Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 - August 17, 2015) was an American dancer and actress best known for her role as 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 on television." Yvonne Craig was born in Taylorville, Illinois, and was raised in Columbus, Ohio. In 1951, her family moved to the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, where she went to W. H. Adamson High School and later Sunset High School, from which she didn't graduate due to the lack of "a single PE credit". Craig was identified by Alexandra Danilova (a ballerina and teacher) and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and became its youngest member of the corps de ballet. In the role of Batgirl in the film, her training proved extremely beneficial. In 1957, she quit the company's ballet program due to an issue over casting changes. She then moved to Los Angeles with the hope to continue her career in dance. However, she did find herself in film roles. She first appeared in an episode of the TV episode of Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover") along with Neil Hamilton. Hamilton later was appointed Batgirl's Police Commissioner James Gordon. Shortly afterwards, she appeared in three films, including The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story and Gidget (all 1959)--and she also appeared in the TV series Mr. Lucky as Beverly Mills in the episode "Little Miss Wow" (also 1959). Craig was spotted with Bing Crosby and Seven Women from Hell (1960), in which she was cast alongside Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was an actor on Western Laramie's episode "The Long Road Back". Craig also starred with Elvis Presley's roles in It Was at the World's Fair (1963), and Kissin' Cousins (64). In 1966, she was a part-time actress in Mars Needs Women. In 1967, she was a Russian dancer on In Like Flint.