Image copyright Fox/Greenway/Ko/REX/Shutterstock Image caption Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin in the 1960s TV series

Adam West, the US actor best known as the star of the 1960s hit TV series Batman, has died aged 88.

West died peacefully in Los Angeles after a "short but brave battle" with leukaemia, a family spokesperson said.

His tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Batman and the superhero's alter ego Bruce Wayne won a cult following.

He later struggled to find big acting roles, but won a new generation of fans in more recent times after joining the cast of Family Guy.

First appearing in season two in 2002, he voiced Quahog's eccentric Mayor Adam West, described by series creator Seth MacFarlane as an "alternate universe", satirised version of the actor.

MacFarlane paid tribute to the star on Twitter, saying he had "lost a friend" and described West as "irreplaceable".

Image copyright Twitter

West's family said in a statement: "Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans' lives. He was and always will be our hero."

The Batman TV series, with its onscreen fight-scene graphics of Wham! and Pow! became an unexpected hit. West and his co-star Burt Ward, who played Batman's sidekick Robin, won widespread acclaim for their kitsch portrayal of the Dynamic Duo.

Catwoman mourns death of Batman

'Robin' actor Burt Ward: He was great actor and a wonderful human being

Actor Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman in the series, paid tribute to West on Saturday, saying he was was "bright, witty and fun to work with".

"I will miss him in the physical world and savour him always in the world of imagination and creativity," she said.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Adam West remained closely associated with the Batman character throughout his career

In a 2010 interview with the website Slice of SciFi, West said the TV series had benefitted from very good writers.

"They saw the craziness, the comedy. You know, just as he's about to put her in (jail), Batman says to Catwoman, 'You give me curious stirrings in my utility belt.' That's funny stuff."

When the series ended, West struggled to break free from the character, but over a long career appeared in nearly 50 films including Drop Dead Gorgeous, An American Vampire Story and Nevada Smith.

Who has played Batman?

Adam West -TV series (1966-68); Batman: The Movie (1966)

-TV series (1966-68); Batman: The Movie (1966) Michael Keaton -Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)

-Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) Val Kilmer -Batman Forever (1995)

-Batman Forever (1995) George Clooney - Batman and Robin (1997)

- Batman and Robin (1997) Christian Bale - Batman Begins (2005); The Dark Knight (2008); The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

- Batman Begins (2005); The Dark Knight (2008); The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Ben Affleck - Batman v Superman (2016); Justice League (2017)

Tributes to the actor poured in via social media following news of his death.

Actor Val Kilmer, who played Batman in a later movie, tweeted: "Ah dear Adam West. He was always so kind when we met. A real gent. Once when I was a kid we found ourselves in front the Batmobile. I got in."

The author Neil Gaiman tweeted: "Rest in Peace Adam West. We met once in 1987 and I was too embarrassed and too foolishly 'cool' to tell you what you meant to my childhood."

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who worked with West, described him was "a wonderful actor and so kind".

He tweeted: "I'm so lucky to have worked w/ him & tell him how much he meant to me & millions of fans."

Before embarking on an acting career, West was drafted into the US Army and was an announcer for the Armed Forces Network.

The US defence department tweeted a picture of West in his uniform with the message: "He was our hero long before the cape."

Image copyright Twitter

West was born in 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington state, and began his acting career in Hawaii in the 1950s.

He is survived by his wife, Marcelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.</s>Adam West, best known as TV's "Batman" in the 1960s, has died at the age of 88, his family confirmed Saturday.American actor passed away Friday night in Los Angeles after a battle with leukemia.read a statement posted on Facebook by the actor's family.West received continued success in the ABC series "Batman." His credits also include "The Three Stooges," "The Outlaw is Coming," and the 1962 film "Geronimo," among many more.West did voice over work for more recent shows such as "The Fairly OddParents," "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy."</s>Adam West, the actor best-known for playing the title role in the 1960s ABC television series Batman, has died. He was 88.A spokesperson for the family said West died of leukemia, surrounded by family.The actor is best remembered for his turn as the caped crusader of Gotham though his career spanned six decades of film, stage and voice work.On the big screen, West was in Paul Newman's The Young Philadelphians (1959), Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) and contributed his voice to the animated Redux Riding Hood (1997), which received an Oscar nomination for best short film.Perhaps the greatest character West ever played was himself. He established a thriving career playing a fantastical version of himself in Fairly-Odd Parents, the Goosebumps TV series, The Ben Stiller Show, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 30 Rock, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, The Big Bang Theory and as Mayor Adam West on Family Guy.</s>Adam West, who earned a place in American pop culture history with his campy portrayal of the title character in the classic 1960s TV series "Batman," has died at age 88, his family said on Saturday.

