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Q: Who was the first actor ever to portray Batman?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

That's an interesting one, basically because it wasn't Adam West.

West's parody version of the Batman character, in the incredibly campy mid-'60s TV series, is the oldest one most people remember.

However, the first filmed version of the caped crusader appeared all the way back in 1943, played by the otherwise-unknown actor Lewis Wilson.

Wilson played Batman (and his alter-ego, wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne) in a 15-chapter theatrical serial (that is, a series of connected short films that played in cinemas, a style of filmmaking that fell out of favor not long after).

It's interesting to note that, at the time, the character wasn't the iconic hero he is today. Batman had only debuted in the comics pages in 1939, and then only in the anthology series "Detective Comics." He didn't get a comic book series of his own until 1940.

Even so, he was big enough by 1943 to get a serial film series, and it was the biggest thing that would ever happen to Wilson's acting career. According to IMDB, Wilson has just 15 acting credits to his name, eight of which were uncredited film parts. He did star in all 26 episodes of the TV mystery show "Craig Kennedy, Criminologist" in 1952, but sadly not as Craig Kennedy.

Wilson wasn't the only actor to don the pointy-eared cowl before West. Another serial film version was released in 1949, with Robert Lowery in the role. Lowery is otherwise remembered for a key supporting role in the 1963 John Wayne film "McLintock," and little else.

 

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