Batman has had many female villains over his 85 years being published. Should you ask any comic book reader, or non-comic book reader, to name Batman's primary female villain, odds are quite high that their answer will be... Catwoman. She's been around almost as long as the Caped Crusader himself. As of 2024, there have been 11 actors who have portrayed Catwoman on television or in film. On this tour, we will present each of these actors and look at the projects that they appeared in.
Grab your ticket, and jump on board! Let the Catwoman tour commence!
Catwoman originally appeared in Batman (vol. 1) #1, with a cover date of Spring 1940. She was originally more simply called, the Cat.
Catwoman is not only one of Batman's oldest villains, she's also one of his longest-enduring romantic partners. From her first appearance, it is obvious that Batman is intrigued by her in a special manner. So intrigued in fact, in their first encounter he "clumsily" allows her to escape from him before he can turn her into the authorities.
In her first two appearances, she wears no type of mask or costume, only disguises. Beginning in her third story she begins wearing total head coverings that look like a cat's head. This trend continues for several issues. Another thing that evolves is her name. It vacillates between Cat, Cat-Woman, Cat Woman, and Catwoman... sometimes within a single story! (Note to self... look at doing a future tour of all of Catwoman's costumes!)
Finally, in Batman #42 (Aug/Sept 1947), she settles into a look that will serve her for many years, and her name is finally settled in as the singular, non-hyphenated, "Catwoman".
From 1940 through 1954, Catwoman appeared regularly in the many Batman-related titles published by DC Comics. After appearing in Detective Comics #211 (Sept. 1954) however, Catwoman wouldn't be seen again for almost 12 years. Her departure coincided with the introduction of the Comics Code Authority. The CCA was a self-censoring organization created by comic book publishers in order to calm parental apprehensions of the genre that had been stoked by a psychiatrist named Fredric Wertham. Wertham published a book titled, Seduction of the Innocent, filled with logical fallacies and dubious research methods. His book forced rigid conservative mandates into American comic books. One of those mandates was how women were represented and how criminals were portrayed. Under the code, criminals were not allowed to go unpunished (something Catwoman often did), and could not be rendered as glamorous. To adhere to the code, DC simply put Catwoman in a closet and trotted out a new female counterpart and potential lover interest named Batwoman+ instead.
Julie was a delight in this role, balancing the camp of the show, the kleptomaniacal urges of her villainess side, and the flirtatious chemistry with the character of Batman. She found Robin to be a nuisance and was more than happy to suggest killing him if it meant she could have more time with Batman! It was Julie's recommendation that her belt be lowered from her waist to her hips in order to accentuate her body's curves. Newmar's two episodes in season one proved so popular that she was booked for 11 more episodes in season two. The only villains to appear in more episodes than Julie were Joker (Cesar Romero) and Penguin (Burgess Meredith). Newmar's Catwoman costume is so indelibly ingrained in 1960s pop culture that a version of it is on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Following Julie's initial portrayal, the character of Catwoman came out of her DC exile and began appearing in print again. She's even been given several volumes of her own eponymous comic, enjoying great success and popularity.
The Batman TV show's creator, William Dozier, had originally wanted a feature film to be made and aired on theater screens prior to the debut of the series. He thought it would help generate interest in the show. The studio would not fork up the money for a film though, so the idea was abandoned. After the Batman television show became such a cultural juggernaut, Dozier's film was given a green light and went into production just a month after the series' first season wrapped up.
In July of 1966, Batman: The Movie debuted in cinemas around the world. Although Julie Newmar had already portrayed Catwoman in two episodes of the TV show in season one, she had other contractual commitments when the movie was scheduled to be filmed. She was replaced in the movie by Lee Meriwether.
Meriwether was 1955's Miss America winner. She parlayed that win into a long and successful acting career, in television and film, with her work earning her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
In Batman: The Movie, she plays the duel role of Catwoman, and the Soviet reporter Miss Kitka. To this day, Ms. Meriwether delights in still being able to rattle off the character's full name, which was Kitanya Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisoff! Meriwether inhabited the role with zest and was keenly aware of using her body in ways cats often do. Her version of Catwoman was a little more demure than Julie Newmar's, and by the end of the movie, you are left contemplating if she might be capable of actually giving up crime to be with Batman.
This was Meriwether's only turn as Catwoman. Following the movie's run in the summer of 1966, Julie Newmar returned to the role of Catwoman in the second season of the TV show, airing in 1966/1967. Ironically, Lee Meriwether would appear in two episodes of the Batman television series during its second season. She played the role of Lisa Carson, a friend of Bruce Wayne who the villain King Tut (Victor Buono) mistakes for being Cleopatra.
