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Adam West (Billy West Anderson), was born September 19, 1928, in Walla Walla, Washington. His first film appearance was in 1956, in Voodoo Island.
West would star as a stranded astronaut in 1964's Robinson Crusoe on Mars. He would play another astronaut that year in the memorable Outer Limits episode, The Invisible Enemy. The "sand sharks" he faced are an image that would stay with many baby boomers for the rest of their lives. But his most memorable role was yet to come.
Although he was not the first actor to don the mask of Bob Kane's comic book superhero Batman, his role in the live-action television series Batman made Adam West an enduring star.
The series was shown twice a week for the first two years, with a cliffhanger ending between episodes. Filmed in color, often employing weird camera angles, and interspersing action scenes with titles such as BAM! and POW!, the show had a campy charm that captivated audiences. Adam West played the Caped Crusader with gravitas, proffering wise lines such as, "The true crimefighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin."
Gotham City was menaced by a string of villains with well-known faces (Burgess Meredith as The Penguin; Cesar Romero as The Joker) until 1968, reaching a total of 120 episodes, after which West's career tapered off. He kept his hand in with convention appearances as Batman and in other roles, including voiceover work in a range of shows, voicing "Mayor Grange" in the animated superhero series The Batman (2004 - 2005) and "Mayor Adam West" in the animated comedy series Family Guy (2005 - 2006). Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, a telefilm that aired in 2003, cast West as "Adam West," along with Burt Ward--Robin--as "Burt Ward," in a campy detective adventure that included lots of flashbacks to the '60s show.
The Official Adam West Web Site resides at http://www.adamwest.com. West's biography Back to the Batcave, cowritten by Jeff Rovin, was published in 1994 by Berkley Publishing Group.
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