José Ramón Gil Samaniego (1899-1968) was a Mexican actor who became a star of silent cinema after his villainous turn in The Prisoner of Zenda (1922) and a phenomenon with his heroics in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). Handsome, even beautiful, he combined the roles of swashbuckler with the tag of ‘Latin Lover,’ especially following the death of Rudolph Valentino.
Novarro had a light but effective speaking voice and his transition to talking pictures was straightforward. Much earlier, he had worked as a singer, and MGM came up with the idea of having him record a theme song (‘Pagan Love Song’) for The Pagan (1929). The public liked it, so it was no great leap to cast Novarro in a musical feature, Devil-May-Care, where he was able to combine his newly-revealed skill with some of his practised swordplay.
Novarro went on to star in four more musicals: In Gay Madrid, Call of the Flesh, The Cat and the Fiddle (partnered with Jeanette MacDonald, and the best of his musical outings) and The Night is Young. He also co-wrote one of the songs in Call of the Flesh and directed the French and Spanish versions of the picture.
Homophobia brought Novarro’s MGM stardom to an end. His sexuality was no secret in the business and the subject of public speculation. His contract was terminated when he refused to enter into a ‘lavender marriage’. He continued to work elsewhere as a supporting player, until his tragic and violent death during a robbery in 1968.
