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

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Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, and Vincent Price. Source: IMDB; Getty; IMDB

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.