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 Adam West was born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife Audrey V. (Speer), an opera singer. At age 10, in 1938, West had a cache of comic books; and starting in 1939, Batman, who appeared in Detective Comics, made a big impression on him--the comic hero was part bat-man (a la Count Dracula) and part world's greatest detective (a la Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes). When his mother remarried to a Dr. Paul Flothow, she took West and his younger brother, John, to Seattle. At age 14, West attended Lakeside School, then went to Whitman College, where he got a degree in literature and psychology. During his last year of college, he married 17-year-old Billie Lou Yeager.West got a job as a disc jockey at a local radio station, then enrolled at Stanford for post-grad courses. Drafted into the army, he spent the next two years starting military television stations, first at San Luis Obispo, California, then at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Afterwards, West and his wife toured Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland and Italy's Isle of Capri. When the money ran out, he joined a childhood and college buddy, Carl Hebenstreit, who was starring in the kiddie program "The Kini Popo Show" in Hawaii. West would eventually replace Carl but not the other star, Peaches the Chimp. In 1956, he got a divorce and married a beautiful girl, originally from Tahiti, named Ngatokoruaimatauaia Frisbie Dawson (he called her "Nga" for short). They had a daughter, Jonelle (born 1957), and a son, Hunter (born 1958). In 1959, West came to Hollywood. He adopted the stage name "Adam West", which fit his roles, as he was in some westerns.After seven years in Tinseltown, he achieved fame in his signature role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, on the wildly popular ABC-TV series Batman (1966) (though he has over 60 movie and over 80 television guest appearance credits, "Batman" is what the fans remember him for). The series, which lasted three seasons, made him not just nationally but internationally famous. The movie version, Batman: The Movie (1966), earned West the "Most Promising New Star" award in 1967. The downside was that the "Batman" fame was partly responsible for ruining his marriage, and he was typecast and almost unemployable for a while after the series ended (he did nothing but personal appearances for two years).In 1970, he met and then married Marcelle Tagand Lear, and picked up two stepchildren, Moya and Jill. In addition, they had two children of their own: Nina West in 1976 and Perrin in 1979. You can't keep a good actor down--West's career took off again, and he appeared in 50 projects after that: movies, television movies and sometimes doing voices on television series. West wrote his autobiography, "Back to the Batcave" (1994). One of his most prized possessions was a drawing of Batman by Bob Kane with the inscription "To my buddy, Adam, who breathed life into my pen and ink creation". Beginning in 2000, West made guest appearances on the animated series Family Guy (1999), on which he played Mayor Adam West, the lunatic mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island.On June 9, 2017, Adam West died at age 88 after a brief battle with leukemia in Los Angeles, California. On June 15, 2017, Los Angeles shone the bat-signal on City Hall, and Walla Walla shone the bat-signal on the Whitman Tower, both as a tribute to West.
Bio:
Adam West was born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife Audrey V. (Speer), an opera singer. At age 10, in 1938, West had a cache of comic books; and starting in 1939, Batman, who appeared in Detective Comics, made a big impression on him--the comic hero was part bat-man (a la Count Dracula) and part world's greatest detective (a la Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes). When his mother remarried to a Dr. Paul Flothow, she took West and his younger brother, John, to Seattle. At age 14, West attended Lakeside School, then went to Whitman College, where he got a degree in literature and psychology. During his last year of college, he married 17-year-old Billie Lou Yeager.West got a job as a disc jockey at a local radio station, then enrolled at Stanford for post-grad courses. Drafted into the army, he spent the next two years starting military television stations, first at San Luis Obispo, California, then at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Afterwards, West and his wife toured Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland and Italy's Isle of Capri. When the money ran out, he joined a childhood and college buddy, Carl Hebenstreit, who was starring in the kiddie program "The Kini Popo Show" in Hawaii. West would eventually replace Carl but not the other star, Peaches the Chimp. In 1956, he got a divorce and married a beautiful girl, originally from Tahiti, named Ngatokoruaimatauaia Frisbie Dawson (he called her "Nga" for short). They had a daughter, Jonelle (born 1957), and a son, Hunter (born 1958). In 1959, West came to Hollywood. He adopted the stage name "Adam West", which fit his roles, as