Those Brilliant TV Batman Villians: Catwoman, Riddler, Egghead And More

When Batman came to TV in 1966, the caped crusader was played by Adam West, and his teenage sidekick Robin was played by Burt Ward. But what really made the series were the TV Batman villains. Eccentric performances by Hollywood character actors like Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith and Vincent Price brought comic-book baddies like the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin and Egghead to life, in technicolor craziness. Catwoman alone, played by Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriwether, was an appealing saga and young viewer's fantasy.

The epic 1960s television series Batman was one of the all-time BEST crime fighting shows. The show was based on the DC comic book character, Batman. It chronicled the superhuman crime-fighting adventures of Batman and his trusty sidekick, Robin.

By day, Batman, millionaire Bruce Wayne (Adam West), and Robin, Dick Grayson (Burt Ward), were mild mannered, well respected citizens; except when their beloved Gotham City was under attack by a dastardly villain. They were usually only briefly seen as Wayne and Grayson and, at that, just long enough to be called to action on the bat phone.

As the story goes, Batman and Robin were solely responsible for keeping each of them at bay to save their city. The Gotham City Police Department could handle the regular, run of the mill crooks, but were not equipped to take on the likes of the Joker (Cesar Romero), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) or the Penguin (Burgess Meredith); not to mention that sometimes the villains teamed up to wreak their havoc on the fair city.

It definitely takes a super hero to foil a super villain. That being the case, when Gotham City was in danger at the hands of one of the many villains, that was a job for the Dynamic Duo! When necessary, the crime fighting duo were called to action by Commissioner Gordon.

Once they got the call, off they went to the bat cave to spring into action. From the time it took to slide down the bat poles, the duo had made a complete transformation into crime fighters.

Along with the Joker, the Riddler and the Penguin, Mr. Freeze was another memorable arch enemy of the Dynamic Duo. He was said to have a heart of ice and used his freeze gun to freeze his targets, solid. He was played by George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach.

King Tut (Victor Buono) was the super villain who had originally been a professor of Egyptian teaching. He assumed the persona of the famous, ancient King Tut, after being hit on the head.

Catwoman was an all-time favorite villain. She was one of the super villains of the fairer sex. She was aloof and sly like a cat, but still no match for Batman and Robin. On the TV series, Catwoman was played by two actresses, Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt. In the Batman movie, which played in theaters after the show's first season ended, Lee Meriwether donned the Catwoman's catsuit.

Egghead (Vincent Price) was always seen in his signature white and gold suit. His gigantic, bald, white, egg-shaped head made him easily recognizable. He was famous for tossing tear gas or laughing gas into the faces of his enemies.

The Mad Hatter (David Wayne) was obsessed with foiling the Dynamic Duo. He was known for his tricky hat that allowed him to mesmerize his foes. Fortunately, Batman was always able to break free from his spell.

Batman and Robin were charged with thwarting the evil plans of the super villains out to destroy the world.

Episode after episode they relied on their keen senses and a series of nearly impossible clues to bring the villain to justice. Thankfully, Batman and Robin had state of the art superhero tools at their disposal. The bat belt contained everything necessary to get the job done.