Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

Moderators: Scott Sebring, Ben Bentley

Post Reply
User avatar
Scott Sebring
Site Admin
Posts: 402
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:50 pm

Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Scott Sebring »

The toughest thing I've ever posted here. I'm much too sad to talk. All I can say is I'll miss her dearly.
Here's the official obituary her family issued:
YVONNE CRAIG

May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015

Yvonne Craig passed away at her home in Pacific Palisades, surrounded by her immediate family and comforted by Hospice yesterday night. She died from complications brought about from breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Aldrich, her sister Meridel Carson and nephews Christopher and Todd Carson. A private service is being planned with no date set at the present time. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: The Angeles Clinic Foundation by mail at 2001 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404 or by going into their website at http://www.theangelesclinicfoundation.org and following the “Donate” link.

Yvonne Craig began her theatrical career as the youngest member of The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and toured for three years when she was accidentally discovered by John Ford’s son Patrick and cast for the lead in the movie The Young Land.

This was quickly followed by many years of film and television including two movies with Elvis Presley (It Happened at the World’s Fair and Kissin Cousins). However, she is probably best known for originating the role as Batgirl in the 1966 TV series of Batman, or for her character “Marta” from the third season of Star Trek in the episode Whom God’s Destroy where she played the well remembered insane green Orion Slave Girl who wanted to kill Captain Kirk.

Over a span of years she appeared as a guest star in many television series, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Six Million Dollar Man,Land of the Giants, Mod Squad, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Love American Style, Emergency, and Courtship of Eddie’s Father just to name a few and worked opposite Bing Crosby, Sal Mineo, Don Knotts, George Hamilton, Dwayne Hickman, Dennis Hopper as well as Elvis Presley and James Coburn.

Her next career was that of a real estate broker where she was involved not only in commercial real estate, but also residential income properties for a period of years and still held a real estate license.

Yvonne and her sister, Meridel went into the prepaid phone card business at its inception producing phone cards for charitable events as well as promotional phone cards for the Paramount film Clueless and both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny cards for Warner Bros. stores, as well as many charitable organizations for fundraisers.

In 2000, Ms. Craig wrote a book of anecdotal memoirs, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, which covered some of her years in the ballet and her theatrical career.

She actively did voice over work including voicing the role of Grandma in the 2009 Olivia cartoon series for Nickelodeon, and she was recently Executive Producer for the documentary feature film BIRTH.

She and her husband have traveled extensively all over the world, preferring adventure type travel, which has taken them to many countries through the years, and back to Africa seven times.

Yvonne has been involved with social work as well as philanthropic work through the years, and was a public voice to support worker unions and equal pay for woman, as well as supporting free mammograms for women who cannot afford them.

She and her husband have also been advocates of education and long time supporters of education on all levels. They are actively involved with the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, two different charter schools, and the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals out of St. Mary’s College of California better known as LEAP. She also volunteered time and tutored and mentored disadvantaged students.
Image
User avatar
Scott Sebring
Site Admin
Posts: 402
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:50 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Scott Sebring »

From her family for her website:
For those who have known her personally, you already know what a down to earth, most exceptional person she was, so I’m sure you can understand this loss has touched all of our lives.

Yvonne was a very private person, so from the onset of her battle with cancer, she decided to share with immediate family and very close friends. She wanted to spend all of her energy concentrating on winning her battle. She was adamant about this and wanted to tell her story when she was cured and feeling better. We all respected that wish.

Having spent time with her over these past months, she made her wishes known to me and made me promise I would pass them along. Wish Number One, is that her family, friends and fans would know how much she loved them and always treasured her time with them. Wish Number Two, was that no one waste a moment of their time in mourning for her loss in sadness but instead celebrate the awesome life she had been fortunate enough to live. She felt that she lived a wonderful life and was blessed in many ways.