REUTERS - Adam West, who earned a place in American pop culture history with his campy portrayal of the title character in the classic 1960s TV series "Batman," has died at age 88, his family said on Saturday.

West, who was so closely identified with Batman for the rest of his life that it was both a blessing and a curse for him, died on Friday evening after a short struggle with leukemia, his representative told Variety.

"He was the greatest. We'll miss him like crazy," his family said on the actor's Twitter page.

The live-action "Batman" show, starring West along with Burt Ward as his sidekick Robin and a collection of colorful villains, was inspired by a long-running comic book series. It ran only three seasons from 1966 to 1968 on the ABC network, but became a television phenomenon and cult classic. It also spawned a "Batman" feature film in 1966.

West portrayed Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne as painfully earnest, straight-laced, clean-cut and trustworthy. The darker aspects of the Batman character - mined so successfully in later film versions - were ignored.

The show's various memorable villains - Cesar Romero as the Joker, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Julie Newmar as Catwoman - were allowed to chew the scenery. Numerous Hollywood luminaries stepped in to play Batman's demented adversaries in the show's 120 episodes.

"He was bright, witty and fun to work with," Newmar said on Saturday in a statement. "I will miss him in the physical world and savor him always in the world of imagination and creativity."

After the cancellation of the series, West found it difficult to land other acting jobs, even though he was an established film and TV actor, because he had become so linked to the Batman role.

Eventually he came to accept that his identity was closely intertwined with the masked crime-fighting hero in the black cape whether he liked it or not. He often was hired to play a comically fictionalized version of himself in live-action and animated roles and became a successful voice actor.

On the long-running animated series "Family Guy," he provided the voice of the character Mayor Adam West. He played himself for years on the animated "The Fairly OddParents" and appeared on the venerable animated series "The Simpsons." West also voiced the Caped Crusader and other characters in numerous animated incarnations of Batman.

"We had some very good writers for the original show," West said in a 2010 interview with the Slice of SciFi website. "They saw the craziness, the comedy. You know, just as he's about to put her in (jail), Batman says to Catwoman, 'You give me curious stirrings in my utility belt.' That's funny stuff."

In protecting Gotham City from super criminals, Batman and Robin invariably would find their lives threatened in some fiendish trap, only to escape using their endless ingenuity.

For example, Robin was once nearly swallowed alive by a giant clam in an episode with the Joker. Batman and Robin were nearly turned into frozen desserts - Frosty Freezies - in an episode with famed film director Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze.

Like some other actors who became inseparable in the minds of fans from a character they played - Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on "Star Trek" is another example - West long resented his association with Batman but learned to like it.

"I think it was a very simple deduction. I think any intelligent person would come to the same conclusion," he said in 2010. "And that is: if I am being turned down for other roles because of my association with Batman, then maybe what I should do is really embrace Batman. Pursue it and keep it alive, which is what I've been trying to do for 30 years."

Bob Kane, who created Batman in 1939, seemed to agree. West kept a drawing of Batman by Kane, who inscribed it: "To my buddy, Adam, who breathed life into my pen and ink creation."

While struggling to land post-Batman acting roles, West turned to making personal appearances wearing the Batman cape and cowl - some rather undignified, as when he appeared on a Memphis pro wrestling program opposite wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler.

West was born as William "Billy" Anderson in Washington state in 1928. He took the name Adam West when he came to Hollywood in 1959.

Pre-"Batman," he co-starred in the 1965 Three Stooges feature film "The Outlaws Is Coming" and the 1964 sci-fi film "Robinson Crusoe on Mars." But it was his performance in a TV commercial that caught the notice of the "Batman" producers.

"They'd seen a series of commercials I'd done for Nestle Quick instant milkshake in which I did a kind of spoof on the James Bond character," West told Bizarre magazine in 2004. "They saw the commercials and thought, 'Hey, maybe this is the guy that can play the character in the way that we envision it.'"</s>Actor Adam West, famous for playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1960s TV show, has passed away from leukemia. He was 88.

"It's with great sadness that we are sharing this news...Adam West passed away peacefully last night after a short but brave battle with leukemia," his family said in a Facebook post. "He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

"There are no words to describe how much we'll miss him. We know you'll miss him too and we want you to know how much your love and support meant to him throughout the years. Hug your loved ones today."

West's Batman TV show was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding comedy in its first year, but lost to The Dick Van Dyke show. Batman was canceled after three seasons, ending in 1968.

West's unique voice was recently heard as the mayor of Quahog, the fictional city from the animated TV show Family Guy. Playing a character also named Adam West, he had a number of memorable scenes on that show.

