biography

Adam West Born William Anderson in Walla Walla, Washington, on September 19, 1928, actor Adam West enjoyed a 50-plus year career in films and television. He majored in literature at Whitman College before his induction into the Army in the early 1950s. Upon his discharge, West worked in local radio and television, moving to Hawaii in the mid 1950s to work on a live-action children's show. Relocating to Los Angeles with his wife and family in the late 1950s, West found work in television commercials and landed a contract with Warner Bros. Soon, he was doing guest spots on popular television programs such as 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, and Sugarfoot, all produced by Warner Bros. The studio also put the handsome actor in a couple of films, including The Young Philidelphians (1959; with Barbara Rush and Anthony Eisley), but the studio dropped his contract soon afterward.

Adam WestAdam WestAdam West

Early 1960s portraits of Adam West

Following his stint with Warner Bros., West then freelanced in films and television. In 1961, he was added to the cast of the Robert Taylor series The Detectives, but the show left the air in 1962. West continued acting in films, such as Tammy and the Doctor (1963; with Peter Fonda and Sandra Dee), Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964; with Paul Mantee), and The Outlaws Is Coming (1965; with Nancy Kovack and the Three Stooges). Finally, in 1966, West got his big break when producer William Dozier cast him as the title character in the ABC series Batman. West was only the third actor to tackle the role of the Caped Crusader. Lewis Wilson portrayed the title character first, in Columbia's 1943 serial The Batman, and six years later Robert Lowell starred as Batman in Columbia's 1949 15-chapter serial Batman and Robin.

Van Williams and Adam West

ABC photo from 1966 with Van Williams. William Dozier cast both actors as superheroes: West as Batman, and Van Williams as the Green Hornet

the films of adam west

The Detectives (1959-1962 ABC/NBC TV Series)

Mark Goddard, Adam West, Tige Andrews, and Robert Taylor

With Mark Goddard, Tige Andrews, and Robert Taylor from the series The Detectives. West joined the regular cast for the show's final season

Petticoat Junction (1963-1970 CBS TV Series)

Adam West and Jeannine Riley

With Jeannine Riley in a first-season episode of Petticoat Junction titled My Daughter, the Doctor, which originally aired in January 1964

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

Paul Mantee and Adam West

From Paramount's campy sci-fi flick Robinson Crusoe on Mars with Paul Mantee

Mara of the Wilderness (1965)

Adam West and Lori SaundersAdam West and Lori SaundersAdam West

Allied Artists stills from the low-budget adventure flick Mara of the Wilderness with Lori Saunders

The Outlaws Is Coming (1965)

The Three Stooges, Adam West, and Nancy KovackThe Three Stooges, Adam West, and Nancy Kovack

From Columbia's Three Stooges vehicle The Outlaws Is Coming. Pictured are Curly Joe DeRita, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Nancy Kovack

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Burt Ward and Adam WestBurgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Burt Ward, Adam West, Frank Gorshin, and Lee Meriwether

Lobby cards from the 20th Century Fox release Batman: The Movie. LEFT: With Burt Ward as Robin. RIGHT: With Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, and Lee Meriwether

Batman (1966-1968 ABC TV Series)

Adam WestAdam WestBurt Ward, Yvonne Craig, and Adam WestAdam West and Carolyn JonesAdam West and Diane McBain

Images from ABC's Batman. LEFT and CENTER A: West as millionaire Bruce Wayne. CENTER B: With Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig. CENTER C: With Carolyn Jones as Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. RIGHT: With Diane McBain in a 1967 episode


The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969)

Adam West and Nancy Kwan

With Nancy Kwan in the low-budget crime drama The Girl Who Knew Too Much

The Specialist (1975)

Adam West and Alvy MooreAdam West and Ahna Capri

From the comedy The Specialist. LEFT: With Alvy Moore. RIGHT: With Ahna Capri

I Take These Men (1983)

Susan Saint James and Adam West

With Susan Saint James CBS's made-for-TV comedy movie I Take These Men

The Last Precinct (1986 NBC TV Series)

