Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16 1937 - August 17 in 2015) was an American actress and ballet dancer most well-known for her performance in the role of Batgirl in the 1960s' television series Batman as well as her role as the green-skinned Orion slave girl Marta in the Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy" (1969). The Huffington Post called her "a pioneer in female superheroes for television." Yvonne Craig was born and raised in Taylorville, Illinois. In 1951 her family moved from Illinois to Dallas. In Dallas, she attended W. H. Adamson High School in Dallas as well as Sunset High School. However she didn't complete her studies as she did not have "one credits for PE". Craig was found by Alexandra Danilova (a ballerina and teacher) and joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, becoming its youngest member of the corps de ballet. This experience was beneficial when she was performing stunts acting as Batgirl. In 1957, she resigned from the ballet company "over a dispute on changes to casting". Then, she moved to Los Angeles in hopes of getting back into dance. But, she was soon cast in films roles. One of her first TV parts was in the episode from the TV series Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover" 1958) alongside Neil Hamilton, who played her stepfather (later Hamilton played Police Commissioner James Gordon, Batgirl's father). The actress was featured in three films following the show, The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story and Gidget (all 1959). She also guest-starred in the TV series Mr. Lucky, as Beverly Mills, in the episode "Little Miss Wow", also 1959. Craig starred alongside Bing Crosby (1960), and Seven Women from Hell (1961), which featured Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was a guest star in Western Laramie's "The Long Road Back" episode. Craig also appeared alongside Bing Crosby in High Times (1960) as well as Seven Women from Hell (1961) Both of which featured Cesar Romero. Craig also starred in two Elvis Presley films: It Was at the World's Fair (1963), as well as Kissin' Cousins (1964). She also played a Russian ballet dancer opposite James Coburn in Mars Needs Women (1966).