he was in some westerns.After seven years in Tinseltown, he achieved fame in his signature role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, on the wildly popular ABC-TV series Batman (1966) (though he has over 60 movie and over 80 television guest appearance credits, "Batman" is what the fans remember him for). The series, which lasted three seasons, made him not just nationally but internationally famous. The movie version, Batman: The Movie (1966), earned West the "Most Promising New Star" award in 1967. The downside was that the "Batman" fame was partly responsible for ruining his marriage, and he was typecast and almost unemployable for a while after the series ended (he did nothing but personal appearances for two years).In 1970, he met and then married Marcelle Tagand Lear, and picked up two stepchildren, Moya and Jill. In addition, they had two children of their own: Nina West in 1976 and Perrin in 1979. You can't keep a good actor down--West's career took off again, and he appeared in 50 projects after that: movies, television movies and sometimes doing voices on television series. West wrote his autobiography, "Back to the Batcave" (1994). One of his most prized possessions was a drawing of Batman by Bob Kane with the inscription "To my buddy, Adam, who breathed life into my pen and ink creation". Beginning in 2000, West made guest appearances on the animated series Family Guy (1999), on which he played Mayor Adam West, the lunatic mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island.On June 9, 2017, Adam West died at age 88 after a brief battle with leukemia in Los Angeles, California. On June 15, 2017, Los Angeles shone the bat-signal on City Hall, and Walla Walla shone the bat-signal on the Whitman Tower, both as a tribute to West.
Tivia:
After playing the role of a resourceful secret agent in a Nestle's Quik commercial in the early 1960s, he caught the eye of ABC executives. The execs thought he might be right for an upcoming television series they were about to produce, Batman (1966).Discussed the James Bond role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) with producer Albert R. Broccoli. West felt the role should be played by a British actor, and declined the role.Made an appearance at every San Diego Comic-Con International from 2007 to 2016.Began his career as a contract player for Warner Bros. Pictures in 1959. Before this, he worked as a radio disc jockey, where he founded a military television station where he garnered his knack for deadpan comedy.His idols when he was very young were John Wayne and Burgess Meredith. He was never cast in a production with Wayne, but Meredith, portraying The Penguin, famously appeared in twenty-one episodes of Batman (1966) and the feature film, Batman: The Movie (1966) in the same role.Was a comic book buff, cowboy buff and movie buff.He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 5, 2012.He was considered for the role of Thomas Wayne (Bruce Wayne's father) in Batman (1989), but lost the role to David Baxt.On June 15, 2017, the city of Los Angeles, California shone the bat-signal on City Hall as a tribute to Adam West. The Whitman Tower in Walla Walla did the same.After his 1956 divorce from his first wife, Billie Lou Yeager, he met Ngahra Frisbie, within months, while in Hawaii, and married her the following year. Met his third wife, Marcelle Lear, at a promotion for Learjets. While in his Batman (1966) costume, he posed with Learjet executive (and son of the founder) John Lear - who was married to her at the time. West had two stepchildren, Moya Lear and Jill Lear, by this marriage, and they had two children together.Was drafted into the United States Army for two years.Along with Roddy McDowall, Bob Hastings, Barry Dennen, Steve Franken, Michael Pataki and Judy Strangis, he is one of only seven actors to appear in both Batman (1966) and Batman: The Animated Series (1992).His former Batman (1966) co-star, Burt Ward, made a cameo appearance, voicing on an episode of The Simpsons (1989), with him, in 2002. Eight years later, Ward would also make another cameo appearance with him, voicing on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), in 2010.West once appeared on Batman: The Animated Series (1992) playing - of all things - an out-of-work actor who was unable to escape his identification with the role of a superhero he had played decades earlier, the Gray Ghost. Prior to this, West had supplied the voice of Batman on SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984).At Seattle's Lakeside High School, West excelled in sports, drama and served as school president of his 1946 graduating class.When he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor, he legally changed his name from William West Anderson to Adam West, as he felt his birth name was too long.Adam West was listed in the White Pages of Sun Valley, Idaho, with the notation, "See Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)". The entry for "Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)" in turn notes "Please consult Crime Fighters in the Yellow Pages". Listed in the Yellow Pages section for "Crime Fighters" is "Batman - see Wayne, Bruce".At 