In Hollywood, people have more sex appeal if, in their native language, the word for love is 'amor' or 'amore' or
'amour'. We don't call them "Romance languages" for nothing. Latin men are hotter than jalapeños, and Latin women melt butter at a five kilometer radius with their
Femme Fatale aura. Plus there's dancing. There's always dancing.
The "Poolboy" or "New Gardener" character fits this role often.
The
Latin Lover was usually from Spain or Italy, but has expanded to include Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other Central and South American ethnicities.
But not Mexicans. Never Mexicans. For some reason, they're not generally from Latium, unless they're
Salma Hayek,
or ....
Subtrope of
Everyone Looks Sexier If French.
The Paolo may be one.
Examples
Female
Film
- Jennifer Lopez
- Eva Mendes
- Salma Hayek
- Flor Moreno in Spanglish. Though somewhat subverted in that it is the white Deborah Clasky who cheats.
- Penelope Cruz
- Rosario Dawson, if she ever decides to use an accent.
- Cameron Diaz (Fun fact: She's Cuban).
- Especially from the 1950's through the 1970's, many Italian actresses fit neatly into this trope:
- Gina Lollobrigida
- Sophia Loren
- Silvana Pampanini
- Silvana Mangano
- Laura Antonelli
- Claudia Cardinale
- Isa Barzizza
- Sylva Koscina
- Gianna Maria Canale
- Monica Vitti
- Ornella Muti
- Serena Grandi
Live Action TV
- Cote de Pablo (that's Ziva off NCIS)
- Eva Longoria Parker
- Sofia Vergara
Music
Tabletop Games
Male
Film
- Antonio Banderas.
- The original "Nutty Professor" Buddy Love.
- One character in the first Police Academy movie deliberately invoked this trope by using a much thicker "Latino" accent than he actually had in order to score with women.
- Puss in Boots from the Shrek films, as voiced by the aforementioned Banderas.
- Rudolph Valentino.
- Ricardo Montalban.
- Fernando Lamas.
Literature
- Subverted by Raphael Kerna in Arcia Chronicles, who comes from a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of Spain (and he is a toreador, to boot) and is the most popular guy among Arcian noblewomen thanks to his looks and mannerisms. However, he has never entered relationships with any of them. Also, his little sister Dariolo is acknowledged as the hottest girl in Arcia and even hooks up with future king Alexander, but is faaar away from a Femme Fatale,
- Ruy Sanchez de Casador y Ortiz in 1632. This is lampshaded in one book where an "uptimer" character meets Ruy and ruminates on how the fellow bears a striking resemblance to certain Latino actors such as Ricardo Montalban and Giancarlo Giannini whose looks improved as they aged. Ruy is described several times as having an exceptionally fit physique that contrasts strikingly with his gray-haired, lined face.
Live Action TV
Music
- Ricky Martin.
- Enrique Iglesias and his father, Julio.
- Aurelio Voltaire Hernadez. A sexy, cuban goth guy with a good sence of humor who can play the guitar and has a goatee? For some, he's walking sex.
Real Life
- Joaquín Cortés.
- Porifiro Rubirosa
Theater
- Aldolfo from The Drowsy Chaperone. Sort of. He probably thinks he's greater than he is.
- Julio from the musical Paint Your Wagon.
Video Games
- Fernando Martinez from the Grand Theft Auto games is a parody of this.
- Dragon Age: Origins resident manwhore assassin Zevran Arainai counts as one for both male and female players.
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassins Creed II. He might be unique, given that he's the main playable character instead of a supporting one.
Webcomics
- Enriqué from this
Order Of The Stick strip. Also, Julio Scoundrél.
- Irritability had one show up for a one-shot gag, touted by the narrator as "the latin lover". It turned out to be a nerdy guy who really loved the latin language.
Western Animation
- Zita Flores from Kim Possible, at least according to this troper.
- Juanissimo from The Fairly Odd Parents is a parody.
- Another subversion is found in 6Teen where one of the characters fall for someone who she thinks only speaks Spanish, although the viewer can see it was his unattractive friend talking in Spanish. Consequently, she attempts to learn Spanish herself. He doesn't actually speak Spanish, though, and he tries to learn Spanish himself to communicate with her. If I recall correctly, the phrase "Latin Lover" was even thrown around in the episode.