Ernie Hudson, Keenan Wynn, Randi Brooks, and Adam West

With Ernie Hudson, Keenan Wynn, and Randi Brooks in the short-lived NBC comedy series The Last Precinct

Doin' Time on Planet Earth (1988)

Candice Azzara, Adam West, and Nicholas Strouse

From the low-budget comedy Doin' Time on Planet Earth with Candice Azzara and Nicholas Strouse

later years

While Batman made a star of Adam West, in reality the series did his personal and professional lives no favors. His marriage crumbled while the series was in production. And after the show was canceled in 1968, the 40-year-old West found he was typecast. He remarried in 1970 and slowly rebuilt his career, supporting himself by doing personal appearances as Batman and doing guest spots on such series as Love, American Style and The Big Valley. In the 1970s and 1980s, West found a lot of work in television, including some animation, and in low-budget films, many of which were direct-to-video. Sadly, Adam West passed away at age 88 on June 9, 2017, after a short battle with leukemia. He is survived by his third wife, Marcelle, and six children.

filmography

FILM
Pizza Man (2011) with Frankie Muniz, Michael Gross, and Shelley Long
Super Capers (2009) with Justin Whalin, Clint Howard, and Tom Sizemore
Ratko: The Dictator's Son (2009) with Kato Kaelin
Sexina: Popstar P.I. (2007) with Annie Golden
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Angels with Angles (2005) with Frank Gorshin, Rodney Dangerfield, Soupy Sales, Frank Stallone, Dwayne Hickman, Jerry Mathers, and Richard Moll
Buckaroo (2005) with Gary Busey
Tales from Beyond (2004)
Monster Island (2004) with Carmen Electra
Baadasssss! (2004) with Ossie Davis and David Alan Grier
XIII (2003)
Seance (2001) with Corey Feldman
Everything's George (2000) with Julie Carmen, Frank Gorshin, Rodney Dangerfield, Soupy Sales, and Frank Stallone
American Vampire (2000) with Carmen Electra
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) with Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, and Kirstie Alley
The Size of Watermelons (1996) with Paul Rudd, Donovan Leitch, and Ione Skye
Joyride (1996) with Tobey Maguire and Benicio Del Toro
The Clinic (1995) with Kimberly Oja
Run for Cover (1995) with Viveca Lindfors
The New Age (1994) with Peter Weller and Judy Davis
Lookwell (1993) with Bart Braverman
Maxim Xul (1991)
Return Fire (1991)
Omega Cop (1990) with Troy Donahue and Stuart Whitman
Doin' Time on Planet Earth (1988) with Gloria Hendry, Hugh O'Brian, Roddy McDowall, and Maureen Stapleton
Mad About You (1988) with Wolf Larson
Night of the Kickfighters (1988)
Zombie Nightmare (1986) with Jon Mikl Thor and Tia Carrere; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Young Lady Chatterley II (1985) with Harlee McBride and Sybil Danning
Hellriders (1984) with Tina Louise
One Dark Night (1983) with Meg Tilly
I Take These Men (1983) with Susan Saint James, Brian Dennehy, John Rubinstein, Dee Wallace, and Hermione Baddeley
Warp Speed (1981)
For the Love of It (1980) with Don Rickles, Jeff Conaway, Tom Bosley, and Henry Gibson
The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980) with Martine Beswick, Chris Lemmon, Richard Deacon, Phil Silvers, and Susan Kiger
Legends of the Superheroes (1979) with Jeff Altman, Charlie Callas, Frank Gorshin, and Burt Ward
Hooper (1978) with Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sally Field, Brian Keith, and James Best
Fiona (1977) with Fiona Richmond
The Specialist (1975) with Alvy Moore
Nevada Smith (1975) with Lorne Greene
Hell River (1974) with Rod Taylor
Poor Devil (1973) with Sammy Davis Jr., Christopher Lee, Jack Klugman, and Madlyn Rhue
Curse of the Moon Child (1972) with Jeremy Slate
The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972) with Peter Haskell, Joan Bennett, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, and Gary Clarke
The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971) with Richard Benjamin, Elizabeth Ashley, and Tiffany Bolling
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969) with Nancy Kwan, Robert Alda, David Brian, and Chick Chandler
Alexander the Great (1968) with William Shatner, Ziva Rodann, John Cassavetes, and Joseph Cotten
Batman: The Movie (1966) with Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Alan Napier, and Neil Hamilton
The Relentless Four (1965) with Raf Baldassarre and Red Ross
Mara of the Wilderness (1965) with Lori Saunders, Eve Brent, and Denver Pyle
The Outlaws Is Coming (1965) with the Three Stooges, Nancy Kovack, and Henry Gibson
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) with Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin
Soldier in the Rain (1963) with Jackie Gleason, Steve McQueen, Tuesday Weld, Tom Poston, Ed Nelson, and Chris Noel
Tammy and the Doctor (1963) with Sandra Dee, Peter Fonda, Macdonald Carey, Beulah Bondi, Joan Marshall, and Alice Pearce
Geronimo (1962) with Chuck Connors, Ross Martin, and Denver Pyle
The Young Philadelphians (1959) with Paul Newman, Barbara Rush, Alexis Smith, Brian Keith, Robert Vaughn, and Anthony Eisley

