Adam West, TV's Batman, Dies at 88Adam West, who played Batman on the campy TV show that ran from 1966 - 1968, died of leukemia on Friday, June 9.
“I am devastated at the loss of one my very dearest friends,” Ward said in a statement. “Adam and I had a special friendship for more than 50 years. We shared some of the most fun times of our lives together. Our families have deep love and respect for each other. This is a terribly unexpected loss of my lifelong friend. 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.”
West's portrayal of Batman was much lighter than most of those that came later (definitely lighter than the Batmen of Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck, though Val Kilmer and George Clooney were pretty campy). I enjoyed the re-runs of the show when I was a kid in the 80's -- and when I re-watched the movie and some of the episodes as an adult, I picked up on the somewhat naughty undertones that had gone over my head when I was a kid.
West was typecast after playing Batman and had trouble getting other roles. He was disappointed at not being cast as Batman in the Tim Burton films, though at 60+, he was a little old to play a Batman just starting out. (If a live-action version of The Dark Knight Returns had ever been made, West might have stood a chance, although that Batman is much, much darker than the 60's Batman -- the only actor who has come close to playing that version of the character live-action is Ben Affleck in Batman vs. Superman.)
