Born on this day in 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington was one William West Anderson. But to most of the world, he is know as the person who put the “Man” in Batman… Adam West!
Anderson attended Walla Walla High School as a freshman and sophomore, and later he attended Lakeside School in Seattle. He went on to graduate from Whitman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature. Anderson was drafted in the U.S. Army, and served as an announcer on American Forces Network television.
El Kini Popo Show, a local kids show in Hawaii in the 1950s, hired Anderson to serve as a sidekick. He would later become the star of the show. A few years later, Anderson would move to Hollywood where he would co-star in a few westerns. He would adopt the stage name “Adam West” because he liked how the name “Adam” went with his middle name “West.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Before West would don the famous cape and cowl, it was this spot in a television commercial that would get him the role:
West was cast the lead in the television series Batman (1966) opposite Burt Ward. Their iconic portrayal of the Dynamic Duo would spark a wave of a cultural phenomenon known as Batmania. To this day, Batman is still popular, and Adam West is synonymous with Batman.
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West has gained a new following of fans since being cast as Mayor Adam West in 2000 on the FOX animated series Family Guy.
We here at DC Comics News would like to wish Mr. Adam West a Happy 87th Birthday! And we will be here next year to wish him another. Same Bat-Time! Same Bat-Website!
