Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 - August 17 in 2015) was an American dancer and actress famous for her part as Batgirl in the 1960s' TV 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 of female superheroes" for the television. Yvonne Craig was born in Taylorville, Illinois, and was raised in Columbus, Ohio. In 1951, her family relocated to the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, where she went to W. H. Adamson High School as well as Sunset High School, from which she didn't be able to graduate due to the absence of "a single PE credit". Craig was accepted into Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as the the youngest dancer in the corps de ballerina, after being recognized by Alexandra Danilova who is a dancer and teacher. In the role of Batgirl the training proved to be extremely helpful. In 1957 she left the ballet company because of an issue about casting changes. After that, she relocated to Los Angeles with the hope of making it a career for her. However, she did find herself appearing in film roles. One of her first television role was on the TV series Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover") in 1958 with Neil Hamilton. Hamilton later was the Batgirl's stepfather, police Commissioner James Gordon. The actress was featured in three films soon after, The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story and Gidget (all 1959). She also appeared as a guest 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) in which she was portrayed by Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was the guest on Western Laramie's "The Long Road Back" episode. She also appeared with Bing Crosby in High Times (1960) and Seven Women from Hell (1961) as well as Seven Women from Hell (1961), both which included 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 an Russian ballet performer opposite James Coburn in Mars Needs Women (1966).