31, West moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, in 1959, to pursue an acting career. He would live there, until 1989, when he decided to move to Ketchum, Idaho, to be neighbors with Van Williams, who guest-starred alongside West on Batman (1966).His television series Batman (1966) was canceled after 2 1/2 seasons, not only because of low ratings, but because of the rising costs of the special effects and lighting. When ABC canceled the series, NBC was asked to run the show, however the set had already been dismantled.Adam West was the father of Hunter Anderson, Jonelle S. Anderson, Nina West and Perrin West. He also had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.Had played the same character (Doc Holliday) on three different series: Sugarfoot (1957), Colt .45 (1957) and Lawman (1958).Made nine guest appearances on Politically Incorrect (1993), which was hosted by Bill Maher, who was one of his lifelong fans.His father, Otto West Anderson (died 1984) was a farmer, his mother, Audrey Speer (died 1969) was a singer with a Christian musical group, The Speers. West was of Swedish ancestry on his father's side, and English, with small amounts of German, Irish, and Welsh from his mother's side. He was a farm boy until his parents' divorce when he was 15 years old. He, his mother and his younger brother, John, then relocated to Seattle.Neighbors in Ketcham, Idaho, USA, with his Batman (1966) three episode guest star and friend, Van Williams, who portrayed the Green Hornet on Batman, before Williams was spun off into his own series, The Green Hornet (1966). West had recommended Williams to the producers for the Green Hornet guest role on Batman.He was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California on April 10, 2010.West was the tallest actor to play Bruce Wayne/Batman until 2013 when Ben Affleck, who is two inches taller, was cast in the role. West remains the only actor to play the role to be the same height (6' 2") as the character Bruce Wayne/Batman, according to DC Comics statistics.After his role on Batman (1966), he was typecast and had trouble finding other roles afterwards, which slowed his acting career.He was considered for the role of Popeye Doyle in The French Connection (1971), which went to Gene Hackman.Both West and Ernest Borgnine had roles on SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), Borgnine appeared as Mermaid Man from 1999 until his death in 2012, with West appearing as Young Mermaid Man in one episode in 2010, which also featured Borgnine.Best-known by the public for his starring role on Batman (1966). He was only one of three actors to appear in every episode of the television series.Over his long life, he had 14 hobbies: fishing, sailing, hiking, skiing, spending time with his family, listening to classic rock music, golfing, traveling, riding motorcycles, reading, watching movies, swimming, surfing and dancing.While living in Hawaii, before becoming a successful actor, West took the role of sidekick on a local (Honolulu, Hawaii) children's television program, called (the) "El Kini Popo Show," which featured a chimpanzee. Eventually, West graduated from sidekick to star/host of the program.Best remembered for taking Burt Ward under his wing, when the latter was only 20 years old, when they were working together on Batman (1966). Their friendship lasted 51 years, until West's own death, on June 9, 2017.Had guest-starred on an episode of Diagnosis Murder (1993), where Victoria Rowell's character was copying one of his stuntwork, taken from Batman (1966), a series West starred in years earlier.West was the only actor to portray Batman in both live-action and animated form. He performed as Batman onscreen in Batman (1966), Batman: The Movie (1966), and Legends of the Superheroes (1979). He voiced Batman on The New Adventures of Batman (1977), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984), and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985).After his death, Adam West's hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, officially celebrates its annual "Adam West Day" on September 19, with the first one celebrated in 2017.Had two roles in common with Val Kilmer: (1) West played Doc Holliday in Sugarfoot (1957), Colt .45 (1957) and Lawman (1958) while Kilmer played him in Tombstone (1993) and (2) West played Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman (1966), Batman: The Movie (1966), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984), The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985), The New Adventures of Batman (1977) and Legends of the Superheroes (1979) while Kilmer played him in Batman Forever (1995).Ironically, his first television appearance was in an episode of the Philco Television Playhouse entitled "The Joker".By mutual agreement, West was released from his contract at Warner Bros. (as did fellow actor James Garner, but over a contract dispute) in 1960, because they lost the studio's relationship with ABC, whose network didn't have enough shows that they aired before. He decided to move on.When he was younger, he loved watching Westerns, which was what encouraged him to become an actor.Adam