Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig, May 16 1937 - - August 17, 2015. She was an American actor and ballet dancer famous for her portrayals as Batgirl in the 1960s' tv series Batman and Marta, the Orion slave girl Marta who appeared in the Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Deceive" (1969). The Huffington Post called her "a pioneer of female superheroes" on 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 attended W. H. Adamson High School as well as Sunset High School, from where she failed to graduate due to the lack of "a single PE credit". Craig was identified by Alexandra Danilova (a ballerina and teacher) and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as its youngest member of the corps de ballet. The training helped her when she was performing stunts acting as Batgirl. In 1957, she left the company "over an issue with changes to casting". She moved to Los Angeles in hopes of being able to continue her career in dance. But, she was soon cast in film roles. One of her first TV appearances was on the TV series Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover") in 1958 alongside Neil Hamilton. Hamilton later played the role of Batgirl's stepfather Commissioner James Gordon. After her appearances in The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story (all 1959), and Gidget (all 1958) she was also a guest on Beverly Mills on the TV show Mr. Lucky (also 1959). Craig starred alongside Bing Crosby (1960), and Seven Women from Hell (1961) that starred Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was a guest star on the Western Laramie show "The Long Road Back". Craig also starred with Elvis Presley's character in It was at the World's Fair (1963), and Kissin Cousins (64). In 1966, she was a part-time actress in Mars Needs Women. In 1967, she appeared as a Russian ballet dancer in In Like Flint.