Yvonne Craig, actress, died at 78

  Dead Famous

Dead, Yvonne Joyce Craig, born May 16, 1937 and died August 17, 2015, she was an American ballet dancer and actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s television series Batman, and as the Orion slave girl Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.
In the 1960s, with film roles beginning to taper off, she moved into television, appearing in several shows, including The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Death Valley Days, Hennesey, and My Three Sons.

Craig appeared five times on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, portraying five separate girlfriends for the titular character between 1959 and 1962.

One of her more memorable roles came in 1969 when Craig appeared on Star Trek as Marta, a green-skinned Orion slave girl in the third-season episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.

In a 1965 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (“The Brain-Killer Affair”), she helps solve the mystery of a brain-endangering poison.

In 1966, she appeared as an U.N.C.L.E. employee in a theatrical film, One Spy Too Many (expanded from a 1965 Season Two episode, “The Alexander the Greater Affair”).

In a 1966 episode of The Wild Wild West (“The Night of the Grand Emir”), she played an assassin who performs an exotic Arabian dance.

She also played a United States Navy Nurse with exotic Arabian dance skills in an episode of McHale’s Navy (“Pumpkin Takes Over”, 1965).

She appeared in an episode of The Big Valley with Lee Majors and Barbara Stanwyck.

In a 1968 episode of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (“Haunted Honeymoon”), she played a bride-to-be stranded overnight at Gull Cottage.

In a 1970 episode of Land of the Giants (“Wild Journey”), she played one-half of a humanoid, time-observing duo (alongside Bruce Dern) who chase two of the Earth castaways (series stars Gary Conway and Don Marshall) into the past, ultimately forcing them to relive the flight that sent them to the giants’ planet.

Craig’s highest profile would come with the cult 1960s television series Batman as Batgirl (and her alter ego, librarian Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon’s daughter).

She appeared in the final season 1967 to 1968. Batgirl’s true identity was unknown to Batman and Robin, and their true identities were unknown to her; only Alfred, the butler for Bruce Wayne/Batman, was aware of Batgirl’s identity. Craig felt some connection to the character and complained to DC Comics after Barbara Gordon was shot and paralyzed by the Joker in the 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke.
After Batman, Craig continued to act sporadically in movies and television.

Notably, she appeared in guest roles in Love, American Style (the first episode), Kentucky Jones,The Big Valley, It Takes a Thief, The Mod Squad, Kojak and Emergency!.

From 1969 to 1972, she appeared in four episodes of the comedy series Love, American Style. In 1973 she appeared in a season 1 episode of Kojak called ‘Dark Sunday’ and in 1977 made a guest appearance in The Six Million Dollar Man.

She also made appearances as herself on some celebrity editions of Family Feud (1976-1985 version).

She eventually moved into private business. For a time, she was a co-producer of industrial shows, after which she worked successfully in the real estate business.

She maintained her own internet Web site. Craig appeared in the documentary film Ballets Russes. From 2009-11, she provided the voice of Grandma on the animated children’s show Olivia.