla-concert-singer "Hollywood Sights and Sounds"]. ''[[The Gettysburg Times]]''</ref><ref>Coons, Robbin (March 2, 1936). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bg4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4_wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3495%2C2257586&dq=maria-mantilla-concert-singer "Hollywood Sights and Sounds"]. ''[[The Gettysburg Times]]''.</ref> His father was born in [[Barcelona]] and emigrated to the United States in 1888, where he was an import/export merchant.<ref>Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1023; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0593; FHL microfilm: 1375036</ref><ref>National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Roll #: 453; Volume #: Roll 0453 - Certificates: 1250-1499, 11 Jan 1918-14 Jan 1918</ref> 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.<ref name="Rosenholz1972">{{cite journal |last1=Rosenholz |first1=Elliott |last2=Sturm |first2=Ruth Brown |title=Emerson Romero: Man of a Thousand Lives |journal=The Deaf American |date=January 1972 |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=7–10 |url=https://archive.org/details/TheDeafAmerican2405January1972/page/n5/mode/2up |accessdate=August 28, 2020}}</ref>

Romero grew up in [[Bradley Beach, New Jersey]], and went to [[Bradley Beach School District|Bradley Beach Elementary School]], [[Asbury Park High School]],<ref>Voger, Mark (November 8, 2014). [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/11/batman_adam_west.html "'Batman' TV cast on the creation of a camp classic"]. ''[[The Star-Ledger]]''. Newark. Retrieved November 15, 2014. "CESAR ROMERO – The actor who created the role of the Joker lived in Bradley Beach as a child, and attended Bradley Beach Elementary School and Asbury Park High School."</ref> the [[Collegiate School (New York City)|Collegiate School]], and the [[Riverdale Country Day School]].<ref>Adams, Marjory (November 16, 1957). [http://www.mediafire.com/view/nc6bbh45n52bivl/.png "Movie Question Box"]. ''[[The Boston Globe]]''. November 16, 1957. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref> After his parents lost their sugar-import business and suffered losses in the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|Wall Street crash]] of 1929, Romero's [[Hollywood (film industry)|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.<ref>Thomas, Bob (June 22, 1984). [http://www.mediafire.com/view/rmfps1cj7871n97/.png "Entertainment: Latin from Manhattan Danced to Hollywood"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]''. Toronto. [[Associated Press]]. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref><ref>Thomas, Bob (January 3, 1994). [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/03/obituaries/cesar-romero-actor-dies-at-86-a-suave-player-in-films-and-tv.html "Cesar Romero, Actor, Dies at 86; A Suave Player in Films and TV"]. ''The New York Times''. Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2019.</ref>

On October 12, 1942, he enlisted in the [[United States Coast Guard]] as an apprentice seaman<ref>{{cite news| title=Cesar Romero Signs in Coast Guard| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106192555/fort-worth-star-telegram/| newspaper=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]| agency=Associated Press| date=October 13, 1942| volume=62| number=255| page=5| access-date=July 23, 2022}}</ref> and served in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater of Operations]]. He reported aboard the Coast Guard-crewed assault transport {{Ship|USS|Cavalier|APA-37|6}} 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 petty officer|chief]] [[Boatswain's mate (United States Coast Guard)|boatswain's mate]].<ref name=USCG01>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Notable-People/Celebrities-and-Famous-People/ |title=Celebrities and other Famous People - Cesar Romero, Actor |website=United States Coast Guard |access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref>