Google Honors Trailblazing Silent Film Actor Romero with Doodle

On September 19, 2024, Google dedicated its daily Doodle to honor A Romero, a pioneering Cuban-American silent film actor. Romero is credited with developing some of the earliest techniques for making films accessible to individuals with hearing impairments, a feat highlighted in Google’s description of the Doodle.

The Doodle, illustrated by Derek Abella, a Cuban-American artist, depicts Romero working with subtitled films. At the age of six, Romero was diagnosed with whooping cough, which led to his hearing loss. The following year, he moved with his family to New York.

In 1924, Romero’s brother founded a film company in Cuba and invited him to join. Initially working as a stagehand, Romero was encouraged by his brother to try acting. He eventually starred in “A Yankee in Havana,” which caught the attention of Hollywood executives. Subsequently, Romero moved to California to pursue further opportunities in film.

In the subsequent years, Romero acted in more than 20 short films, including popular titles like “Great Guns,” “Sappy Days,” and “The Cat’s Meow.” However, with the advent of sound films in 1927, studios ceased hiring hearing-impaired actors and removed subtitles and intertitles, rendering films inaccessible to the deaf community.

Romero emerged as a prominent figure within the deaf community, co-founding the Theatre Guild of the Deaf in New York City. The company staged multiple plays, in many of which Romero either acted or directed.

In 1947, Romero devised a groundbreaking method for subtitling sound films by slicing film strips and inserting subtitled frames. This innovative technique paved the way for more advanced subtitling methods and left a lasting impact on inclusive cinema.