‘Batman’ Actress Yvonne Craig, The Original Batgirl, Passes Away From Cancer
Yvonne Craig, the actress most well known for bringing to life the role of Batgirl in the 1960s Batman series, has passed away due to complications from cancer. Craig was 78-years-old.
Twitter users expressed their condolences after learning about the death of Craig whose Batgirl character paved the way for female superheroes in media.
Sad to hear about the passing of Yvonne Craig. She was the best Batgirl yet, and overall an amazing actress. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/gIjiVgeta1
— Dennis Parker (@DennisParkerNL) August 19, 2015
Yvonne Craig just pass away god bless her and we keep you in the mind as Batgirl and thank u for been the herogirl pic.twitter.com/XTGlNnVx4w
— arturo diaz (@arturokidiaz) August 19, 2015
As a kid, I thought Yvonne Craig was SO cool because she was a librarian by day & Batgirl by night. I’m going to miss her. RIP
— Meg (@sassylibrarian1) August 19, 2015
So far there has been no comment from Yvonne Craig’s Batman co-stars Adam West or Burt Ward regarding her death, which was announced via Craig’s personal website.
According to a post shared by Yvonne Craig’s family, the actress had been privately waging a battle against breast cancer over the past two years. Unfortunately just as Batgirl learned that new bad guys emerge after the removal of others, Yvonne discovered that the cancer had metastasized to her liver late last year.
Though her obituary stated that Craig was best known for originating the role of Batgirl, sci-fi and comic book fans might also find it interesting to know that Yvonne played a pivotal role in one of Star Trek‘s more memorable episodes, in which Craig portrayed an “insane green Orion Slave Girl who wanted to kill Captain Kirk.”
Yvonne’s entertainment career originally began on stage. Craig was a renowned ballet dancer in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo during the 1950s before making her way to the big screen. Yvonne’s cinema co-stars included other pop culture icons such as Sal Mineo, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley.
Yvonne Craig’s other television screen credits besides her Batman and Star Trek roles included a variety of guest spots on television classics such as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Mod Squad, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, and The Six Million Dollar Man. Though Craig virtually gave up acting many years ago, Yvonne did perform some voiceover work as the Grandma in the television adaptation of the children’s book Olivia.
Despite her many successes, Yvonne Craig embraced her icon status for her performance as Batgirl, attending comic-con panels and celebrating her Batman fan base. According to her website, Yvonne was still making appearances up until her abdominal surgery last December.
[Image courtesy of Yvonne Craig, Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images.]
