Yvonne Craig
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl
from the 1960s TV series Batman
, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series
episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.
and grew up in Columbus, Ohio
for the first 14 years of her life. She was originally trained to be a ballet
dancer and was a member of the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
in the 1950s. Gradually, she moved into acting
, and in 1959 appeared in three films: The Young Land
, The Gene Krupa Story
, and Gidget
. In 1960, she appeared as a busty young coed with Bing Crosby
in High Time
, where she met and married singer/actor Jimmy Boyd
. In the following year, she appeared with Cesar Romero
in Seven Women from Hell
. Romero would later play the Joker
in Batman. Another connection to Batman occurred when Craig appeared in "The Case of the Lazy Lover", a 1958 episode of the television series Perry Mason
, which also featured Neil Hamilton as her stepfather. Hamilton would later play her father, Commissioner Gordon, in Batman.
After divorcing Boyd in 1962, Yvonne starred in several films, including roles with Elvis Presley
in It Happened At The World's Fair and Kissin' Cousins
and with Dennis Hopper
, and appeared in In Like Flint
as a Russian Ballet dancer opposite James Coburn
.
and Death Valley Days
. One of her more memorable roles came in 1968 when Craig appeared on Star Trek
as Marta, a green-skinned Orion slave girl in the third season episode "Whom Gods Destroy
" (1968).
In a 1965 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
("The Brain Killer Affair"), she helps solve the mystery of a brain-endangering poison. In 1966 U.N.C.L.E. released a theatrical film, One Spy Too Many. This was made from a two-part episode with added footage depicting more violence and risque content than seen on television. Craig was hired to do a semi-nude sunbathing scene and carry on a flirtatious relationship with Napoleon Solo.
In a 1966 episode of The Wild Wild West
("The Night of the Grand Emir"), she plays an assassin who performs an exotic Arabian dance. She also played an exotic dancer in an episode of McHale's Navy
("Pumpkin Takes Over", 1965). She appeared in an episode of The Big Valley
with Lee Majors
and Barbara Stanwyck
.
In a 1968 episode of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
("Haunted Honeymoon"), she plays a bride-to-be stranded overnight at Gull Cottage.
But her highest profile would come with the cult 1960s television series Batman
as Batgirl
.
Most famously, in Batman, she had the role of Batgirl (and her alter ego, librarian Barbara Gordon
, Commissioner Gordon's daughter). She appeared in the final 1967–1968 season. Batgirl's true identity was unknown to Batman and Robin, and their true identities were unknown to her; only Alfred, the butler for Bruce Wayne/Batman, was aware of Batgirl's identity.
Although the Batman TV show has been considered as a parody or camp
, (Adam West
himself said that the show was intentionally a lampoon and farce) many have praised Yvonne Craig's portrayal as having paved the way for many other television heroines in the years that followed. Craig appeared in the last season of the series and was often put in "perilous" situations, along with Batman
and Robin
.
Craig felt some connection to the character and complained to DC Comics about her fate after Barbara Gordon was shot/paralyzed by The Joker
in the 1988 graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke
.
(the first episode), Kentucky Jones
, It Takes a Thief, The Mod Squad
, and Emergency!
From 1969–1972, she appeared in four episodes of the comedy series Love, American Style
. She also did a guest role on The Six Million Dollar Man
(1974). She also has made appearances as herself on some celebrity editions of Family Feud
(1976-1985 version).
Craig eventually moved into private business. For a time, she was a coproducer of industrial shows, after which she worked successfully in the real estate business. She maintains her own internet website.
Craig appears in the documentary Ballets Russes
.
Since 2009, Craig has provided the voice of Grandma on the animated children's show Olivia
.
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
from the 1960s TV series Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.
Early life and career
Yvonne Craig was born in Taylorville, IllinoisTaylorville, Illinois
Taylorville is a city in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,246 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Christian County.-Geography:Taylorville is located at ....
and grew up in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
for the first 14 years of her life. She was originally trained to be a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer and was a member of the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was a ballet company created by members of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1938 after Léonide Massine and René Blum had a falling-out with the co-founder Wassily de Basil...
in the 1950s. Gradually, she moved into acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, and in 1959 appeared in three films: The Young Land
The Young Land
The Young Land is a 1959 American Western drama film directed by Ted Tetzlaff starring Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper. The cinematography was by Technicolor developer Winton C. Hoch and Henry Sharp. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures Corporation.It is the third and final of only 3 films...
