Link (http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/adam-west-dead-dies-batman-1202461532/)

Adam West — an actor defined and also constrained by his role in the 1960s series “Batman” — died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 88. A rep said that he died after a short battle with leukemia.

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero,” his family said in a statement.

With its “Wham! Pow!” onscreen exclamations, flamboyant villains and cheeky tone, “Batman” became a surprise hit with its premiere on ABC in 1966, a virtual symbol of ’60s kitsch. Yet West’s portrayal of the superhero and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, ultimately made it hard for him to get other roles, and while he continued to work throughout his career, options remained limited because of his association with the character.


West also chafed against the darker versions of Bob Kane’s hero that emerged in more recent years, beginning with the Michael Keaton-starring, Tim Burton-directed adaptations that began in 1989, and followed by Christopher Nolan’s enormously successful Dark Knight trilogy.

In February 2016, CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” which had hosted a number of geek favorites over the years, celebrated its 200th episode — and marked the 50th anniversary of “Batman” — with an appearance by West.


Asked by Variety what the character of Batman has come to mean to him over five decades, West said: “Money. Some years ago I made an agreement with Batman. There was a time when Batman really kept me from getting some pretty good roles, and I was asked to do what I figured were important features. However, Batman was there, and very few people would take a chance on me walking on to the screen. And they’d be taking people away from the story. So I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too. Why not? So I began to reengage myself with Batman. And I saw the comedy. I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it.”

West made his feature debut in 1959’s “The Young Philadelphians,” starring Paul Newman.

Various supporting roles in movies and TV followed – including a part in the Three Stooges movie “The Outlaws Is Coming.”

The origins of the “Batman” series are actually quite complex, but the project eventually landed at 20th Century Fox, which handed it to producer William Dozier, who devised the show’s camp comedy sensibility.

Both West and Lyle Waggoner were considered for the part of Batman before West was cast, playing alongside Burt Ward as his sidekick Robin.

In a PBS special that touched on the show, Ward noted that West’s slow, portentous delivery was occasionally designed to eat up screen time, thus cutting into his co-star’s dialogue.

With actors like Cesar Romero (Joker) and Burgess Meredith (Penguin) comprising Batman’s rogue’s gallery of villains, the show became an almost instant success, urging viewers to tune in for the next episode at the “Same Bat-time.” The series spawned a movie — pitting the Dynamic Duo against a team-up of villains — before being canceled after three seasons due, primarily, to its high production costs.

The show came to be viewed with some contempt in comicbook circles, especially after the darker vision of Batman became dominant in the ’70s and ’80s.

West found serious film work scarce following the series, though he remained in demand for personal appearances as the character and voice work, including a recurring stint on “Family Guy” and animated versions of Batman. Other roles ranged from “The Happy Hooker” and “Hooper” to the Michael Tolkin-directed movies “The Rapture” and “The New Age.”

West wrote two books, one, titled “Back to the Batcave” and published in the mid-1990s, in which he said that he was “angry and disappointed” not to have been offered the chance to reprise the role in the Burton movies, despite being 60 at the time. The attendant publicity seemed to put West back on the cultural radar, at least as a source of nostalgia.

Born William West Anderson in 1928 in Walla Walla, Wash., the actor later adopted his stage name, and began his career in earnest when he moved to Hawaii in the 1950s to star in a local children’s program.

He is survived by his wife Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

BBC is saying that he died of leukemia.

This one shocked me. He wasn't a young man, but there were no reports of ill health and he seemed to work like a 30 year old.

RIP Batman. As I said in another forum, West really had fun with the role and never talked it down. I'm sure it hurt his subsequent career, but he was a gentleman about it.

Sure feels like we've lost a legend. :rip:

I can't believe this. :( I thought he was really healthy and doing well.

:rip: Adam West

I can't believe this. :( I thought he was really healthy and doing well.

:rip: Adam West

He wasn't unfortunately. :(

Farewell, old chum.

R.I.P. Mr. West. Thanks for being a part of my childhood. :(

Adam West will be missed...

Such a monumental loss for the entertainment industry. My mother broke the news to me this morning. Adam West was indeed a television legend. His performance as Batman truly defined popular culture, as well as the character himself. He will definitely be missed.

My dad actually called to talk to me about this and I already knew.