TELEVISION SERIES
Family Guy, 1999-present Fox animated TV series. West voices the character Mayor Adam West
Black Scorpion, 2001-2002 Sci-Fi Channel TV series. West portrayed Dr. Noah Goddard. Also in the cast were Lou Ferrigno, Frank Gorshin, Robert Pine, and Soupy Sales
The Adventures of Pete & Pete, 1993-1996 Nickelodeon TV series. West portrayed Principal Kent Schwinger
Danger Theatre, 1993 TV series. West portrayed Captain Mike Morgan
The Last Precinct, 1986 TV series. West portrayed Captain Rick Wright
Batman, 1966-1968 ABC TV series. West portrayed Batman/Bruce Wayne. Also in the cast were Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig
The Detectives, 1959-1962 ABC/NBC TV series. West portrayed Detective Steve Nelson during the final season

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
30 Rock, episode Apollo, Apollo, originally aired March 26, 2009
The King of Queens, episode Shear Torture, originally aired October 24, 2005
The Mullets, episode Silent But Deadly, originally aired March 17, 2004
The Drew Carey Show, episode Hotel Drew, originally aired December 12, 2001
Pacific Blue, episode Stargazer, originally aired January 24, 1999
NewsRadio, episode Clash of the Titans, originally aired November 24, 1998
Pauly, episode Spies Like Us, originally aired March 10, 1997
Goosebumps, episode Attack of the Mutant: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired September 7, 1996
Weird Science, episode Strangers in Paradise, originally aired August 10, 1996
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Toy Maker?, originally aired June 15, 1995
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, episode Whine, Whine, Whine, originally aired May 14, 1995
Hope & Gloria, episode Who's Poppa?, originally aired April 20, 1995
Space Ghost Coast to Coast, episode Batmantis, originally aired September 30, 1994
Nurses, episode All the Pretty Caseys, originally aired May 7, 1994
Tales from the Crypt, episode As Ye Sow, originally aired October 2, 1993
Zorro, episode The Wizard, originally aired September 14, 1990
Murder, She Wrote, episode Death Takes a Dive, originally aired February 22, 1987
Fantasy Island, episode Lost and Found/Dick Turpin's Last Ride, originally aired April 7, 1984
Hart to Hart, episode Love Game, originally aired November 8, 1983
The Love Boat, episode Doc's Big Case/Senior Sinners/A Booming Romance, originally aired January 22, 1983
Laverne & Shirley, episode The Gymnast, originally aired December 14, 1982
Fantasy Island, episode The Devil and Mandy Breem/The Millionaire, originally aired October 25, 1980
Big Shamus, Little Shamus, episode The Loser, originally aired October 13, 1979
The American Girls, episode The Beautiful People Jungle, originally aired September 30, 1978
Operation Petticoat, episode Bless You, My Sub, originally aired January 7, 1978
Police Woman, episode Guns, originally aired November 1, 1977
Alice, episode Sex Education, originally aired November 6, 1976
Emergency!, episode The Bash, originally aired December 28, 1974
Mannix, episode A Puzzle for One, originally aired November 26, 1972
This Is the Life, episode The Revenge of Cho Lin, originally aired July 2, 1972
Alias Smith and Jones, episode The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg, originally aired January 27, 1972
Primus, episode Sea Serpent, originally aired January 12, 1972
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, episode Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay/With Apologies to Mr. Hyde/The Flip Side of Satan, originally aired September 29, 1971
Love, American Style, episode Love and the Great Catch/Love and the Hitchhiker/Love and the Nervous Executive, originally aired January 30, 1970
The Big Valley, episode In Silent Battle, originally aired September 23, 1968
