Who are the best actors to have worn Batman costumes over the years?
The very first person to play The Caped Crusader was Lewis Wilson in a fifteen part serial. It was simply called, 'The Batman' and it was first shown in 1943. Robin was played by Douglas Croft. The serial is still enjoyed by fans of The Dark Knight even today.
In 1949 a second serial was released. This one saw Robert Lowery and John Duncan donning Batman costumes for the lead parts. This time, Bruce Wayne also had a girlfriend involved in the story. Her name was Vicky Vale and she was played by Jane Adams. However, the overall style and quality of this second adventure, 'Batman and Robin', did not quite measure up to the first offering.
The airwaves also featured serialised adventures with the hero. These first started in 1945 and continued until 1950. After this time the adventures of The Caped Crusader stayed only within the pages of his comic books. The actors had taken a break and the Batman costumes were all sent off for dry-cleaning.
The Dark Knight made a comeback to the screen in 1966. This time the Dynamic Duo were played by Adam West and Burt Ward. The whole of Batman was to take on a far more camp image. The television series proved to be very popular and the actors managed to create a feature length film in between shooting episodes for the show.
After the live action show, the actors again hung up their Batman costumes and made way for several animated portrayals of The Dark Knight. These continued, in different forms, throughout the 1970s.
In the 1980s, Batman again stayed within the realms of comic pages but things were starting to change with the character. The stories began to become far more gritty and realistic. The Batman costumes were starting to evolve as well. They were getting to be far more battle-orientated and the campness of the 1960s was gone.
1989 saw the release of Tim Burtons 'Batman'. It was a huge success and it went on to redefine the lead character for a new generation of fans. The film was dark and sombre. Even the Jokers' gags had a cruelness about them that had previously not existed. This time it was Michael Keaton who played the lead role with support from Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger.
Since this, the character has retained much the same image for all of the subsequent movies. That brooding, Gothic feel is evident right up to the latest addition in the film franchise. Actors to have dressed in Batman costumes since 1989 include; George Clooney, Val Kilmer and Christian Bale. There have also been some very good villains who have been portrayed by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It is safe to say that Batman is going be staying around for a good few years to come. Whoever next plays the main character is uncertain, but it is sure to be interesting.
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