Looking back, any fan will tell you that Adam West did a great job at the role, his delivery and style added to the attraction of the show. After the show was over though, Mr West was unfortunately type cast. To do deal with the situation, he started making personal appearances as the caped crusader. To this day, he still continues this tradition with one difference, the Batman costume stays in the closet. Besides his public showings, he continues to act and has appeared on such shows as The Simpsons, Nurses, Tales from the Crypt, Emergency, and Batman: The Animated Series as a character known as the "Gray Ghost", a character based on Mr. West's real life experience as Batman. Even with all of the other projects Adam West has done, it is hard not to always think of him as the original Batman. However, let us not forget that he is also a very talented actor. If he wasn't, no one would rmember him for anything. Nowadays, Mr. West resides in rural Idaho and continues to be busy making appearences and keeping up with his own web page where you can purchase his book, order memorabilia and even send him E-mail (which he always responds to).
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Adam West was born in Wala Wala Washington in 1928. He began in show biz as a TV announcer in Sacramento, CA after leaving Stanford University. He married his first wife when he was 17 years old only to divorce six years later. He then traveled to Hawaii and becamew a disc jockey before making his move to Hollywood.
Unlike his t.v. role of Batman, his movie performances have been minor. However, he did originally enjoy great success as Robert Taylor's co-star in "The Detectives" before he went on to the title role in the Batman series.
Prior to Batman, Adam had originally planned to be a western star. Then the show came along in 1966 and changed his life forever.
In The Saturday Evening Post in 1966 Adam said, "I want to do it well enough that Batman buffs will watch re-runs in a few years and say things like, Watch the bit he does here, isn't that great?"
His words rang true as Batfans thirty years later still enjoy watching the show.
In an interview with Adam in 1966 about the pressures of appearing in a series that aired twice a week, this is what he had to say:
"The demands are so inordinate that I must get away from it all every weekend at the beach. I'm not Superman said West with a sigh. I'm just a Batman. How long will I stay with the show ? As long as the quality level and the kooky aspects are maintained. Batman is a projection of James Bond , only more far out. It's a craze-wave phenomenon. It's hars work. I'm earning my money. On a shooting day, we shoot every day, except weekends. I work from 7 in the morning to as late as 10 and 12 at night. The show you saw last night, was rushed by jet to New York with the print still wet. We wont have the regular summer hiatus. We have to get some shows berhind us. The things I have to do. Today Im working in a chimney full of gas."