Some assorted pictures of Adam's shows (these captured from DVD releases of those series):

--First, his title credit from his most famous role, 60s ABC Batman (captured from WB all-in-one DVD of that series)

--Second, Adam in a general scene from that series as Batman (alongside his co-star Burt Ward, who was Robin); this also captured from that release

--Third, Adam as David Stockwood (alongside Robert Wagner) in the Hart to Hart episode "Love Game" (OAD Nov. 8, 1983 on ABC; captured from Shout! final-season DVD of that ABC series)

--Finally, his closing credit card from that episode (also captured from that release)

:rip:

You know, for some reason I kept thinking he was 90. Either way, I thought it'd be great if the Paley Center for Media did a tribute to him for his 90th birthday which would've included not only his work on "Batman," but his AOL commercial, his voicework in the Kim Possible episode "The Fearless Ferret," a "Catman" related episode of "The Fairly OddParents," the SNL parody of him by Michael McKean plugging "Back to the Batcave," and a few other things.

:rip:

Sad news about Adam West, I know he was getting up in years but thought his health was still pretty good. I'm glad he lived to see the work he's most famous for, the Batman TV series, finally get it's release on DVD. I'm sure he was happy about that. R.I.P. Mr. West.

Sad news about Adam West, I know he was getting up in years but thought his health was still pretty good. I'm glad he lived to see the work he's most famous for, the Batman TV series, finally get it's release on DVD. I'm sure he was happy about that. R.I.P. Mr. West.

I did not even know he was that sick.

I did not even know he was that sick.

I don't think anyone in the general public did. Good for them for being able to keep this private matter private. Really a rare thing these days.

I don't think anyone in the general public did. Good for them for being able to keep this private matter private. Really a rare thing these days.

That's why cause of deaths are usually not revealed right away. Because of privacy reasons.

Very sad. :( He was a such a cool guy, and the ultimate Batman ! ;) He was the original and the best! :) None of the other actors who portrayed Batman could fill his shoes IMO! ;)

RIP Dear Mr. West :rip:

an inspiration, icon and a legend :(

I was so disappointed when they didn't pick up Lookwell to series - he was iconic in that role as well.

:rip:

Here he is on "Kim Possible." John C. McGinley voiced his Riddler equivalent:

https://wn.com/kim_possible_the_fearless_ferret

I should've added his role as Simon Trent in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Beware the Gray Ghost."

http://dcau.wikia.com/wiki/Gray_Ghost

This just goes to show you that no one is in stone, meaning that any good celebrity can be lost as a living person at anytime, even though I just hate when somebody with the word "real" in his Twitter handle dies. :( :rip:

Rest in peace.

Julie Newmar Pays Tribute to "Special and Beloved" Friend Adam West
6/14/17


Adam was such a sweetheart. It was right there, his goodness, from the first time I met him, 51 years ago. And it was the same when I saw him last month. He was still his charming, ebullient, bouncy, slightly silly self. When we were in Batman together, I think the biggest feeling we both had was just: “Let’s enjoy every minute of this.”

I almost have tears in my eyes when I think of the responses I’ve gotten since I received the call from Adam’s agent. My phone and my email have just exploded with responses. I’ve never seen anything like it. The emails I’ve gotten from fans of Adam have been so beautifully written. Why has my Facebook page lit up like gangbusters? It’s gone berserk. And I was asking myself this morning, “What was the bigness of this Batman all about?”





As it’s been mentioned many times, back then in 1966, we were all at the end of a kind of sweetheart period in the culture, after Eisenhower and Kennedy. And when you think of how people have behaved in the decades since, in terms of the, shall we say, pleasantness of their manners, you realize why Adam was so special and so beloved.

People have talked about the campiness of our Batman, but there was a terrific straightness in Adam’s performance. He had a great capacity to be silly, but he was also so real. I mean, even look at his body. He didn’t have those huge fake shoulders. For him, it was about being present and not so exaggerated and not tipping the balance of things into the totally unrelatable. A lot of that other stuff — that’s what people do in lieu of being genuine.





But Adam knew how to float on his wonderful realness. People so often say it to us: “We love the original TV version of Batman. The others are just too dark.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with dark, but I think what they mean is “too forced, too much war, too much pain.”

