Yvonne Craig

Intro

Yvonne Craig was an American actress and dancer best known as Barbara Gordon and Batgirl in the 1960s Batman television series. Born May 16, 1937, in Taylorville, Illinois, she brought a professional ballet background to screen performance. Her career also included films with Elvis Presley, extensive television guest work and the role of Marta in Star Trek. She died August 17, 2015, aged 78.

Career snapshot

Craig danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before moving into acting. The Young Land and The Gene Krupa Story were among her 1959 films. Later work included It Happened at the World's Fair and Kissin' Cousins with Elvis Presley. Rather than beginning with the superhero costume, her career can be followed through dance, smaller film roles and the varied assignments of a television guest performer.

The entry point

Craig joined Batman in its third season in 1967; the show itself had premiered in 1966. Barbara Gordon was a librarian and Commissioner Gordon's daughter, while her masked identity allowed her to participate directly in Gotham's adventures. The Television Academy records Craig's stunt work and motorcycle riding for the series. Watch how she uses posture and movement to differentiate an ordinary conversation as Barbara from an action entrance as Batgirl.

Screen identity and style

The contrast between Craig's familiar Batgirl and Marta in Star Trek is especially striking. In the 1969 episode Whom Gods Destroy, Marta is an Orion woman in an asylum whose behavior places Captain Kirk in danger. StarTrek.com's memorial identifies this single guest performance as a lasting part of Craig's screen history. Compare its unstable encounters with Batman's deliberately comic adventure style rather than assuming that two science-fiction and fantasy roles require the same performance.

Collaborations and patterns

Adam West and Burt Ward were Craig's principal superhero colleagues, with Neil Hamilton playing Barbara's father. Her film career also placed her alongside performers working in very different genres. In Like Flint used her dance background in a spy-comedy setting opposite James Coburn. Her recurring appearances across the television schedule included separate characters on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, showing the difference between revisiting a series and sustaining one continuous role.

Era reflection

Craig's guest credits reached from Perry Mason and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to Kojak, The Six Million Dollar Man and Fantasy Island. Later, she supplied Grandma's voice for the animated Olivia. Her memoir, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, appeared in 2000. The title itself connects the training that preceded fame with the character audiences most readily remembered, while acknowledging that her working life extended beyond both.

Legacy and rediscovery

A useful viewing path pairs Kissin' Cousins with a third-season Batman episode and then Whom Gods Destroy. Those selections move from a musical feature to episodic superhero comedy and a dramatic science-fiction guest role. The local gallery identifies those productions; the series artwork is not presented as a still from Craig's particular episode. Her credited Batgirl publicity portrait provides a period image of the role that became her best-known contribution to television.

A career in pictures

Selected career milestones. Years identify the production or labeled milestone; recurring actors may join a series later. Artwork represents the production and may show other cast members. Select an image for a larger view.

Rewatch notes

• Craig trained and performed as a professional ballet dancer.
• She joined Batman as Barbara Gordon and Batgirl in 1967.
• She played Marta in Star Trek's Whom Gods Destroy.

Career highlights

Kissin' Cousins (1964) as Azalea Tatum
One of her two features with Elvis Presley.

Batman (1967) as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl
Joined the third season in 1967; series began in 1966.

Star Trek (1969) as Marta
Whom Gods Destroy guest role; series artwork, not an episode still.