Who Was Emerson Romero? Cause of Death, Background, Achievements, & More

Web Desk

20th Sep, 2024. 10:12 am
Share

Emerson Irving Romero, a Cuban-American silent film actor, was born on August 19, 1900. Emerson Romero, whose screen name was Tommy Albert, was the force behind the introduction of captions to sound films, making it easy for the deaf to comprehend the films. His encouraging invention of open captions laid the foundation for the captioning techniques that are used in movies and series nowadays. Currently, he is in the headlines as Google Doodle honors the inspiring journey and endeavors of Emerson.

Background of Emerson Romero

Emerson Irving Romero, born in Havana, Cuba, was a first cousin to Cesar Romero. He attended various schools, including Wright Oral School, Stuyvesant High School, Interlaken High School, and Blair Academy. He studied at Columbia University and later transferred to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. However, his father faced financial difficulties, forcing him to leave after two years.

Career of Emerson Romero

After leaving Lafayette College, Romero worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. His brother Dorian started the Pan-American Film Corporation in Cuba, and Romero was encouraged to consider acting. He starred in a full-length film, A Yankee in Havana, and helped shoot, edit, and write subtitles. Director Richard Harlan encouraged him to move to Hollywood in 1926. From 1926 to 1928, Romero appeared in over 24 two-reel short comedies, changing his name to Tommy Albert. He worked with actors like W. C. Fields and did all his own makeup and stunt work. However, his films are now believed to be lost due to the introduction of sound films in 1927.

Achievements & Death

Romero, a prominent figure in the deaf community in New York City, started the Theatre Guild of the Deaf in 1934 and later worked as a sheet metal and template maker for Republic Aviation. He developed the first captioning for a movie in 1947, splicing film strips and inserting images with captions between picture frames. Romero later created the Vibralarm in 1959 and sold a product line of items for the deaf, including doorbells, smoke detectors, and baby alarms. He retired from Republic Aviation in 1965 and was honored with a civic achievement award by the New York City Civic Association of the Deaf in 1970. On October 16, 1972, Romero took his last breaths in Boulder, Colorado.