Adam West Net Worth

Adam West's Quotes

• [on his typecasting as The Caped Crusader] It was inescapable. I'd just about land something substantial, something I like or a good career move. Then some dinosaur would rear up and say, "But the audience will think of him as Batman." It was formidable. It was there like a brick wall.
• [on his disappointment with the direction Batman (1966) was taking, especially during its second and third seasons] "Batman" was an expensive show and it was losing money. I became extremely frustrated and unhappy and wanted out. There was nothing I could do to convince the producers or the studio to make improvements. I was just a hired hand. Eventually, I lost all interest because I felt the series was being neglected. They weren't spending the money they should have, and we weren't getting the scripts we deserved. I didn't want any part of this situation any more. I was tired of fighting for better shows. The program I wanted to do was no longer possible. But I hated to leave the character because Batman had been good to me.
• [on his being passed over for Tim Burton's 1989 Batman (1989)] I cried for an hour, but then I was okay. I wanted it! I don't know. I figured that's their business and they have a film in mind. I've already done it. I've done my Batman. Look, do you want the classic Coke or the new stuff? Maybe both. I do know that I'm disappointed not to have had a chance to play Batman, but they have their vision and I have mine.
• I can't tell you how grateful I am to those fans. They are not stupid. I think they appreciate my sincerity and my work. Actors want to be loved. Batman (1966) has done that for me. I have an audience out there which is always waiting to see whatever I do. And new generations are constantly discovering me in reruns. So, as long as I stay sharp, good things can still happen for me. Meanwhile, I keep hoping that a wonderful opportunity will come along. Believe me, my life ain't so bad, after all.
• Before I was limited to playing leads in low-budget movies. The series has given me the exposure - God knows - so that perhaps I would now be considered for important pictures, which is what I'm after.

Interesting Facts about Adam West

1. After playing the role of a resourceful secret agent in a Nestle's Quik commercial in the early 1960s, he caught the eye of ABC executives. The execs thought he might be right for an upcoming television series they were about to produce, Batman (1966).
2. Adam West was the father of Hunter Anderson, Jonelle S. Anderson, Nina West and Perrin West. His daughter, Nina West, the host of TV Land Real Estate (2002), was a model and twice appeared with her father on Howard Stern's radio show. Adam West also had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
3. West once appeared on Batman: The Animated Series (1992) playing - of all things - an out-of-work actor who was unable to escape his identification with the role of a superhero he had played decades earlier, the Gray Ghost. Prior to this, West had supplied the voice of Batman on SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984).
4. Had two roles in common with Val Kilmer: (1) West played Doc Holliday in Sugarfoot (1957), Colt .45 (1957) and Lawman (1958) while Kilmer played him in Tombstone (1993) and (2) West played Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman (1966), Batman: The Movie (1966), SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984), The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985), The New Adventures of Batman (1977) and Legends of the Superheroes (1979) while Kilmer played him in Batman Forever (1995).
5. His former Batman (1966) co-star, Burt Ward, made a cameo appearance, voicing on an episode of The Simpsons (1989), with him, in 2002. Eight years later, Ward would also make another cameo appearance with him, voicing on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), in 2010.
6. Best-known by the public for his starring role in Batman (1966), West was actually the third actor to play Batman (although many credit him as the first, as the old serials are much more obscure than West's television series). He beat out two other actors, Lyle Waggoner and Ty Hardin, for the title role on Batman (1966). He was one of only three actors to appear in every episode of the original Batman (1966) series. Remained good friends with Burt Ward during and after the original Batman (1966) series. The costume worn by West is now a part of The Azarian Collection.
7. Was drafted into the United States Army for two years.
8. Began his career as a contract player for Warner Bros. Pictures in 1959. Before this, he worked as a radio disc jockey, where he founded a military television station where he garnered his knack for deadpan comedy.
9. Over his long life, he had 14 hobbies: fishing, sailing, hiking, skiing, spending time with his family, listening to classic rock music, golfing, traveling, riding motorcycles, reading, watching movies, swimming, surfing and dancing.
10. At Lakeside High School, West excelled in sports and served as school president of his 1946 graduating class. Graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where he played water polo, ran track, skied and swam. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Literature (minoring in Psychology) and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was also a member of the public speaking and debating team.
11. His father, Otto West Anderson (died 1984) was a farmer, his mother, Audrey Speer (died 1969) was a singer with a Christian musical group, The Speers. West was of Swedish ancestry on his father's side, and English, with small amounts of German, Irish, and Welsh from his mother's side. He was a farm boy until his parents' divorce when he was 15 years old. He, his mother and his younger brother, John, then relocated to Seattle.
12. Discussed the James Bond role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) with producer Albert R. Broccoli. West felt the role should be played by a British actor, and declined the role.
13. His television series Batman (1966) was canceled after 2 1/2 seasons, not only because of low ratings, but because of the rising costs of the special effects and lighting. When ABC canceled the series, NBC was asked to run the show, however the set had already been dismantled.
14. After his 1956 divorce from his first wife, Billie Lou Yeager, he met Ngahra Frisbie, within months, while in Hawaii, and married her the following year. Met his third wife, Marcelle Lear, at a promotion for Learjets. While in his Batman (1966) costume, he posed with Learjet executive (and son of the founder) John Lear - who was married to her at the time. West had two stepchildren, Moya Lear and Jill Lear, by this marriage.
15. Neighbors in Ketcham, Idaho, USA, with his Batman (1966) three episode guest star and friend, Van Williams, who portrayed the Green Hornet on Batman, before Williams was spun off into his own series, The Green Hornet (1966). West had recommended Williams to the producers for the Green Hornet guest role on Batman.
16. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 5, 2012.
17. He was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California on April 10, 2010.
18. His agent was Fred Wostbrock.
19. Was screen tested for the role of Tracy Steele on Hawaiian Eye (1959), but lost the role to Anthony Eisley.
20. While living in Hawaii, before becoming a successful actor, West took the role of sidekick on a local (Honolulu, Hawaii) children's television program, called (the) "El Kini Popo Show," which featured a chimpanzee. Eventually, West graduated from sidekick to star/host of the program.