Yvonne Craig (R.I.P.)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Fox67, Aug 19, 2015.

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  1. Fox67

    Fox67 Bad as Can Thread Starter

    Location:
    Isle of Rhodes
  2. thestereofan

    thestereofan Senior Member

    Location:
    San Jose
    I was a huge fan. What a beauty.
     
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  3. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    RIP, Yvonne. and condolences to family, friends and fans of her work.

    I knew of her Bat Girl role on Batman tv show, and much later in films, much later.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2015
  4. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    Rest in peace. I'm sure I saw her as Batgirl a few times.
     
  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I saw her at a couple of the LA celebrity autograph conventions in the last 10-15 years, and she actually looked pretty good for her age. In addition to being famous as Batgirl in the 1960s, she was also in In Like Flint and two Elvis movies, so she definitely got around.
     
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  6. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Here's an interesting clip from an episode of Perry Mason. Yvonne plays the stepdaughter of actor Neil Hamilton, eight years before they again played father and daughter on Batman:
     
  7. dlokazip

    dlokazip Forum Transient

    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Rest easy, Ms. Craig.

    Even as a child, I was totally in love with Barbara Gordon.
     
  8. MikeInFla

    MikeInFla Glad to be out of Florida

    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    I remember her as the Orion slave girl. But my favorite was always Batgirl. RIP. :(

    [​IMG]

    From CNN:

    Craig died this week after a long two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 78.

    The cancer metastasized to her liver, and she died Monday in her home in Pacific Palisades.

    "She had been in chemo almost continuously for the past two plus years since being diagnosed and that had weakened her immune system as well as her body," her family said in a statement late Tuesday night.

    "This didn't dampen her sense of humor or her spirit, she intended to fight and win this battle. In the end, her mind still wanted to fight but her body had given up."

    Craig originated the role of Batgirl in the show's third and final season in 1967, kapowing and zzonking the bad guys alongside Adam West and Burt Ward's dynamic duo of Batman and Robin.

    "I hear from women that I was their role model," she told CNN in an interview earlier this year. "'When I was a little girl, I realized that girls could kick butt just like guys,' [they'd say]."

    She also had a memorable role as the green-skinned Orion slave girl Marta who wanted to kill Captain Kirk in a third-season episode of "Star Trek."

    But even beyond those two well-remembered roles, Craig had a long and illustrious career that began as the youngest member of a ballet company.


    Accidental actress

    In an interview with CNN earlier this year, Craig explained how she got into acting while she was still touring as a dancer.

    "I was invited to dinner by a man who was a producer, who wanted to put me in movies and I said I wasn't interested," she said.

    "[Director] John Ford's son walked by and asked 'Excuse me, are you an actress?' And as I shook my head and tried to s
    wallow, [the producer said], 'She is and I'm her manager. What can I do for you?' Typical Hollywood.

    "They were doing a movie with John Wayne's son Patrick, and they were looking for a leading lady. And I became it."

    That was 1959's "The Young Land."

    She went on to appear in several films, including two with Elvis Presley -- "It Happened at the World's Fair" and "Kissin' Cousins."

    She then parlayed her success into television roles, guest starring in several series, most notably several episodes of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and "77 Sunset Strip."

    Then came her role as Batgirl.

    A hero is born

    DC Comics was asked to create a new Batgirl to help get the show a third season, and Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara, took on the identity of the newest masked avenger in Gotham City, both on TV and in the comic books.

    "It was a wonderful experience," Craig said.

    "The crew liked one another, the cast liked one another. It doesn't happen often, and when it does, it's a joy to go to work every day. I got to work with people that I would never have the chance to work with. We had Ethel Merman, I would never have met Milton Berle, I got to work with him, and he was a delight."

    Craig described the characters of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl as "very close to who I am."
     
  9. sbeck201

    sbeck201 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wreay, Cumbria, UK
    Me too! One of my childhood crushes.

    Saw her picture on Digital Spy page and just knew it was bad news before I read that she'd died.

    R.I.P.
     
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  10. Jimi Bat

    Jimi Bat Forum Resident

    Location:
    tx usa
    :cry:
    I just flashed back to that PSA she did as Batgirl.
     
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  11. Jeff Minn

    Jeff Minn Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    So beautiful, so sad. :cry:
     
  12. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    RIP Yvonne. Lovely woman.
     
  13. Culpa

    Culpa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  14. Coricama

    Coricama Classic Rocker

    Location:
    Marietta, GA
    She certainly filled out a Bat suit well! R.I.P.
     
  15. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    RIP. A lovely looking woman. I always thought that her and Barbara Feldon were the nicest looking women on TV.
     
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  16. Al Kuenster

    Al Kuenster Senior Member

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV - US
    R.I.P. Yvonne
     
  17. xdawg

    xdawg in labyrinths of coral caves

    Location:
    Roswell, GA, USA
    RIP Ms. Craig :(
     
  18. wayne66

    wayne66 Forum Resident

    Batgirl and her role on Star Trek are what I remember her for. RIP.
     
  19. Vinylsoul 1965

    Vinylsoul 1965 Senior Member

    I always hear about news here before anywhere else...yeah, I have to get out from under this rock I live under.

    What made her character on Batman so endearing was the fact that here was a beautiful woman who was intelligent and well spoken. As a boy she was the complete package (plus who doesn't love a woman who rides a motorbike?). One of the first great roles for a young woman on tv to play in the mid 60s. RIP Yvonne

    From the OPs link, here is the official obituary: http://www.yvonnecraig.com/news/2015/08/19/yvonne-craigs-official-obituary/
     
  20. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    RIP. She really looked like she enjoyed playing Batgirl, especially with her smile during fight scenes. I guess of the major Batman characters, Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin) and Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether (Catwoman 1 and 2) are still with us. Please correct me if there are more.
     
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  21. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Sad news. Classy and pretty lady. RIP.
     
  22. GeoffC

    GeoffC Forum Resident

    Sorry to hear this, always a fan of her performances, RIP Yvonne.
     
  23. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    RIP to a lovely and talented lady. Breast cancer is a terrible thing.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2015
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  24. segue

    segue Psychoacoustic Member

    Location:
    Hawai'i
  25. MaltairX

    MaltairX Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
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