Adam West Biography

Adam West was born William West Anderson, and was raised on his family farm. His parents divorced and, when he was 15, he moved to Seattle with his mother.

West's interest in entertainment was evident while he was at college, where he was involved in the launch of a television station, as well as working as a disc jockey.

West soon moved into acting and, in 1955, he starred in 'The Kini Popo Show', a Hawaiian children's programme. Soon after he was noticed by Hollywood and was signed to Warner Bros.

West adopted his screen name, Adam West, for his debut film, 'The Young Philadelphians', in 1959.

During the 1960s, West continued to play supporting roles, but seemed unable to achieve notable fame.

His breakthrough came in 1966 when he was given the part of Batman in the TV series, which achieved high ratings and critical acclaim, making him a star. West went on to star in the film version of 'Batman', also starring Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith and Lee Meriwether.

However, as a result of his success as Batman, he found it difficult to get other roles. When the show was cancelled after two seasons, Adam's career flopped and he spent the rest of the 1970s and 1980s featuring in a series of forgettable films.

During the 1970s and 1980s, West appeared in a number of B movies, including 'The Happy Hooker Goes To Hollywood' about the famed call girl, Xaviera Hollander. He also guest starred in episodes of several popular television series, including 'Love American Style', 'Emergency!', 'Laverne & Shirley', and 'The Love Boat'.

The release of Tim Burton's 'Batman' in 1989, and the following feature films 'Batman Returns', 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin', helped to restore West's fame and popularity to some extent.

During the 1990s, West's status as a pop culture icon led to appearances as himself in the film 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' and in several television series, including 'Newsradio', 'Murphy Brown', and 'The Ben Stiller Show'.

Since then he has forged a career lending his voice to animated TV shows and films.
The most notable is his role in 'Family Guy' as mayor Adam West, which he started in 2000 and is still undertaking in 2012.

West was also the narrator of animated series 'Johnny Bravo' between 1997 and 2004. He also lent his voice to the animated film 'Chicken Little' in 2005 as well as to the corresponding video games in 2005 and 2006.

He then voiced R Kelly's lawyer in 'The Boondocks' in 2005 and to Mayor Grange in the animated series 'The Batman' between 2004 and 2006, which told the story of a young Bruce Wayne. In 2010, he took part in another Batman-related show when he voiced the character of Thomas Wayne in 'Batman: The Bold and Brave'.

Other notable performances of West include six episodes as himself in animated series 'The Fairly Odd Parents' between 2003 and 2008 and an episode of 'Spongebob Squarepants' in 2010.

West married his first wife, Billie Lou Yeager, in 1950, only to divorce in 1956. His second marriage to Nga Dawson, a Hawaiian Dancer, resulted in two children. In 1970 he married his present wife, Marcelle Lear, with whom he now has four children.