West passed away on June 9, 2017, at age 88, less than six and a half months after friend, Ketchum, Idaho, neighbor, and 1960s co-star Van Williams died on November 28, 2016, at age 82.Before he was a successful actor he worked as a radio disc jockey where he garnered his knack for deadpan comedy.Adam West passed away on June 9, 2017, at age 88, one week before Stephen Furst, and within six months of other stars, also born in either late 1927 or 1928, either aged 88 or 89: William Peter Blatty, Martin Landau, Bruce Forsyth, Robert Guillaume, Fats Domino, Jeanne Moreau and Rance Howard. He directed that no funeral service be held and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.His daughter, Nina West, the host of TV Land Real Estate (2002), was a model and twice appeared with her father on Howard Stern's radio show.He attended Walla Walla High School during his freshman and sophomore years and later enrolled in Lakeside High School in Seattle, Washington, where he graduated, there in 1946.Met his third wife, Marcelle Lear, at a promotion for Learjets. While in his Batman (1966) costume, he posed with Learjet executive (and son of the founder) John Lear - who was married to her at the time.In the 1970s, he was a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.He was cremated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, USA. His ashes were sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean afterwards.Adam wanted to be an entertainer since he was a teenager, but wanted to be a cowboy as well.He was a farm boy until his parents' divorce when he was 15 years old. He, his mother and his younger brother, John, then relocated to Seattle. |
| Name: |
Adam West |
Type: |
Actor,Director,Additional Crew (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Actor,Director,Additional Crew |
| Products for sale: |
Actor,Director,Additional Crew |
| Model rank: |
1167 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:49:45 |
| Height: |
6' 2' (1.88 m) |
| Biography: |
Adam West was born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife Audrey V. (Speer), an opera singer. At age 10, in 1938, West had a cache of comic books; and starting in |
| Trivia: |
After playing the role of a resourceful secret agent in a Nestle's Quik commercial in the early 1960s, he caught the eye of ABC executives. The execs thought he might be right for an upcoming television series they were about to produce, Batman (1966).Discussed the James Bond role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) with producer Albert R. Broccoli. West felt the role should be played by a British actor, and declined the role.Made an appearance at every San Diego Comic-Con International from 2007 to 2016.Began his career as a contract player for Warner Bros. Pictures in 1959. Before this, he worked as a radio disc jockey, where he founded a military television station where he garnered his knack for deadpan comedy.His idols when he was very young were John Wayne and Burgess Meredith. He was never cast in a production with Wayne, but Meredith, portraying The Penguin, famously appeared in twenty-one episodes of Batman (1966) and the feature film, Batman: The Movie (1966) in the same role.Was a comic book buff, cowboy buff and movie buff.He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 5, 2012.He was considered for the role of Thomas Wayne (Bruce Wayne's father) in Batman (1989), but lost the role to David Baxt.On June 15, 2017, the city of Los Angeles, California shone the bat-signal on City Hall as a tribute to Adam West. The Whitman Tower in Walla Walla did the same.After his 1956 divorce from his first wife, Billie Lou Yeager, he met Ngahra Frisbie, within months, while in Hawaii, and married her the following year. Met his third wife, Marcelle Lear, at a promotion for Learjets. While in his Batman (1966) costume, he posed with Learjet executive (and son of the founder) John Lear - who was married to her at the time. West had two stepchildren, Moya Lear and Jill Lear, by this marriage, and they had two children together.Was drafted into the United States Army for two years.Along with Roddy McDowall, Bob Hastings, Barry Dennen, Steve Franken, Michael Pataki and Judy Strangis, he is one of only seven actors to appear in both Batman (1966) and Batman: The Animated Series (1992).His former Batman (1966) co-star, Burt Ward, made a cameo appearance, voicing on an episode of The Simpsons (1989), with him, in 2002. Eight years later, Ward would also make another cameo appearance with him, voicing on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), in 2010.West once appeared on Batman: The Animated Series (1992) playing - of all things - an out-of-work actor who was unable to escape his identification with the role of a superhero he had played decades earlier, the Gray Ghost. Prior to this, West had supplied the voice of Batman on SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984).At Seattle's Lakeside High School, West excelled in sports, drama and served as school president of his 1946 graduating class.When he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor, he legally changed his name from William West Anderson