Off to See the Wizard, episode Alexander the Great, originally aired January 26, 1968
The Virginian, episode Legend for a Lawman, originally aired March 3, 1965
Bewitched, episode Love Is Blind, originally aired December 10, 1964
The Outer Limits, episode The Invisible Enemy, originally aired October 31, 1964
Petticoat Junction, episode Hooterville vs. Hollywood, originally aired January 21, 1964
Petticoat Junction, episode My Daughter the Doctor, originally aired January 14, 1964
Gunsmoke, episode Ash, originally aired February 16, 1963
Laramie, episode The Betrayers, originally aired January 22, 1963
The Real McCoys, episode The Crop Duster, originally aired January 6, 1963
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Bogus Books, originally aired September 27, 1962
The Beachcomber, episode Captain Huckabee's Beard, originally aired April 3, 1962
Guestward Ho!, episode Bill, the Fireman, originally aired April 27, 1961
The Rifleman, episode Stopover, originally aired April 25, 1961
Michael Shayne, episode Date with Death, originally aired April 14, 1961
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Barefaced Witness, originally aired March 18, 1961
Bonanza, episode The Bride, originally aired January 21, 1961
Tales of Wells Fargo, episode The Has-Been, originally aired January 16, 1961
Laramie, episode Man from Kansas, originally aired January 10, 1961
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, episode Murder Is a Private Affair, originally aired June 10, 1960
Goodyear Theatre, episode All in the Family, originally aired March 28, 1960
Overland Trail, episode Westbound Stage, originally aired March 6, 1960
Johnny Midnight, episode The Villain of the Piece, originally aired January 1, 1960
Bourbon Street Beat, episode The Black Magnolia, originally aired December 21, 1959
Hawaiian Eye, episode The Quick Return, originally aired December 2, 1959
Maverick, episode A Fellow's Brother, originally aired November 22, 1959
77 Sunset Strip, episode Out of the Past, originally aired November 20, 1959
77 Sunset Strip, episode Thanks for Tomorrow, originally aired October 30, 1959
Colt .45, episode The Devil's Godson, originally aired October 18, 1959
Bronco, episode The Burning Springs, originally aired October 6, 1959
Cheyenne, episode Blind Spot, originally aired September 21, 1959
Sugarfoot, episode The Trial of the Canary Kid, originally aired September 15, 1959
Maverick, episode Pappy, originally aired September 13, 1959
Colt .45, episode Don't Tell Joe, originally aired June 14, 1959
Lawman, episode The Wayfarer, originally aired June 7, 1959
Colt .45, episode The Escape, originally aired April 5, 1959
Maverick, episode Two Tickets to Ten Strike, originally aired March 15, 1959
Sugarfoot, episode The Mysterious Stranger, originally aired February 17, 1959
77 Sunset Strip, episode Two and Two Makes Six, originally aired November 14, 1958
The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, episode Incident in July, originally aired July 10, 1955
The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, episode Adapt or Die, originally aired June 13, 1954

adam west links

AdamWest.com: The Official Adam West Web Site
The Caped Crusader has his own official web site, filled with photos, biographical information, and a "Bat Store" with available autographed photos and copies of West's autobiography Back to the Batcave, a read I highly recommend.

adam west trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Adam West's 1964 science fiction flick Robinson Crusoe on Mars and 1980 comedy The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood

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This page premiered December 12, 2003.
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