She was able to travel the world and see many places. Yvonne spent quality time with those that she loved and was able to accomplish many goals and ambitions that she set for herself. Yvonne excelled in ballet, a film career, a business life, as well as in philanthropic and charity work over the years. She had been able to do this with joy and much laughter and she wouldn’t have changed a thing. Well, maybe one thing and that would have been not to get cancer.

Fight as she did; however, over the past two plus years, she still lost her battle with metastasized breast cancer that had gone to her liver. Her operation right before Christmas, removed portions of her liver and some tumors as well as her gallbladder (not infected but in the way) and honestly she never totally recovered from that and more malignancies showed up again much to our dismay.

She had been in chemo almost continuously for the past two plus years since being diagnosed and that had weakened her immune system as well as her body. This didn’t dampen her sense of humor or her spirit, she intended to fight and win this battle. In the end, her mind still wanted to fight but her body had given up.

Please celebrate Yvonne in your own way and the work she has left behind for you to continue to remember her by and enjoy.
Image
User avatar
clavierankh
Posts: 0
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:16 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by clavierankh »

Oh no. The first of our terrific trio to pass. RIP to a lovely lady.
User avatar
I act the riddler
Posts: 0
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:28 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by I act the riddler »

So sorry to hear this.Was looking forward to some day meeting her.
Please do not embed videos into signatures.
- The management.
User avatar
UltraBat
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:42 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by UltraBat »

God bless you Ms.Craig.
User avatar
Batfanman
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:03 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Batfanman »

So sad.
Every Day Is BATMAN DAY!
Visit & Like - https://www.facebook.com/batfanman66
User avatar
Hedji
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:29 am

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Hedji »

This is just devastating. I'm gutted.
User avatar
Mauled Vader
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:38 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Mauled Vader »

Such a sad, sad day for fans who appreciated her work...

...and even more for those who knew her personally as a friend or as family.

Rest well, Yvonne...and thanks for the memories!
User avatar
rickrickrick
Posts: 0
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:12 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by rickrickrick »

Terribly sad news. I know we here, and her many other fans, will feel the loss keenly. All best wishes to her family at this difficult time.

RRR
The most important thing in life is to be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman.
User avatar
Dr Thomas Wayne66
Posts: 0
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:51 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Dr Thomas Wayne66 »

Very sad :) Bless her family.
Marsha: "You mean you're not in love with me?"
Batman: "I'm not even mildly interested."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
User avatar
Boy Wonder
Posts: 0
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:57 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Boy Wonder »

Very sad.
User avatar
BatToys
Posts: 0
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by BatToys »

Variety reports Yvonne Craig passed away from cancer. Rest in peace. She was a memorable actress.
User avatar
Lee Kirkham
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 11:45 am

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Lee Kirkham »

I will always remember the brief time that I was blessed with, spending it with my personal terrific trio, Yvonne, Meridel, and Scott, at the Barrett Jackson auction from a few years ago. All I can really do at this point is parrot what you will hear from darn near everyone who ever met her would say, she was a down-to-earth, joyful, kind, and humorous lady that anyone would love spending time with. We laughed so much at lunch that day from the stories that she and Meridel shared. And not even bat-related, just stories from life. Yvonne was the lady who you loved being around even if she had never been famous. I will miss her dearly.

Thank you Yvonne (and Meridel) for sharing a little time with me, I will cherish it and think of it fondly the rest of my days.

Paraphrasing from the show:
"Nothing has ever cut me so deeply to the quick. No blow ever struck by any arch-villain has ever hurt me so acutely as losing such a friend as you"
I find you to be odious, abhorrent and insegrevious.
User avatar
Meule
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:26 am

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Meule »

I'm at a loss for words... :cry:
May she rest in peace and bless her family
"...The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair..." - Edgar Allan Poe
User avatar
Dave from the UK
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:50 am

Re: Yvonne Craig - May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 :(

Post by Dave from the UK »

Such a shame.

Bless her.
Post Reply