to Adam West, as he felt his birth name was too long.Adam West was listed in the White Pages of Sun Valley, Idaho, with the notation, "See Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)". The entry for "Wayne, Bruce (Millionaire)" in turn notes "Please consult Crime Fighters in the Yellow Pages". Listed in the Yellow Pages section for "Crime Fighters" is "Batman - see Wayne, Bruce".At 31, West moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, in 1959, to pursue an acting career. He would live there, until 1989, when he decided to move to Ketchum, Idaho, to be neighbors with Van Williams, who guest-starred alongside West on Batman (1966).His television series Batman (1966) was canceled after 2 1/2 seasons, not only because of low ratings, but because of the rising costs of the special effects and lighting. When ABC canceled the series, NBC was asked to run the show, however the set had already been dismantled.Adam West was the father of Hunter Anderson, Jonelle S. Anderson, Nina West and Perrin West. He also had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.Had played the same character (Doc Holliday) on three different series: Sugarfoot (1957), Colt .45 (1957) and Lawman (1958).Made nine guest appearances on Politically Incorrect (1993), which was hosted by Bill Maher, who was one of his lifelong fans.His father, Otto West Anderson (died 1984) was a farmer, his mother, Audrey Speer (died 1969) was a singer with a Christian musical group, The Speers. West was of Swedish ancestry on his father's side, and English, with small amounts of German, Irish, and Welsh from his mother's side. He was a farm boy until his parents' divorce when he was 15 years old. He, his mother and his younger brother, John, then relocated to Seattle.Neighbors in Ketcham, Idaho, USA, with his Batman (1966) three episode guest star and friend, Van Williams, who portrayed the Green Hornet on Batman, before Williams was spun off into his own series, The Green Hornet (1966). West had recommended Williams to the producers for the Green Hornet guest role on Batman.He was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California on April 10, 2010.West was the tallest actor to play Bruce Wayne/Batman until 2013 when Ben Affleck, who is two inches taller, was cast in the role. West remains the only actor to play the role to be the same height (6' 2") as the character Bruce Wayne/Batman, according to DC Comics statistics.After his role on Batman (1966), he was typecast and had trouble finding other roles afterwards, which slowed his acting career.He was considered for the role of Popeye Doyle in The French Connection (1971), which went to Gene Hackman.Both West and Ernest Borgnine had roles on SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), Borgnine appeared as Mermaid Man from 1999 until his death in 2012, with West appearing as Young Mermaid Man in one episode in 2010, which also featured Borgnine.Best-known by the public for his starring role on Batman (1966). He was only one of three actors to appear in every episode of the television series.Over his long life, he had 14 hobbies: fishing, sailing, hiking, skiing, spending time with his family, listening to classic rock music, golfing, traveling, riding motorcycles, reading, watching movies, swimming, surfing and dancing.While living in Hawaii, before becoming a successful actor, West took the role of sidekick on a local (Honolulu, Hawaii) children's television program, called (the) "El Kini Popo Show," which featured a chimpanzee. Eventually, West graduated from sidekick to star/host of the program.Best remembered for taking Burt Ward under his wing, when the latter was only 20 years old, when they were working together on Batman (1966). Their friendship lasted 51 years, until West's own death, on June 9, 2017.Had guest-starred on an episode of Diagnosis Murder (1993), where Victoria Rowell's character was copying one of his stuntwork, taken from Batman (1966), a series West starred in years earlier.West was the only actor to portray Batman in both live-action and animated form. He performed as Batman onscreen in Batman (1966), Batman: The Movie (1966), and Legends of the Superheroes (1979). He voiced Batman on The New Adventures of Batman (1977), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984), and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985).After his death, Adam West's hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, officially celebrates its annual "Adam West Day" on September 19, with the first one celebrated in 2017.Had two roles in common with Val Kilmer: (1) West played Doc Holliday in Sugarfoot (1957), Colt .45 (1957) and Lawman (1958) while Kilmer played him in Tombstone (1993) and (2) West played Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman (1966), Batman: The Movie (1966), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984), The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985), The New Adventures of Batman (1977) and Legends of the Superheroes (1979) while Kilmer played him in Batman Forever (1995).Ironically, his first television appearance was in an episode of the Philco Television Playhouse entitled "The