2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
In 2016, in the movie "Batman v Superman", the audience saw a new Dark Knight. It was Ben Affleck. As you know, before him, seven more performers played this role in various comic book adaptations. However, the classic Gotham Knight is Adam West, who played Batman in the latter half of the 60s.
The early years of Adam West
The actor was born in September 1928 in the town of Walla Walla in the USA.
At birth, he received the name William West Anderson, however, becoming an actor, he changed it to a more harmonious pseudonym.
After school, he entered the local university, where he studied literature and psychology. After graduating, young Adam West volunteered for the army.
The beginning of an acting career
After demobilization, the young man became interested in the profession of an actor. Possessing a pleasant voice and clear pronunciation, Adam worked as an announcer on the radio while still a student. This experience helped him land his first role in Voodoo Island, where he played a weather station radio operator.
At the same time, the guy was invited to participate inTV program "Kini Popo Show". After starring in several more cameo roles, Adam West moves to Hollywood with his wife and two children.
Here he gets into serious projects pretty soon. So, in 1959, West got a role in the western television series The Bailiff, and also starred in the film The Young Philadelphians.
After these projects, the novice actor's strong-willed chin was appreciated and they began to invite him to star in westerns, comedies, science fiction films and individual episodes of popular television series.
Adam West - Batman
West was once asked to act in a cocoa commercial. His character was a spy a la James Bond. The video turned out to be successful, and it was often played on television. Once, one of the producers, seeing this advertisement, decided to invite Adam to audition. The management of the project liked the actor and his amazing heroic voice so much that soon Adam West (photo below) was approved for the role of Batman in the television series of the same name.
A new project about Gotham Knight has become incredibly successful, turning Adam West into a star. He stayed on the air for 3 seasons, each of which consisted of 40 episodes. In addition, a film of the same name was shot with the same cast, where West shone like never before.
In the wake of popularity, the producers planned to launch a separate television series "Batgel", in which Adam West was supposed to periodically appear as Batman. However, this project was stopped.
Despite the hot audiencelove for "Batman", over time, the television series began to lose popularity, and after the third season it was closed.
At first, it was hard for West to find a new job, because everyone around him perceived him as Batman. However, he did not give up and continued to play small roles in films and television series.
In 1974-1975. this actor, remembering past achievements, was invited to voice the Dark Knight in the animated series Shazam. A few years later, Adam West again voiced the Dark Knight of Gotham in the animated series The New Batman Adventures.
The actor's filmography contains another television series, where West returned to his crown role again. In 1979, a small project "Legends of Superheroes" was released on the screens. In it, viewers met again with Superman, Green Lantern, Shazam, The Flash and, of course, Adam West's Batman.
Over the next decades, this actor was constantly invited to voice his favorite hero and other characters.
Adam West - voice actor
After the closing of the TV series about the Dark Knight, the actor managed to play in a huge number of films. Unfortunately, these were small roles.
But thanks to the amazing timbre of Adam's voice, they often asked to voice this or that character. In addition to all kinds of cartoons about superheroes, the actor participated in the voice acting of Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, SpongeBob, Hello Scooby-Doo, The Simsons, Futurama and many other projects.
In addition, the writers of the cult animated series"Family Guy" created a character specifically for the actor - the mayor of Quahog, Adam West.
Starting from the second season, this character has been a constant presence in the series.
Private life
Judging by the fact that the actor was married three times, Adam West was very amorous in his youth.
He first went down the aisle as a college student. Billy Lou Yeager became his chosen one.
For the sake of participation in the program "Kini Popo Show" West had to move to Hawaii for a while, where they filmed in 1957. Here he fell in love with Frisbee Dawson. When the girl became pregnant, the actor urgently filed for a divorce and married her. Soon, baby Jonelle was born to happy young people, and a year later, a robust Hunter.
After fifteen years, the couple divorced, and West married the charming Marcella Thagard Lear. In this marriage, he had four children.
Fun facts about Adam West
- The actor has loved reading Batman comics for as long as he can remember.
- West was offered to play James Bond. However, he refused, as he believed that this character should be played by a Briton.
- The actor has a personal website where visitors can not only learn the latest news about the life of his idol, but also buy photos with his autograph.
- In the 200th episode of the popular television series The Big Bang Theory, West was invited to comeo on the birthday of one of the main characters. Here he described all the performers of the role of the Dark Knight, praisingown performance.
2016 marks 50 years since Adam West first played Batman. And although the actor himself is no longer young, he continues to be America's favorite Batman today.
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