Ramón Navarro, born José Ramón Gil Samaniego, was a Mexican film, stage, and television actor who began his career in silent films and soon became known to the film and performance world as a "Latin lover" and later on the "New Valentino," in reference to Rudolph Valentino. Despite being gay - or perhaps in a way because of it - Novarro often portrayed highly sexualized and primarily foreign roles, always opposite a female romantic interest.
Silent stars such as Novarro with thick accents or voices that could not overcome early recording techniques slipped into quick obscurity, and the public did not seem to mind one bit. In several cases, studio executives used sound as an excuse to dispose of "difficult" stars. Latin heartthrob Ramón Novarro had a fine voice, but he refused studio demands that he marry to cover up his homosexuality. Although his one musical was well-received, MGM sent him into semi-retirement. |
Examples of Work:
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) Across to Singapore (1928) Call of the Flesh (1930) Mata Hari (1931) |