List of Batman (TV series) characters: Difference between revisions

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The following is an overview of the characters who appeared in the 1966–1968 live-action Batman television series.

Main characters

Character	Actor	Description
Batman / Bruce Wayne	Adam West	Based on the comic book character of the same name, in the first episode it is very briefly mentioned that his parents were killed by criminals when he was a boy. He is presented as a well established superhero and legally deputized member of law enforcement.
Robin / Dick Grayson	Burt Ward	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no actual origin is provided for the character in the series. He is presented as well established as Bruce Wayne's ward and Batman's sidekick.
Batgirl / Barbara Gordon	Yvonne Craig	Created in conjunction with the character introduced in the comic books the same year.^[1]^[2]^[3] Unlike the comic books, no actual origin is provided within the series.

Supporting characters

Character	Actor	Description
Aunt Harriet Cooper	Madge Blake	Based on the comic book character of the same name. While the character began as a regular supporting character, her appearances became less frequent during the second season and almost non existent in the third. This was due to Blake's declining health.^[4]
Commissioner James Gordon	Neil Hamilton	Based on the comic book character of the same name.
Chief Miles O'Hara	Stafford Repp	Created specifically for the series, the character would later be mentioned and adapted to DC Comics publications.
Alfred Pennyworth	Alan Napier	Based on the comic book character of the same name.

Recurring antagonists

Character	Actor	Description
Catwoman	Julie Newmar (season 1 & 2) Lee Meriwether (film) Eartha Kitt (season 3)	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. Meriwether was cast for the film role when producers learned that Newmar would not be available for filming after the production of the first season wrapped.^[5] Due to prior commitments to the film Mackenna's Gold, Newmar was unavailable for the production of the third season and Kitt was cast for the role.^{[citation needed]}
Egghead	Vincent Price	Egghead was created specifically for the series and is presented as a master criminal with a fixation on eggs. Egghead was adapted for an issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (#16, June 2010), a comic based on the animated television series of the same name, and is seen in the series as an inmate of Blackgate Prison.
Joker	Cesar Romero	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. Since Cesar Romero refused to shave his trademark mustache, his white pancake makeup was applied over it.
King Tut	Victor Buono	King Tut was created specifically for the series and was provided with an origin story. Within the episodes, Professor William McElroy is an Egyptologist at Yale University. He suffers a blow to the head during a student riot that results in amnesia. His subconscious creates a new personality as the reincarnation of King Tut. Each time he is struck on the head, his personalities reverse. King Tut was eventually adapted to the comics. The character, among others created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by John DiMaggio. Due to FOX holding the rights to the King Tut name, the character was renamed Pharaoh.^{[citation needed]}
Mad Hatter	David Wayne	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. This version was based on the Imposter Mad Hatter.
Mister Freeze	George Sanders Otto Preminger Eli Wallach	Based on the comic book character originally known as Mr. Zero but later changed to match the new name from the show,^{[citation needed]} an abbreviated origin for the character is provided within the series. What is related that Batman had accidentally spilled cryonic chemical on him during a previous arrest. This renders him incapable of living in temperatures above -50°F.^[6]
Penguin	Burgess Meredith	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series.
Riddler	Frank Gorshin (season 1 & 3) John Astin (season 2)	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. Leading into the production of the second season, Gorshin held out for higher wages. This resulted in the writers putting off Riddler-themed episodes in case the issue was resolved. Late in the production, they reworked one script to use the Puzzler^[7] and finally produced a Riddler story for which John Astin was cast. The issue was resolved before the third season with Gorshin returning to the role.^{[citation needed]}

Additional characters

Character	Actor	Description
Mayor Linseed	Byron Keith	The Mayor of Gotham City.
Warden Crichton	David Lewis	The Warden of Gotham City Penitentiary.
Bonnie	(uncredited actress)	Commissioner Gordon's receptionist.
Britt Reid / Green Hornet	Van Williams	Based on the radio character of the same name, he appeared in a "crossover" from the production company's second comic book themed series The Green Hornet
Kato	Bruce Lee	Based on the radio character of the same name, he appeared as the Green Hornet's sidekick.

