Adam West
- For the actor's animated namesake, see Adam West (character).
| Adam West | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Years active at Hanna-Barbera | 1979, 1984-1985, 1997 |
| Years active at Warner Bros. | 2005, 2015 |
| Characters played | Batman Himself |
.png) West guesting on Johnny Bravo | |
William West Anderson, known professionally as Adam West, was an American actor, who played Batman in both live-action and animated form for Hanna-Barbera. He also played himself in Johnny Bravo.
He was interviewed by Space Ghost in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "Batmantis." Within the scripted dialogue, West had personal knowledge of Space Ghost, specifically his real name of Tad, which was the first time it had been mentioned. This interview was recreated through drawing in "Story Book House."
West died of leukemia on June 9, 2017, at the age of 88.
Roles
20th century
- Legends of the Superheroes (1979)
- Batman
- Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984)
- Batman
- The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985)
- Batman
- Johnny Bravo
- Narrator ("Twas the Night," 1997)
- Himself ("Johnny Bravo Meets Adam West," 1997)
21st century
- Johnny Bravo
- Himself ("Adam West's Date-O-Rama," 2004)
- Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005)
- Scooby-Doo! Unmasked (2005)
- Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie (2015)
Other roles
Long before he was the Caped Crusader, West had spent his early career in small movie and television roles. His appearance in a Nestlé Quik commercial (which parodied Janes Bond) was noticed by producer William Dozier, who cast him in the title role on ABC's Batman.[1] West became famous for his campy portrayal of the superhero, which included both the TV series and its film adaptation.
Although he achieved great fame in the role between 1966 to 1968, it typecast him for decades and could never shake the image of his portrayal of Batman. He did, however, provide the voice of the character on Filmation's The New Adventures of Batman in 1977. West accepted this fate by the 1990s, and rebounded by actually lampooning himself and his role of Batman several times to large success.
He has appeared in animated series such as The Fairly OddParents and Family Guy, and other times such as in Batman: The Animated Series, Rugrats, Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, Kim Possible, and SpongeBob SquarePants. He returned to the role of Batman for the final times in 2016 and 2017, with the animated direct-to-video films, Batman: The Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs. Two-Face.
Behind the scenes
- West didn't have a sense of humor while filming his interview for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, except when plugging his book, which he only brought the slipcover to show. The crew allowed him to even though they didn't like the idea because the book would have no relevance in the years after the episode aired. A couple of months after the episode aired, West spotted the crew at a comic book convention, where he proceeded to walk up to their booth, paused, and glared at them before moving on.[2]
Tributes
- Owen Garrison, from the direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon, is a parody of West.
- Sandy Blake physically resembles Adam West.
Where to find him
References
- ^ Eury, Michael; Kronenberg, Michael (2009). Batcave Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9781893905788. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ Space Ghost Coast to Coast soundtrack liner notes (1994).