, The Gene Krupa Story
The Gene Krupa Story
The Gene Krupa Story is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers around Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana.-Plot synopsis:...
, and Gidget
Gidget
Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
. In 1960, she appeared as a busty young coed with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
in High Time
High Time (film)
High Time is a 1960 collegiate comedic film, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bing Crosby. The film is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man who enters the world of a new generation of postwar youth...
, where she met and married singer/actor Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".-Early years:...
. In the following year, she appeared with Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
in Seven Women from Hell
Seven Women from Hell
Seven Women From Hell is a 1961 war drama starring Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel and Cesar Romero about women prisoners in a Japanese World War II prison camp, interned with other prisoners.-Plot:...
. Romero would later play the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
in Batman. Another connection to Batman occurred when Craig appeared in "The Case of the Lazy Lover", a 1958 episode of the television series Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, which also featured Neil Hamilton as her stepfather. Hamilton would later play her father, Commissioner Gordon, in Batman.
After divorcing Boyd in 1962, Yvonne starred in several films, including roles with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in It Happened At The World's Fair and Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
and with Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, and appeared in In Like Flint
In Like Flint
In Like Flint is a 1967 film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film Our Man Flint . It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a feminist matriarchy. To achieve and establish it, they kidnap and replace the U.S. President,...
as a Russian Ballet dancer opposite James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
.
Move into television
In the mid-1960s, with film roles beginning to taper off, she moved into television, appearing in several shows including The Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
and Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
. One of her more memorable roles came in 1968 when Craig appeared on Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
as Marta, a green-skinned Orion slave girl in the third season episode "Whom Gods Destroy
Whom Gods Destroy (TOS episode)
"Whom Gods Destroy" is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #69, production #71, and was broadcast on January 3, 1969. It was written by Lee Erwin, based on a story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl, and directed by Herb Wallerstein...
" (1968).
In a 1965 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
("The Brain Killer Affair"), she helps solve the mystery of a brain-endangering poison. In 1966 U.N.C.L.E. released a theatrical film, One Spy Too Many. This was made from a two-part episode with added footage depicting more violence and risque content than seen on television. Craig was hired to do a semi-nude sunbathing scene and carry on a flirtatious relationship with Napoleon Solo.
In a 1966 episode of The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
("The Night of the Grand Emir"), she plays an assassin who performs an exotic Arabian dance. She also played an exotic dancer in an episode of McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
("Pumpkin Takes Over", 1965). She appeared in an episode of The Big Valley
The Big Valley
The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
with Lee Majors
Lee Majors
Lee Majors is an American television, film and voice actor, best known for his starring role as Colonel Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy ....
and Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
.
In a 1968 episode of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series)
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir is a situation comedy based on the 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was based on the 1945 novel by R.A. Dick. It starred Hope Lange as Carolyn Muir, a young widow who rents Gull Cottage, near the fictional fishing village of Schooner Bay, Maine along with her two...
("Haunted Honeymoon"), she plays a bride-to-be stranded overnight at Gull Cottage.
But her highest profile would come with the cult 1960s television series Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
as Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
.
Batman
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
, Commissioner Gordon's daughter). She appeared in the final 1967–1968 season. Batgirl's true identity was unknown to Batman and Robin, and their true identities were unknown to her; only Alfred, the butler for Bruce Wayne/Batman, was aware of Batgirl's identity.
Although the Batman TV show has been considered as a parody or camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
, (Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
himself said that the show was intentionally a lampoon and farce) many have praised Yvonne Craig's portrayal as having paved the way for many other television heroines in the years that followed. Craig appeared in the last season of the series and was often put in "perilous" situations, along with Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
.
Craig felt some connection to the character and complained to DC Comics about her fate after Barbara Gordon was shot/paralyzed by The Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
in the 1988 graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke is an influential one-shot superhero graphic novel written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland. First published by DC Comics in 1988, it has remained in print since then, and has also been reprinted as part of the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories of Alan...
.