Additional antagonists

Character	Actor	Description
Archer	Art Carney	By company records, the Archer was created specifically for the series by writer Stanley Ralph Ross and not related to the previous comic book character of the same name.^[8] The character is presented as a skewed version of Robin Hood. The Archer, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Black Widow	Tallulah Bankhead	An original character created for the series, Black Widow is a bank robber who uses a spider motif. No actual origin is provided in the series. The Black Widow, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Bookworm	Roddy McDowall	An original character created for the series, Bookworm themes his crimes on books and literary tropes. Bookworm, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Chandell	Liberace	An original character created for the series, Chandell is a pianist who is blackmailed into a life of crime as the criminal Fingers by his twin brother Harry. Chandell, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Nora Clavicle	Barbara Rush	Nora Clavicle was created specifically for the series. She is presented as a women's rights activist who attempts to destroy Gotham City in order to collect on an insurance policy she had taken out on it. She manipulates Mayor Linseed's wife in order to have the mayor replace Commissioner Gordon with her and all the male police officers with women.
Clock King	Walter Slezak	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. Clock King was featured in Batman: The Animated Series
False-Face	Malachi Throne	Based on the Silver Age version of the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. This version of False-Face was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by Corey Burton.^{[citation needed]}
Lord Marmaduke Ffogg	Rudy Vallee	Ffogg was created specifically for the series. He is presented as an upper-class member of Londinium society who runs a school for thieves and uses homemade fog to cover up his crimes.
Freddy the Fence	Jacques Bergerac	Freddy was created specifically for the series. He is presented as the owner of "French Freddy's Fencing", a fencing school which is a front for his fencing operation. He allows Catwoman to use the building's basement as a hideout.
Colonel Gumm	Roger C. Carmel	Gumm was created specifically for the series. He is presented as a stamp factory foreman who is using the company to produce forged stamps in the episodes featuring Green Hornet and Kato.
Lola Lasagne	Ethel Merman	Lola Lasagne was created specifically for the series. She is presented as a childhood friend of Penguin's who owns a racehorse, the only thing her husband Luigi left her when he disappeared. The pair use the horse in a racing scam.
Louie the Lilac	Milton Berle	Louie was created specifically for the series and was presented as a gangster using a flower motif. He is a gangster who plotted to take over the minds of Gotham City and then take over the perfume and flower markets. Louie the Lilac, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Ma Parker	Shelley Winters	Ma Parker was created specifically for the series. She is presented as an elderly woman and master criminal who runs a gang consisting of her children. She allows herself to be captured so that she can take over Gotham State Penitentiary and form a gang from its inmates. Ma Parker, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Marsha, Queen of Diamonds	Carolyn Jones	Marsha was created specifically for the series. When originally introduced she plots to gain access to the diamond that powers the batcomputer.
Minerva	Zsa Zsa Gabor	Minerva was created specifically for the series. She is introduced as a spa owner catering to Gotham City's wealthy. Minerva uses a modified hair dryer to scan her client's minds to find out where they hide their fortunes.
Minstrel	Van Johnson	Minstrel was created specifically for the series and was presented as a genius in the field of electrical engineering and styled himself as a Medieval troubadour.
Puzzler	Maurice Evans	Based on the comic book character of the same name, no origin for the character is provided within the series. He attempts to steal the "Retsoor", a supersonic plane owned by Artemis Knab. The season two episodes where Puzzler appeared were originally written for the Riddler. Due to Frank Gorshin holding out over salary issues, the scripts were re-written and Evans cast in the role.^[7]
Sandman	Michael Rennie	This version of Sandman was created specifically for the series and is unrelated to the Golden Age comic book characters of the same name. Presented as an international criminal who uses hypnotic sand to control sleepwalkers, he partners with Catwoman and uses the alias Doctor Somnambula in an attempt to steal J. Pauline Spaghetti's fortune.
Shame	Cliff Robertson	Shame was created specifically for the series. The cowboy motif was patterned as a parody of the film Shane.^{[citation needed]} Shame, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Siren	Joan Collins	Siren was created specifically for the series. She is presented as Lorelei Circe, a chanteuse who is able to sing a notes so high that they place men under her control. Siren, among other characters created for the series, was adapted for an episode of the animated television series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Cassandra Spellcraft	Ida Lupino	Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft was created specifically for the series. She is presented as a world-famous alchemist, occultist, and criminal.
Zelda the Great	Anne Baxter	Zelda was created specifically for the series. She is shown to be a world-famous magician and escape artist who once a year pulls off a major robbery to pay Eivol Ekdol for the equipment she uses in her act.

