On June 9, 2017, we lost a TV icon. Adam West passed away after a "short but brave" battle with leukemia.
Other than bringing "Batman" to life in the original 1960s TV show, who was Adam? How did he rise to fame, and what did he do after the fans stopped sending requests for locks of his hair in droves?
These 10 facts about Adam West are some of the lesser-known ones – the bits of his life that don't necessarily revolve around Batman. How many of them did you know?
The stars and show business folks that had the pleasure of working with Adam all said the same thing: that it was, actually, a true pleasure to work with him. His specific brand of comedy was so special, no one could make people laugh quite like Adam could.
What's your favorite thing that Adam West ever did in his long and interesting career?
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1. He Wasn't Born Adam West
The man we know as Adam West was actually born as William West Anderson, according to Biography.com. Both names are pretty great, if you ask me, but the stage name fit at the time, as he played in some westerns.
2. He Served In The Military
As noted on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs' website, Adam was drafted into the Army. He was an announcer for the American Forces Network.
3. He Was Discovered In Hawaii
After his Army discharge, Adam moved to Hawaii with a college friend, and he worked as an island tour guide. While he was there, a Hollywood producer was on vacation and saw the very handsome young Adam in one of his community theater plays. That chance encounter launched his whole career.
4. It Took Him Awhile To Figure Out His Path
In a 1966 interview with the LA Times, Adam mentioned how he attended "five different colleges looking for I don't know quite what." It may have taken him awhile to figure out what he wanted to do, but it's great that he took the winding path that he did, otherwise we may have never known him as Batman.
5. One Of His First Costars Was A Chimp
When Adam moved to Hawaii, he eventually got a job starring on The Kini Popo Show alongside a chimp named Peaches. That's a heck of a costar for a beginner to have.
6. He Tried To Enlist The Help Of Teens To Get A Part
Radio host Brian Copeland claims that, when he was 15 years old in 1980, Adam invited him to his home in Los Angeles for an "interview." Allegedly, Adam didn't really want to give an interview at all. Rather, he wanted to enlist the help of Brian and his teenage friend to cause a raucous at a press conference announcing a new Batman movie in New York City. Adam wanted the kids to start shouting out, "What about Adam West? If Adam West isn’t Batman, I’m not going!"
Who knew?
7. He Was Worth $8 Million
Adam's heyday being decades in the past, he didn't have the tens of millions of dollars that other stars have these days. However, there is nothing small about $8 million that Celebrity Net Worth reports! Besides, his worth is so much more than monetary. The man is a superhero legend!
8. He Did A Lot Of Voiceover Work
In his later career, Adam did a lot of voice-over work for cartoons like Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Robot Chicken, as listed on his IMDB page.
9. He Got His Hollywood Star In 2012
It wasn't until the year 2012 that Adam finally got his Hollywood Walk of Fame star, which you can visit at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in front of The Guinness World of Records Museum. At the ceremony on April 5, the Batmobile made a special guest appearance.
10. He Had 4 Children And 2 Stepchildren
From his second marriage to Hawaiian dancer, Ngatokoruaimatauaia Frisbie Dawson, he is survived by children Jonelle and Hunter Anderson. From his marriage to Marcelle Tagand Lear, he is survived by two children, Nina and Perrin West. He also has two stepchildren, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, as reported by the New York Times.
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