By season three of the Batman television series, the pop craze surrounding the show had begun to wane. The series added the character of Batgirl in the hopes of increasing the viewer base. And, rather than airing two nights in a row each week, the show only aired once a week. Before filming for the third season was underway, Julie Newmar was cast and contracted to appear in a movie called MacKenna's Gold starring Gregory Peck. Her schedule didn't allow for her to play Catwoman, so for the third season, so the role was recast again
The producers made a bold move (for the era) by casting a black actress, Eartha Kitt, as Catwoman during the show's final season. Eartha was a highly skilled and accomplished dancer, singer, and actress. Her distinctive voice and growl were a perfect pairing for the Catwoman character. So much so that many voice actresses have imitated it for various animated Catwoman portrayals.
Kitt's version of Catwoman was much more ruthless and in charge. She toyed with Batman and treated him as beneath her, rather than as a romantic foil. Though Eartha only appeared in 5 episodes as Catwoman, she left a solid imprint on the show and the character. Reruns of the series have secured her place in the pantheon of Catwoman actresses.
Despite the common belief that only three actresses portrayed Catwoman during the run of the original Batman television series (and movie tie-in), the truth is that there were actually four.
In Batman's penultimate episode ("The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra"), the primary villains are Dr. Cassandra and Cabala (Ida Lupino and Howard Duff). These two set out to free a handful of Batman's primary villains from prison. These villains were Joker, Riddler, King Tut, Penguin, Egg Head, and Catwoman. These six villains are all portrayed by stand-in actors, shot primarily from behind, or from a distance with masks on.
In this episode, Catwoman is portrayed by Marilyn Watson. Marilyn was the stunt double for Julie Newmar in seasons one and two. Given that Catwoman was portrayed in season three by Eartha Kitt, this stand-in casting by Watson (a Caucasian) was a bit odd. But by this time, the series was sputtering to its end with lackluster villains and stories, I doubt many viewers even gave this switch much attention.
Fans of Catwoman continued to watch all the actresses from the Batman series and movie in reruns for decades, it would be 24 years before a new actress would attempt to step into the complicated character. It was definitely worth the wait.
In 1989, director Tim Burton updated the Batman character for a new generation, giving the character his second feature film. In this movie, Michael Keaton starred as Batman and Jack Nicholson portrayed the Joker. The movie was a huge success, erasing the camp of the TV series and returning the character to being the Dark Knight of Gotham. It quickly spawned a sequel. The primary villains in Batman Returns (1992) were Penguin and Catwoman. Penguin was portrayed by Danny DeVito. He gave the role his all, but reviews for his performance were mixed.
The role of Catwoman was originally awarded to Annette Benning. Benning became pregnant, so she would eventually be unable to fit into the vacuum-tight costume that the movie required for the character. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer had wanted the role and had been extremely disappointed when it was originally given to Annette Benning. After hearing that Benning had dropped out of the movie, Pfeiffer gave it her all to convince Tim Burton and producer Denise Di Novi that she was the right gal for the role. She had been obsessed with the character of Catwoman since she was a little girl and she wanted this role badly! Her efforts paid off. She was cast to play Catwoman, and Catwoman's civilian identity of Selina Kyle.
Pfeiffer underwent intense training in kickboxing and mastering the use of Catwoman's iconic whip. Her performance was outstanding. Her chemistry with Keaton, both as Selina with Bruce Wayne, and as Catwoman with Batman, was pure cinematic magic. It's a shame that the writers and producers felt the need to over-pack the story with two villains, rather than just Catwoman. Reviews of the film were generally positive, but reviews of Pfeiffer's performance were universally lauded. Her well-researched and energetic portrayal is magnificent and creates a benchmark for portrayals of this beloved fractured woman. It is an injustice that the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences consistently snubs superhero films from Oscar consideration because Michelle Pfeiffer was deserving of an Oscar nomination for this role. Michelle would go on and eventually earn three acting Oscar nominations... but in my opinion, it should have been four.
For several years there was discussion of Pfeiffer being given her own Catwoman movie (something she was hopeful for), but it never came to be.
In 2002, the WB television network began airing Birds of Prey. It was loosely based on the DC Comic of the same name. It focused on a team of three superheroines working behind the scenes to protect the citizens of Gotham City.
Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, had been shot and paralyzed by the Joker. She now operated in secret as Oracle, a tech wizard. Dinah Lance was a young hero in training, and the daughter of the retired superhero, Black Canary. And rounding out the team was Huntress, aka Helena Kyle. Helena was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman.
Though Catwoman was never featured in any of the series' episodes, she did appear each week in the opening credits for the show. She was shown wearing a costume very similar to the one worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. In these opening credits, Catwoman is portrayed by actress Casey Elizabeth Easlick.
In 2004, Catwoman finally got her own movie. But the character was completely reimagined. This Catwoman is not Selina Kyle, instead, she is a woman named Patience Phillips who becomes imbued with mystical cat abilities thanks to the goddess Bast and her Egyptian Mau cats. Patience learns from a wise old researcher named Ophelia that she is now a Catwoman.
There is no reference to Batman or any other connection with the DC Universe. The movie is quite bad. Seriously, it's a giant turd! Patience is played by Halle Berry who dons a costume that doesn't resemble anything from Catwoman's printed adventures and seems to exist mostly to show off Ms. Berry's very finely trained and sinewy body.
The movie relies much too much on poorly crafted CGI superpower effects and the Catwoman name recognition. The online movie aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, rates the movie an 8% (out of a possible 100%) approval rating from professional critics. The 2005 Razzies awarded the movie Worst Picture, and Halle Berry as Worst Actress.
In 2005 a new franchise of Batman films debuted. Three films featured Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The first was Batman Begins, pitting Batman against the Scarecrow. The second installment was released in 2008 and was titled The Dark Knight. This film had Batman square off against the Joker. The final film, The Dark Knight Rises, was released in 2012 and featured Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle.
In the movie, Selina is a world-class cat burglar and disguise artist known as "The Cat". Harkening back to the early days of the character, she targets only the wealthy, who she arrogantly believes are typically undeserving of the riches they have. She is a defender of the less fortunate and is much more of an anti-hero than a supervillain (the primary foe of the film is Bane). Selina ultimately ends up helping Batman, acting as a partner of sorts. The two ultimately fall in love. By the end of the film, both appear to have retired their costumed alter egos.
The next live-action portrayal would center on Selina Kyle before she ever became Catwoman. The television series Gotham debuted on the Fox Network in 2014. Though it was set in modern times, the character of Bruce Wayne was 15 years old and his parents had recently been murdered. He is being raised by Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne's longtime friend and butler, and now Bruce's legal guardian. Young Bruce soon befriends a morally ambivalent young girl who lives on the street and gets by in life by stealing from people of means. This girl is Selina Kyle. Over the five seasons that Gotham aired, Selina helps Bruce learn to look outside the privileged existence he had grown up in. She also helps hone his skills of stealth. The two have on-again-off-again romantic feelings.
Selina was played by Camren Bicondova, who bore a strong resemblance to Michelle Pfeiffer. Camren began training as a dancer at the age of 6. She had had a few small walk-on or dance roles in a few movies before being cast as Selina Kyle when she was 15 years old. Camren was fantastic in this role, showing off her streetwise strength and fearlessness while also making the audience understand the pain of her past and her reluctance to be vulnerable.
Viewers of Gotham watched Selina (and Camren) grow up for five years. She was 19 as the series drew to its close. In the final episode, however, there is a time jump of 10 years. Bruce had been gone from Gotham during those 10 years (honing his skills and developing his Batman persona). Selina had grown up as well. In this final episode, Selina, the soon-to-be Catwoman, was played by Lili Simmons.
At the time this tour is being published, there remains one more actress who has inhabited the role of Catwoman in a live-action performance. The Batman was released in 2022 and featured Robert Pattison as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle.
In this story, Selina is the daughter of a woman named Maria Kyle and crime boss Carmine Falcone. When Selina was seven her mother was murdered and her father did not take her in or have anything to do with her. Selina grew to hate her father and she worked to bring him down. She has perfected her skills as a cat burglar and steals to provide for the chosen family she has built.
After meeting Batman, she hesitantly decides to trust him. They eventually bring down the Riddler, Falcone, and the Penguin while also realizing that they are becoming romantically attracted to each other.
So there you have it! Our tour of all the actresses who have depicted the role of Catwoman has reached its finale! Given the popularity of Catwoman and the Batman franchise... we will no doubt be updating this tour soon!
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DANIEL BONNER
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this. It was informative as well as a touchstone for fond memories. I very much enjoy the casual succinct conversational writing style. Very nice tour!
Thanks for the positive feedback Daniel, I appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed!
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