Editing Gilbert Roland (section)

==Early years==
[[File:Gilbert Roland in The Bad and the Beautiful trailer.jpg|thumb|left|Gilbert Roland from the trailer for ''[[The Bad and the Beautiful]]'' (1952)]]

There is some discrepancy about his place of birth, since his father, the Spanish [[bullfighter]] Francisco Alonso "Paquiro II", declared to the press that his son was born in [[Bilbao]] and that he had Spanish nationality.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bilbao.eus/bld/bitstream/handle/123456789/28743/35.pdf?sequence=1|title=El actor Gilbert Roland es bilbaino|date=March 1994 |access-date=December 5, 2018|work=www.bilbao.eus}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deia.eus/contando-historias/2020/01/04/latin-lover-bilbaina-4733036.html|title=Un 'latin lover' a la bilbaina|date=January 4, 2020|access-date=February 5, 2025|work=www.deia.eus}}</ref> Other sources say that he was born in [[Ciudad Juárez]], [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], Mexico.<ref name="cp">{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Nancy |title=Gilbert Roland Saw Calling Early |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44081388/gilbert_roland/ |access-date=February 12, 2020 |work=Courier-Post |agency=Copley News Service |date=January 11, 1973 |location=New Jersey, Camden |page=63|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> At first he intended to become a bullfighter like his father and his paternal grandfather.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gilbert Roland Wants Bull-Ring of His Own |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44080170/gilbert_roland/ |access-date=February 12, 2020 |work=Deseret News |date=January 8, 1953 |location=Utah, Salt Lake City |page=41|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

When [[Pancho Villa]] took control of their town, Roland and his family fled to the United States. He lived in Texas until at age 14 he hopped on a freight train and went to Hollywood. After arriving there, he found menial jobs and slept in a Catholic church. He often lost those jobs because he spent time working as an extra in films. He chose his screen name by combining the names of his favorite actors, [[John Gilbert (actor)|John Gilbert]] and [[Ruth Roland]].<ref name="cp" /> He was often cast in the stereotypical [[Latin lover (stereotype)|Latin lover]] role.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Torre |first1=Marie |title=Gilbert Roland Back |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44079424/gilbert_roland/ |access-date=February 12, 2020 |work=The Decatur Herald |agency=N. Y. Herald Tribune Service |date=October 24, 1960 |location=Illinois, Decatur |page=5|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>