Born Hershel Geguzin in Lithuania and raised in Brooklyn as Harry Gerguson, the man who would become Mike Romanoff was one of the most successful impostors in American history. After adopting Oxford manners and a polished aristocratic accent, he declared himself Prince Michael Alexandrovich Romanoff, nephew to Tsar Nicholas II. Despite being exposed repeatedly as a fraud by newspapers, Hollywood high society adored his charm and willingly played along with his elaborate charade.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Romanoff rubbed shoulders with movie moguls, actors, and politicians, running up enormous restaurant tabs that were happily forgiven in exchange for his royal presence. His audacity culminated in opening Romanoff's in Beverly Hills in 1940, an exclusive restaurant frequented by Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and Frank Sinatra. Romanoff never broke character, maintaining his royal persona until his death in 1962, proving that in Hollywood, a great performance trumps the truth.