Batman has one of the best rogues’ galleries in comic books, and one of the villains that has always remained near the top of that gallery is Catwoman. While she started out as a regular antagonist, she ended up moving more into an antihero role and eventually into a legitimate romantic relationship with Batman.
This also meant she always played a big role in the live-action Batman movies and TV shows as well. Catwoman first appeared in a live-action role in the classic Adam West Batman television show, and unlike the other major villains, she ended up being played by three different actors. Since then, several women portrayed Catwoman throughout the years.
Julie Newman Was The First Live-Action Catwoman (1966)
The first actor to play Catwoman in a live-action role was Julie Newmar, and she remains the name most fans remember from the classic Batman TV show. Newmar showed the world what Catwoman was all about, with brains, sex appeal, humor, and strength.
However, the problem here is that Newmar opted out of the show after two seasons because she had a scheduling conflict with a movie role. As a result, she wasn’t there for the final season or the movie that spun off of the series.
Lee Meriwether Was The Second Live-Action Catwoman (1966)
There is a chance that Lee Meriwether was the first live-action Catwoman, but thanks to the scheduling of Batman: The Movie, she ended up as the second. Some reports indicate that the movie was made first, with Meriwether as Catwoman in that.
Other reports claim the movie was made because the TV show was popular, which would make Newmar the first. Regardless, Meriwether was one of three women who played Catwoman in the 1960s’ Batman television universe.
Eartha Kitt Was The Third Live-Action Catwoman (1967)
With Julie Newmar leaving Batman, the series wanted to keep the character so they recast the role. Eartha Kitt took over the role and she became the first Black Catwoman in 1967. This was a big move because Kitt was a major star.
She actually had a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame seven years before taking the role. There were some changes made to the character in this final season, but she still delivered a performance that has shown how compelling Catwoman could be for future actresses.
Michelle Pfeiffer Was The Fourth Live-Action Catwoman (1992)
It was almost 35 years before Catwoman made it back to a live-action movie. Tim Burton revived Batman in 1989 with Michael Keaton as the new Caped Crusader. Once that movie was a hit, Burton moved on to the sequel and cast Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in the movie.
Unlike the TV show, and the comics for many years, Burton made Catwoman a sympathetic character. Pfeiffer played her as a former shy recluse who took on a sexy outlook after Max Schreck tried to kill her. She was also the deadliest version yet, willing to die to get her vengeance.
Halle Berry Was The Fifth Live-Action Catwoman (2004)
In 2004, Warner Bros. tried to capitalize on Catwoman’s popularity by giving her a solo movie. Halle Berry starred as Catwoman, fresh off an Oscar win for Monster’s Ball and a turn for Marvel as Storm. Unfortunately, a lot went wrong there
Berry didn’t play Selina Kyle. This was a new character named Patience Phillips, who wanted to gain revenge after the heads of a laboratory try to have her killed. The movie gained Berry a Razzie Award for her Catwoman performance one year after her Oscar win, and she showed up to accept it.
Anne Hathaway Was The Sixth Live-Action Catwoman (2012)
In 2012, Christopher Nolan directed the final movie in his Dark Knight Trilogy and he brought back Catwoman. He cast Anne Hathaway to play Catwoman in the movie, and this was once again Seline Kyle.
Also, the movie put Catwoman and Batman on the same side once again, as the two of them fought to stop Bane and Talia Al’ Ghul, who had taken over Gotham City. This movie also saw an unexpected end, as Catwoman and Batman both retired and left the country together.
Camren Bicondova Was The Seventh Live-Action Catwoman (2014-2019)
The next appearance of Catwoman was back on TV in the Fox series, Gotham. This TV show was not about Batman but was instead about James Gordon as he worked as a police officer during the rise of many villains in Batman’s rogues’ gallery. This included Catwoman, who was portrayed here as a teenager played by Camren Bicondova.
She met a young Bruce Wayne and slowly turned into the master cat burglar fans know from the comics, but the series ensured to keep her as a positive force, and not a genuine villain like others introduced here. Gotham also had Lili Simmons play an adult version of Selina in the series finale.
Zoë Kravitz Was The Eighth Live-Action Catwoman (2022)
The most recent addition to the club of Catwoman actors is Zoë Kravitz in The Batman. She is the daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, and as a mixed-race actor, she is the third Black Catwoman, following Eartha Kitt and Halle Berry.
In this movie, Catwoman’s origin was changed, as she ended up as the illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone, and her only reason for a life as a cat burglar was to get revenge on the man who abandoned her and her mother years before. The movie also put her and Batman back on the same side once again.
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