Adam West was an actor best known for the title role of Batman in the campy 1960s superhero series and feature film of the same name. Batman was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series in its first year, losing out to The Dick Van Dyke Show.
West battled typecasting following his role as the Caped Crusader, but went on to appear on the series Mannix, Emergency!, Alice, Police Woman, Operation Petticoat, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island, Zorro, The Ben Stiller Show, Tales from the Crypt, Nurses, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Burke’s Law, The Wayans Bros., Murphy Brown, Diagnosis Murder, NewsRadio, Black Scorpion, The Drew Carey Show, The Simpsons, The King of Queens, George Lopez, 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory and a recurring role on Family Guy, as an exaggerated version of himself, Mayor Adam West.
Prior to his career-making role, West had small parts on the series Lawman, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, Hawaiian Eye, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Perry Mason, The Real McCoys, Laramie, Gunsmoke, Petticoat Junction, The Outer Limits, Bewitched, The Virginian and The Milton Berle Show.
Additionally, the actor appeared in the films The Young Philadelphians, Geronimo, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Drop Dead Gorgeous and he lent his voice to the animated short film Redux Riding Hood, which received an Oscar nomination.
West caught the attention of Batman producer William Dozier when he played Captain Quik, a James Bond-type character with a sailor's cap, in commercials for Nestle's Quik.
He was the subject of a 2013 documentary, Starring Adam West, which culminated in the actor receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.
West died June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles. He was 88.