You can read a full obituary for West here at The Hollywood Reporter.</s>Adam West, who played Batman in the original ’60s TV series, has died at age 88 after battling leukemia. His family made the announcement in a statement on Facebook writing: It’s with great sadness that we are sharing this news…Adam West passed away peacefully last night after a short but brave battle with leukemia, He was a […]

The post Iconic ‘Batman’ TV Actor Adam West Dies After Battle with Leukemia appeared first on BellaNaija.

This post was syndicated from BellaNaija. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share

Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask

Also, Like us on facebook</s>Actor Adam West, who played Batman in the campy 1960s television series, has passed away at the age of 88 after a short battle with leukemia, according to his family.

A major star in the ’60s, West appeared in films such as Geronimo, The Outlaws Is Coming and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. He has voiced himself in The Fairly Odd Parent, The Simpsons and Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. Most recently, he voiced the mayor of Quahog — named Adam West — in Family Guy.

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero,” his family said in a statement as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.</s>Adam West, best known for his role in the 1960s TV series Batman, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 88. His death was due to a short battle with leukemia.</s>(CNN) — Adam West, star of the popular and campy 1960s “Batman” TV show, has died, his agent said. The actor was 88.

In a signature role, West played Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, the crime-fighting, costumed Batman, a popular comics character who came to life on the ABC-TV series. The show, with a catchy — some might say aggravating — theme song, earned a cult following.

The series lasted three seasons and enjoyed a long afterlife in syndication.

West later supplied the voice of Mayor Adam West, the oddball leader of Quahog, Rhode Island, on the animated series “Family Guy.”

The actor was born William West Anderson in Walla Walla, Washington, and went on to earn a degree in literature and psychology from Whitman College.

Working as a disc jockey, West developed a dramatic and memorable voice, which he usedly effectively as the Caped Crusader.

“If I pick up a telephone and make an international call, the operator knows my voice immediately, as does everybody else,” he told CNN in an interview two years ago.

As Batman, West also demonstrated his strong command of vocabulary, delivering wacky one-liners in a deadpan style.

“Catwoman, I find you to be odious, abhorrent and insegrevious,” he memorably told one villain.

The list of entertaining thugs who played opposite West was long and illustrious: actresses Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Lee Merriwether (in a movie spinoff) as Catwoman; Cesar Romero as the Joker; Burgess Meredith as the Penguin; and Frank Gorshin and John Astin as the Riddler.

Batman’s sidekick was Robin the Boy Wonder, who as Dick Grayson was Bruce Wayne’s ward.

The Batman character “has to be mature enough to have a ward, he’s a mentor or he has adopted a son, so to speak,” West once said.

“This is a terribly unexpected loss of my lifelong friend,” Burt Ward, who played Robin on the series, said in a statement in Variety. “I will forever miss him. There are several fine actors who have portrayed Batman in films. In my eyes, there was only one real Batman that is and always will be Adam West. He was truly the Bright Night.”

Although he won his share of acting parts over the years, West became typecast, but he didn’t become bitter about it.

“When you wear a mask and funny tights … it gets a little frustrating from time to time,” West said. “I was turned down for a number of parts over the years, I feel, because of that.

“Wherever I go in the world, there’s such a wonderful rapport with our Batman that it’s neat,” he said. “People come up and play entire scenes for me unsolicited, but I got to laugh. … How lucky can a person get to be part of something that is a classic?”

Cartoons revived his career, and West fit right in with “Family Guy.”

“Family Guy has lost its mayor, and I have lost a friend,” the show’s creator, Seth MacFarlane, said on Twitter. “Adam West was a joy to work with, and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around. His positivity, good nature, and sense of fun were undeniable, and it was always a big jolt of the best kind of energy when he walked in to record the show. He knew comedy, and he knew humanity.

“I am beyond fortunate to have had the privilege of working with him, and he will be profoundly missed by all of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given, Mr. Mayor. You’re irreplaceable.”

Five years ago, West was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“I think I have the record as the actor who has waited the longest to get his star on the sidewalk,” he said.</s>Hollywood actor Adam West has died. He was 88 years old.

The U.S. actor was known for his portrayal of Batman in the 1960s television series of the same name.

West passed away at home on Friday after a short battle with leukemia, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.



 Actor Adam West attends the Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders press room at New York Comic-Con on Oct. 6, 2016. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty)

West was born William West Anderson in 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington. He's also known for his voice work on "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and "The Fairly OddParents."

He is survived by his wife Marelle, six children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.



 Adam West as Batman, left, and Burt Ward as Robin, pictured with the Batmobile in the 1960s. (Photo: PA)

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero,” his family said in a statement, published by Vanity Fair.
Adam West, the actor widely known for playing Batman in the ABC series of the same name during the 1960s, dies from leukemia.