Because of our chemistry in the show, it’s always been spoken about, the question of how close Adam and I really were personally. I’ve often been asked if our relationship was behind-the-scenes sexual and all that. I’ve never spoken on that topic — and I’d like it to always have the question mark because it continues to involve the audience’s excitement. But if you want to talk about the quality of our chemistry on-screen, well — oh, come on! — of course it was all sexual. It was just as flamingly, richly sexual back then as we are today. It was all play and all sex. That’s what life is all about.





Even though, partially, it looks dated, essentially it’s still all there, with the teasing and sexiness and all that goes on between two people of any age or any sex. Adam and I had some juicy dialogue, and we were dressed right, and we played it with all of our bottomless sincerity.

That was the epitome. We had fun, and that was the essence of Adam: fun, fun, fun. That is who he was.

http://ew.com/news/2017/06/14/julie-newmar-adam-west-tribute-batman-catwoman/

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Captain Logan expresses his love and admiration for Adam West, who passed away yesterday at 88 years old.

Julie Newmar Pays Tribute to "Special and Beloved" Friend Adam West
6/14/17


Adam was such a sweetheart. It was right there, his goodness, from the first time I met him, 51 years ago. And it was the same when I saw him last month. He was still his charming, ebullient, bouncy, slightly silly self. When we were in Batman together, I think the biggest feeling we both had was just: “Let’s enjoy every minute of this.”

I almost have tears in my eyes when I think of the responses I’ve gotten since I received the call from Adam’s agent. My phone and my email have just exploded with responses. I’ve never seen anything like it. The emails I’ve gotten from fans of Adam have been so beautifully written. Why has my Facebook page lit up like gangbusters? It’s gone berserk. And I was asking myself this morning, “What was the bigness of this Batman all about?”





As it’s been mentioned many times, back then in 1966, we were all at the end of a kind of sweetheart period in the culture, after Eisenhower and Kennedy. And when you think of how people have behaved in the decades since, in terms of the, shall we say, pleasantness of their manners, you realize why Adam was so special and so beloved.

People have talked about the campiness of our Batman, but there was a terrific straightness in Adam’s performance. He had a great capacity to be silly, but he was also so real. I mean, even look at his body. He didn’t have those huge fake shoulders. For him, it was about being present and not so exaggerated and not tipping the balance of things into the totally unrelatable. A lot of that other stuff — that’s what people do in lieu of being genuine.





But Adam knew how to float on his wonderful realness. People so often say it to us: “We love the original TV version of Batman. The others are just too dark.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with dark, but I think what they mean is “too forced, too much war, too much pain.”

Because of our chemistry in the show, it’s always been spoken about, the question of how close Adam and I really were personally. I’ve often been asked if our relationship was behind-the-scenes sexual and all that. I’ve never spoken on that topic — and I’d like it to always have the question mark because it continues to involve the audience’s excitement. But if you want to talk about the quality of our chemistry on-screen, well — oh, come on! — of course it was all sexual. It was just as flamingly, richly sexual back then as we are today. It was all play and all sex. That’s what life is all about.





Even though, partially, it looks dated, essentially it’s still all there, with the teasing and sexiness and all that goes on between two people of any age or any sex. Adam and I had some juicy dialogue, and we were dressed right, and we played it with all of our bottomless sincerity.

That was the epitome. We had fun, and that was the essence of Adam: fun, fun, fun. That is who he was.

http://ew.com/news/2017/06/14/julie-newmar-adam-west-tribute-batman-catwoman/

:)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/ff7be138-9963-3a9c-9285-12519d7f6763/ss_adam-west-%E2%80%98had-no-idea%E2%80%99-he.html

If there was one person who was shocked to learn of “Batman” star Adam West’s death, it was his sidekick Robin, played by Burt Ward. The Cape Crusader passed away at age 88 on June 9 in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia. “I saw him a couple of weeks ago. We had breakfast before signing autographs all day long,” the 71-year-old actor told Fox News. “We walked to the stage, he walked so fast I could barely keep up with him. “He was in great condition. In my heart, he had no idea (https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/426aa52e-1f41-3ced-86dd-8e407280bd64/ss_%27batman%27s%27-burt-ward-believes.html) [what was going to happen]. He was talking about taking a trip to Europe with his wife next month. He asked me if I wanted to do some appearances in the UK because he was going to Europe … we were supposed

Link (http://pagesix.com/2017/06/22/adam-west-had-no-idea-he-was-dying-says-batman-co-star/)

If there was one person who was shocked to learn of “Batman” star Adam West’s death, it was his sidekick Robin, played by Burt Ward.