Joker".By mutual agreement, West was released from his contract at Warner Bros. (as did fellow actor James Garner, but over a contract dispute) in 1960, because they lost the studio's relationship with ABC, whose network didn't have enough shows that they aired before. He decided to move on.When he was younger, he loved watching Westerns, which was what encouraged him to become an actor.Adam West passed away on June 9, 2017, at age 88, less than six and a half months after friend, Ketchum, Idaho, neighbor, and 1960s co-star Van Williams died on November 28, 2016, at age 82.Before he was a successful actor he worked as a radio disc jockey where he garnered his knack for deadpan comedy.Adam West passed away on June 9, 2017, at age 88, one week before Stephen Furst, and within six months of other stars, also born in either late 1927 or 1928, either aged 88 or 89: William Peter Blatty, Martin Landau, Bruce Forsyth, Robert Guillaume, Fats Domino, Jeanne Moreau and Rance Howard. He directed that no funeral service be held and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.His daughter, Nina West, the host of TV Land Real Estate (2002), was a model and twice appeared with her father on Howard Stern's radio show.He attended Walla Walla High School during his freshman and sophomore years and later enrolled in Lakeside High School in Seattle, Washington, where he graduated, there in 1946.Met his third wife, Marcelle Lear, at a promotion for Learjets. While in his Batman (1966) costume, he posed with Learjet executive (and son of the founder) John Lear - who was married to her at the time.In the 1970s, he was a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.He was cremated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, USA. His ashes were sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean afterwards.Adam wanted to be an entertainer since he was a teenager, but wanted to be a cowboy as well.He was a farm boy until his parents' divorce when he was 15 years old. He, his mother and his younger brother, John, then relocated to Seattle. |
| Trademarks: |
Unmistakable deep smooth voice
His iconic role as Batman (1966)
His glasses.
Deadpan comic delivery
Playing himself in a humorous way |
| Quotes: |
[on his typecasting as The Caped Crusader] It was inescapable. I'd just about land something substantial, something I like or a good career move. Then some dinosaur would rear up and say, "But the audience will think of him as Batman." It was formidable. It was there like a brick wall.
<br />
<hr>
[on his disappointment with the direction Batman (1966) was taking, especially during its second and third seasons] "Batman" was an expensive show and it was losing money. I became extremely frustrated and unhappy and wanted out. There was nothing I could do to convince the producers or the studio to make improvements. I was just a hired hand. Eventually, I lost all interest because I felt the series was being neglected. They weren't spending the money they should have, and we weren't getting the scripts we deserved. I didn't want any part of this situation any more. I was tired of fighting for better shows. The program I wanted to do was no longer possible. But I hated to leave the character because Batman had been good to me.
<br />
<hr>
[on his being passed over for Tim Burton's 1989 Batman (1989)] I cried for an hour, but then I was okay. I wanted it! I don't know. I figured that's their business and they have a film in mind. I've already done it. I've done my Batman. Look, do you want the classic Coke or the new stuff? Maybe both. I do know that I'm disappointed not to have had a chance to play Batman, but they have their vision and I have mine.
<br />
<hr>
I can't tell you how grateful I am to those fans. They are not stupid. I think they appreciate my sincerity and my work. Actors want to be loved. Batman (1966) has done that for me. I have an audience out there which is always waiting to see whatever I do. And new generations are constantly discovering me in reruns. So, as long as I stay sharp, good things can still happen for me. Meanwhile, I keep hoping that a wonderful opportunity will come along. Believe me, my life ain't so bad, after all.
<br />
<hr>
Before I was limited to playing leads in low-budget movies. The series has given me the exposure - God knows - so that perhaps I would now be considered for important pictures, which is what I'm after. |
| Salaries: |
Batman: The Movie (1966) - $100,000 |
| Job title: |
Actor,Director,Additional Crew |
| Others works: |
Radio commercial: "Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction" (Radio Show), WUSB, 90.1, FM, Stony Brook, New York, USA
(1994) Hosted the "bumpers" for the "Turkey Day" marathon of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988) (Thanksgiv |
| Spouse: |
Marcelle Lear (November 7, 1970 - June 9, 2017) (his death, 4 children)Ngahra (Nga) Frisbie (February 1, 1957 - 1962) (divorced, 2 children)Billie Lou Yeager (August 27, 1950 - 1956) (divorced) |
| Children: |
Hunter AndersonJonelle S. AndersonNina TooleyNina West |
| Parents: |
Otto West Anderson
Audrey Anderson (Speer) |
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