Later career
After Batman, Yvonne Craig continued to act sporadically in movies and television. Notably, she appeared in guest roles in Love, American StyleLove, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
(the first episode), Kentucky Jones
Kentucky Jones
Kentucky Jones is a half-hour comedy/drama starring Dennis Weaver as Kenneth Yarborough "K.Y. or Kentucky" Jones, D.V.M., a recently widowed former horse trainer and active rancher, who becomes the guardian of Dwight Eisenhower "Ike" "Wong, a 10-year-old Chinese orphan, played by Ricky Der...
, It Takes a Thief, The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
, and Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
From 1969–1972, she appeared in four episodes of the comedy series Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
. She also did a guest role on The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
(1974). She also has made appearances as herself on some celebrity editions of Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
(1976-1985 version).
Craig eventually moved into private business. For a time, she was a coproducer of industrial shows, after which she worked successfully in the real estate business. She maintains her own internet website.
Craig appears in the documentary Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes (documentary)
Ballets Russes is a 2005 feature documentary about the dancers of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was directed by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, and featured Irina Baronova, Alicia Markova, George Zoritch, and Tatiana Riabouchinska, among others. It was narrated by Marian Seldes...
.
Since 2009, Craig has provided the voice of Grandma on the animated children's show Olivia
Olivia (TV series)
Olivia is a British-American children's animated television series produced by media company Chorion and based on Ian Falconer's books. It is seen on Nick Jr. in the US, Milkshake!, Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland, and Disney Junior in Latin America and Brazil, Treehouse TV in Canada...
.
Selected filmography
- Eighteen and Anxious (1957)
- The Young LandThe Young LandThe Young Land is a 1959 American Western drama film directed by Ted Tetzlaff starring Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper. The cinematography was by Technicolor developer Winton C. Hoch and Henry Sharp. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures Corporation.It is the third and final of only 3 films...
(1959) - GidgetGidget (film)Gidget is a 1959 Columbia Pictures CinemaScope feature film. It stars Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren in a story about a teenager's initiation into the California surf culture and her affiliated romance with a young surfer. The screenplay was written by Gabrielle Upton, a nom de plume...
(1959) - The Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa Story is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers around Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana.-Plot synopsis:...
(1959) - High TimeHigh Time (film)High Time is a 1960 collegiate comedic film, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bing Crosby. The film is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man who enters the world of a new generation of postwar youth...
(1960) - By Love PossessedBy Love Possessed (film)By Love Possessed is a 1961 drama film distributed by United Artists. The movie was directed by John Sturges, and written by Charles Schnee, based on the novel by James Gould Cozzens...
(1961) - Seven Women from HellSeven Women from HellSeven Women From Hell is a 1961 war drama starring Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel and Cesar Romero about women prisoners in a Japanese World War II prison camp, interned with other prisoners.-Plot:...
(1961) - It Happened at the World's FairIt Happened at the World's FairIt Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a cropdusting pilot.The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, suggested the setting to...
(1963) - Kissin' CousinsKissin' CousinsKissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
(1964) - Ski PartySki PartySki Party is a B-movie, directed by Alan Rafkin, and released in 1965 by American International Pictures. Ski Party is part of the 1960s Beach Party film genre, with a change of setting from the beach to the slopes - although the final scene places everyone back at the beach...
(1965) - Mars Needs WomenMars Needs WomenMars Needs Women is an American International Pictures made for TV science fiction film filmed in 1966 and released in 1967 which features Tommy Kirk, Yvonne Craig, and Byron Lord. it was shot during a two week period in Houston and Dallas, Texas...
(1966) - One Spy Too ManyOne Spy Too ManyOne Spy Too Many is the 1966 feature length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s two-part season two premiere episode "Alexander the Greater Affair". It, as does the television series, stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It is the third such feature film that used as its basis a reedited...
(1966) - In Like FlintIn Like FlintIn Like Flint is a 1967 film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film Our Man Flint . It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a feminist matriarchy. To achieve and establish it, they kidnap and replace the U.S. President,...
(1967) - How to Frame a FiggHow to Frame a FiggHow to Frame a Figg is a 1971 Universal comedy about a bungling bookkeeper's assistant, Hollis Alexander Figg in the Dalton city hall, who finds himself framed for embezzlement...
(1971)
External links
- Yvonne Craig's Official Personal Home Page
- Ty's Yvonne Craig Homepage
- MSN Entertainment - Yvonne Craig
- Yvonne Craig at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Bat-Bios - Yvonne Craig
- Yvonne Craig as Batgirl
- Yvonne Craig Interview at Elvis2001.net