The Cape Crusader passed away at age 88 on June 9 in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia.

“I saw him a couple of weeks ago. We had breakfast before signing autographs all day long,” the 71-year-old actor told Fox News. “We walked to the stage, he walked so fast I could barely keep up with him.

“He was in great condition. In my heart, he had no idea [what was going to happen]. He was talking about taking a trip to Europe with his wife next month. He asked me if I wanted to do some appearances in the UK because he was going to Europe … we were supposed to appear next week in Las Vegas. Plus, he was talking about adding bigger appearances.”

However, there were signs of West’s illness.


“From what I understand, on the flight back from our last weekend we worked together, he had some altitude sickness,” he recalled. “He wanted to get that checked. The doctors said, ‘You have a rise in white cell count’ and they discovered he contracted leukemia, but it was in the early stages. A very mild, quiet stage. And they said, ‘We’re going to give you some pills and you’ll be able to go home in a couple of days and you can live another 3 to 5 years or more.’ That doesn’t sound like someone who’s going to immediately decease. It was a complete shock.”

Ward and West fought crime in Gotham City for the DC comic series, which aired on ABC from 1966 to 1968. The actor said from the moment they met at a screen test for the show, they became fast friends — and that friendship would last for over 50 years.

“Nothing ever changed,” he said. “We were exactly the same after the first three minutes we met. We were both very fun-loving people and got along so well. We were such good friends that when we weren’t filming, we would occasionally go out on the weekends and play tennis … He was everything off stage that he was on screen. He was such a wonderful man.”

But being part of the Dynamic Duo wasn’t always fun and games. Ward recalled ending up in the emergency room for second-degree burns, inhalation of gas, and even breaking his nose while bringing the comic to life.

“I didn’t think I was going to survive the first week,” he admitted. “We did 120 episodes and I really believed that in those last couple of episodes, the studio was trying to collect from that insurance policy!”

And Ward, who initially didn’t know anything about Batman, citing “Superman” and even “Superboy” as two comics he was more familiar with, had no idea how difficult it would be to even dress as Robin.


“I was told two wardrobe men were going to help me fit into my costume, which I thought was odd because I was perfectly capable of dressing myself,” he explained. “I put this costume on and I gotta tell you, it was the most uncomfortable thing in my entire life. And I won’t go into the gory details, but I can tell you one thing: Man was not built for tights!

“I hobbled out of that dressing room. 120 episodes! It took five days, 12 to 14 hours a day to make each one. I do have a costume now, but I only wear it on two occasions. One is when I go trick-or-treating. The other is for very private moments with my wife.”

West wasn’t the only beloved friend Ward had the chance to work with on set. His neighbor, martial artist Bruce Lee, appeared in “Batman” as the Green Hornet’s sidekick valet, Kato.

“We lived in the same cluster of condominiums,” he said. “He lived with his wife Linda and his son Brandon, who was 6 months at the time. We became friends and used to spar together. We would go down to Chinatown for dinners. Of course Bruce, who lived in Hong Kong for 10 years, knew all of the special stuff to order. We had a great time … His very first filmed fight scene of his career was fighting me for ‘Batman.’”

Lee died of a cerebral edema in 1973 at the age of 32.

Ward remembered Lee fondly.

Burt Ward and Adam West as Robin and Batman in 1966©20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
“He was a very nice guy. Very funny. And very confident, no question about that.”

While Ward kept busy over the years meeting fans and tackling other roles, he and his wife, Tracy, pursued another passion. It started in August 1994 when they began rescuing and adopting Great Danes in need.

Since then, they launched Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions. Ward said the couple has rescued over 15,000 dogs.

“Every one we’ve saved from being put to death,” he said. “We provide love, food, and complete medical care. Regardless of what they needed, surgeries — we take care of it. We take no salary from our charity.”

The Wards also developed Gentle Giants Natural Foods. The funds they receive from selling their own brand of dog food go directly to support the animals.