Bit parts

"Batclimb" cameos

Aside from the super-criminals, another coveted spot was the Batclimb Cameo. Often, as the Dynamic Duo scaled a building using Batarangs and Bat-ropes (actually filmed on a horizontal surface, with their capes held up by strings from off-camera, and aired with the shot rotated 90 degrees), a window would swing open, a celebrity would pop his or her head out, and a short conversation would ensue. Batclimb cameo scenes were discontinued for the third season.

Ted Cassidy as Lurch from The Addams Family - Appeared in "The Penguin's Jest."
Dick Clark - Appeared in "Shoot a Crooked Arrow."
Bill Dana as José Jiménez from The Bill Dana Show - Appeared in "The Yegg Foes in Gotham."
Sammy Davis, Jr. - Appeared in "The Clock King's Crazy Crimes."
Andy Devine as Santa Claus - Appeared in "The Duo is Slumming."
Howard Duff as Sam Stone from Felony Squad - Appeared in "The Impractical Joker."
Don Ho - Appeared in "Batman's Kow Tow."
Werner Klemperer as Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes - Appeared in "It's How You Play the Game."
Suzie Knickerbocker (pen name of Aileen Mehle) - Appeared in "King Tut's Coup."
Jerry Lewis - Appeared in "The Bookworm Turns."
Art Linkletter - Appeared in "Catwoman Goes to College."
Cyril Lord as the Carpet King - Appeared in "Ice Spy."
Edward G. Robinson - Appeared in "Batman's Satisfaction."
Van Williams and Bruce Lee as Green Hornet and Kato - Appeared in "The Spell of Tut."

References

^ Daniels, Les (2004). Batman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. p. 113. ISBN 0-8118-4232-0.
^ "Batgirl Promotional Short". 1967. Retrieved 2011-06-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ Fitzgerald, Michael (2007). "Carmine infantino: decades at dc and beyond". Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-23. {{cite web}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Batman". TV.com. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
^ Smith, Ronald L. (2004). "Julie Newmar: The Very Last How to Book::Biography". Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^ "Batman (1966): Instant Freeze". TV.com. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
^ ^a ^b Eisner, Joel (1986). The Official Batman Batbook. Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-5035-7.
^ Garcia, Bob (1994). "Batman". Cinefantastique. (a special double-issue). 24–25 (6–1). Frederick S. Clarke: 45. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

[1] Daniels, Les (2004). Batman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. p. 113. ISBN 0-8118-4232-0.

[2] "Batgirl Promotional Short". 1967. Retrieved 2011-06-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[3] Fitzgerald, Michael (2007). "Carmine infantino: decades at dc and beyond". Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-23. {{cite web}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[4] "Batman". TV.com. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

[5] Smith, Ronald L. (2004). "Julie Newmar: The Very Last How to Book::Biography". Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-06-22.

[6] "Batman (1966): Instant Freeze". TV.com. Retrieved 2008-05-10.

[Gorshin-7] Eisner, Joel (1986). The Official Batman Batbook. Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-5035-7.

[8] Garcia, Bob (1994). "Batman". Cinefantastique. (a special double-issue). 24–25 (6–1). Frederick S. Clarke: 45. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

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