Adam West

Adam West (William West Anderson; September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017) was an American actor, director and voice artist. He is known for his role as Batman in the 1960s Batman television series and as Mayor Adam West in Family Guy. West has also acted in movies and on stage.

Life 
West was born on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington to Otto West Anderson and Audrey V. Speer and studied at Walla Walla High School, Lakeside School, and Whitman College. West was raised in Walla Walla. West has been married to Billie Lou Yeager from 1950 until they divorced in 1965. He later married Frisbie Dawson from 1957 until they divorced in 1962. West married to Marcelle Tagand Lear in 1970. West has six children. He lived in Ketchum, Idaho.

On June 9, 2017, West died in Los Angeles after a battle with leukemia. He was 88.

Career 
His early works include the movie Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), as Col. Dan McCready, an astronaut who is sent on a journey to the Red Planet. He was also in Mara of the Wilderness (1965), and the spaghetti western I quattro inesorabili (1965), where he played the role of gunslinger Sam Garrett. He played the role of Lt. John Delahay, in the western Geronimo (1962) with Chuck Connors.

He worked with The Three Stooges in the movie The Outlaws Is Coming (1965). He played inexperienced gunman Kenneth Cabot, who is helped by The Three Stooges.

In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, he worked in the movies Curse of the Moon Child (1972); Partizani (1974), a war movie with Rod Taylor; The Specialist (1975); The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980); One Dark Night (1983); Young Lady Chatterley II (1985); Zombie Nightmare (1986); Night of the Kickfighters (1988); Omega Cop (1990); Maxim Xul (1991); An American Vampire Story (1997); and Joyride (1997).

His last appearances in movies were Buckaroo: The Movie (2005) as the Judge, and Ratko: The Dictator's Son (2009), as Kostka Volvic.

Television 
In 1966, Adam West was chosen to play the role of Batman in the Batman TV series. This show started West to fame. The series was well liked and a movie of the same name was made of it. He put his voice to the animated series The New Adventures of Batman (1977), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1985) and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985). His best known voice acting is his work on the animated series Family Guy, as Mayor West.

Adam starred in a comedy television movie about detectives, Ace Diamond Private Eye (1983). The actor also had guest star appearances in many series as Cheyenne, Colt 45, 77 Sunset Strip, Goodyear Theatre, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Mannix, Police Woman, Murder, She Wrote, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

According to the comic books, Batman/Bruce Wayne is 6'2". Of all the actors to play Batman, Adam West is the only actor who stood the same height.

Filmography

Animated Roles
 Batman: The Animated Series - Gray Ghost / Simon Trent
 Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Proto-Bot, Thomas Wayne
 Family Guy - Mayor Adam West
 Futurama - Adam West's Head
 Histeria! - Ernest Hemingway
 Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Wise Old Parrot
 Johnny Bravo - Adam West, Narrator
 Kim Possible - Fearless Ferrett/Timothy North
 Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero - Captain Super Captain, Professor Evil Professor
 Robot Chicken - Batman (1960s version), Robber
 Rugrats - Captain Blasto
 SpongeBob SquarePants - Mermaid Man (Young)
 Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show - Batman
 The Batman - Mayor Grange
 The Boondocks - R. Kelly's Lawyer
 The Critic - Adam West
 The Fairly OddParents - Adam West
 The New Adventures of Batman - Batman / Bruce Wayne
 The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs - Amerigo Dog Poochie, Dog Zero, Leonardo da Vinci
 The Simpsons - Adam West, Batman
 The Super Hero Squad Show - Nighthawk
 The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - Batman / Bruce Wayne

Live Action Roles
 Shazam! - Hercules

Film Roles
 Aloha, Scooby-Doo! - Jared Moon
 Batman vs. Two-Face - Batman / Bruce Wayne
 Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders - Batman / Bruce Wayne
 Chicken Little - Ace (Hollywood Chicken Little)
 Meet the Robinsons - Uncle Art

Video Game Roles
 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham - Adam West, Batman / Bruce Wayne (1960s version), Gray Ghost / Simon Trent

References

Other websites

Adam West as Batman
Adam West interview in Dangerous Ink Magazine
Adam West gets back in the Batmobile

Actors who played Batman
American television actors
American movie actors
American voice actors
American stage actors
American movie directors
American television presenters
American radio personalities
American video game actors
Writers from Washington
Actors from Washington
Cancer deaths in Los Angeles
Deaths from leukemia
1928 births
2017 deaths