“I only wish what I’ve done for dogs I could have done for my dear friend Adam so that I could have him for another 88 years,” he said.

https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/m/ed012d73-51b6-38d1-86b2-36a599ee2693/ss_william-shatner-remembers.html

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- William Shatner says he knew his fellow television icon Adam West for decades before they were cast in the cartoon adventure, Batman vs. Two-Face. Although Shatner plays the titular villain to West's hero, the pair did not record their lines together or meet up to discuss their performances during the production of the animated film.

Best known for playing Batman in an iconic, live-action TV series in the 1960s, West died in June at the age of 88.

Asked by UPI at New York Comic Con Sunday about how well he knew West, Shatner replied, "I knew Adam.

"A long, long time ago, we did a pilot together prior to Batman, prior to Star Trek. I played Alexander the Great. It was going to be a group of soldiers in the desert fighting. That was the concept, led by Alexander. And it didn't sell," the 86-year-old actor recalled. "Each of us went our way and we would see each other at a Comic Con like this. Be having lunch and sit at a table and talk and I got to know him over the years and I really admired him. Lovely, lovely, sophisticated man."

The Oscars' biggest In Memoriam snubs include Adam West, John Mahoney, Della Reese, Reg. E. Cathay and Powers Boothe (https://www.avclub.com/getting-left-out-of-the-in-memoriam-montage-is-the-bi-1823507137)
Oscar winner Dorothy Malone and Oscar nominee Glen Campbell (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/05/adam-west-late-batman-star-snubbed-at-oscars-2018-ceremony) were also left out, as was Chris Cornell, who contributed music to the movies. Eddie Vedder covered a Tom Petty song, but Petty was ignored, even though his music has been used in movies. Other omissions include Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, veteran French actor Jean Rochefort, James Bond film director Lewis Gilbert and film noir actress Peggy Cummins.

The Oscars' biggest In Memoriam snubs include Adam West, John Mahoney, Della Reese, Reg. E. Cathay and Powers Boothe (https://www.avclub.com/getting-left-out-of-the-in-memoriam-montage-is-the-bi-1823507137)
Oscar winner Dorothy Malone and Oscar nominee Glen Campbell (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/05/adam-west-late-batman-star-snubbed-at-oscars-2018-ceremony) were also left out, as was Chris Cornell, who contributed music to the movies. Eddie Vedder covered a Tom Petty song, but Petty was ignored, even though his music has been used in movies. Other omissions include Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, veteran French actor Jean Rochefort, James Bond film director Lewis Gilbert and film noir actress Peggy Cummins.

Blasphemy! West may not have had a long, prosperous film career (although he co-starred with the Three Stooges in "The Outlaws Is Coming!"), but he still deserved a mention--along with the rest of the celebs who were omitted, especially Della Reese and Glen Campbell--during the "In Memoriam" segment on Sunday night's Oscars telecast.

Thanks for commenting, TMC!

R.I.P. Adam

Very sad :(

I hate to get morbid, but it just occurred to me that Burt Ward is the only regular cast member (I'm not counting guest villains who are still alive as I write this like Julie Newmar or Lee Meriwhether, who was Catwoman in the 1966 theatrical movie) of the 1960s Batman TV series who is still with us. Yvonne Craig (Barbara Gordon/Batgirl) passed away in 2015, Alan Napier (Alfred) passed in 1988, Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon died in 1984), Stafford Repp (Chief O'Hara) died in 1974, and Madge Blake (Aunt Harriet) died less than a year after Batman was canceled.

"part of my childhood", mine,too.thansk,rip

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Adam West got his chance at stardom and took every advantage of it but little did he know it would also be his downfall. Please note: The original Network was ABC not CBS as stated in the video.

"The original Network was ABC not CBS as stated in the video".

As these things go that's a pretty big mistake. The video also gives the impression the ratings went down in the third year and that's why it was cancelled. The show was really a flash in the pan, it had one great half-season rating wise. The rating dropped like a rock the second season, in fact it barely got renewed (as a single episode rather than two a week). I thought West was a serviceable actor but really if you see his other work it's far from memorable. He was lucky the part came along. The Last Precinct got hosed being placed against powerhouse Dallas, what chance did the new series have.

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Actor Burt Ward, who starred as Robin on the classic TV series "Batman", recently shared some thoughts about the death of his friend, Adam West. Watch this video to find out more!