Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig, May 16, 1937 until August 17, 2015. Craig was an American dancer and actress most well-known for her role as Batgirl in the 1960s' TV show Batman and Marta who played Marta, the Orion slave girl Marta from Star Trek's episode "Whom Gods Deceive" (1969). The Huffington Post called her "a pioneer in female superheroes on television." Yvonne Craig was born and was raised in Taylorville, Illinois. Her family relocated to Dallas in 1951. She was a student at W. H. Adamson High School, Sunset High School and then W. H. Adamson High School. However, she was not able to graduate as she didn't have "one credits for PE". Craig was found by Alexandra Danilova (a ballerina and teacher) and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and became its youngest member of the corps de ballet. It was an excellent training which helped her to perform stunts in the role of Batgirl. In 1957, she quit the ballet company "over disagreements over changes to casting". She relocated to Los Angeles in hopes of getting back into dance. But, she soon found herself in film roles. Her first TV appearances was on the TV series Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover") in 1958 , alongside Neil Hamilton. Hamilton later was the Batgirl's stepfather, police Commissioner James Gordon. She was in three films following the show, The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story and Gidget (all 1959). She also appeared as a guest in the TV series Mr. Lucky, as Beverly Mills, in the episode "Little Miss Wow" Also in 1959. Craig was in the film with Bing Crosby (1960), and Seven Women from Hell (1961) in which she was portrayed by Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was an actor in the Western Laramie episode "The Long Road Back". Craig also starred with Elvis Presley in the roles of was at the World's Fair (1963), and Kissin' Cousins (64). She also appeared as an Russian dancer alongside James Coburn in Mars Needs Women (1966).