This article is written from the Real World perspective |
Adam West (born September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington - June 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor, most widely known as television's first Batman/Bruce Wayne from the 1960s Batman adventure/comedy series.
DCAU filmography[]
Batman: The Animated Series
Background information[]
- Though he suffered from typecasting for almost two decades following the end of the old Batman series, West's career revived thereafter as he embraced a more comedic public persona.
- He performed many voice roles, including a special turn as "Lego Batman" (versus Mark Hamill as the "Lego Joker") in a short computer-animated DAVE School video feature Batman: New Times. He also played a popular recurring character on the Fox TV series "Family Guy", an exaggerated animated version of himself as the mayor of Quahog, RI.
- In the earliest years after the close of the Batman series, West was often ridiculed for being unable to let go of his Batman persona (one unsubstantiated rumor holds that, at the time the casting for the 1989 Batman film was announced, West groused that he should have been cast instead of Michael Keaton, despite West being in his late 50's at the time). He had become something of a figure of fun, even among Batman fans, when the producers of Batman: The Animated Series approached him.
- West performed a similar self-parody on an episode of Disney's Kim Possible, playing the retired star of a crime-fighter series unable to tell the difference between the show and reality. The episode was also a subtle dig at the premise of Batman Beyond, since the actor passes his mantle on to Kim's sidekick Ron Stoppable, whom he monitors over the radio in the same manner that Terry McGinnis is monitored by the elderly Bruce Wayne (Ron and Terry are both characters voiced by Will Friedle).
- West passed away on June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, from leukemia. On June 15, 2017, a vigil was held in West's memory, including shining the Bat-signal onto the face of City Hall.
See also[]
- List of DCAU voice actors in Batman: The Brave and the Bold
- List of DCAU voice actors in The Batman
- List of live-action crossovers