Personal Life
Novarro had been troubled all his life as a result of his conflicting views over his Roman Catholic religion and his homosexuality, and his life-long struggle with alcoholism is often traced to these issues. MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer reportedly tried to coerce Novarro into a "lavender marriage", which he refused. He was a friend of adventurer and author Richard Halliburton, also a celebrity in the closet, and was romantically involved with journalist Herbert Howe, who was also his publicist during the late 1920s.
In 1934, Novarro was one of the victims of the "witch hunt" for "reds" in Hollywood. With Dolores del Río, Lupe Vélez and James Cagney, he was accused of promoting communism in California. That happened after these actors attended a special screening of the film Que viva Mexico! by Sergei M. Eisenstein, which copies were claimed by Joseph Stalin from the Soviet Union to be edited.
Read more about this topic: Ramon Novarro
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“Bondage is the life of personality, and for bondage the personal self will fight with tireless resourcefulness and the most stubborn cunning.”
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“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. And also the only real tragedy in life is being used by personally minded men for purposes which you recognize to be base.”
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