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 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.

http://www.yvonnecraig.com/news/2015/08/19/yvonne-craigs-official-obituary/

Rip. :(

A little iff topic, but "Batman" died a few days ago also....

"" (CNN)— Lenny B. Robinson, the Good
Samaritan who visited children in hospitals
dressed as Batman and entered the public
spotlight after police pulled him over in
costume, died Sunday after a car hit his
custom Batmobile on a Maryland interstate.
Medical personnel pronounced Robinson, 51,
dead at the scene, Hagerstown State Police
said in a statement.
His custom Lamborghini broke down while he
was driving east on I-70 in the fast lane. He
got out to check the engine while still in the
lane, and a Toyota Camry struck his car,
which in turn hit him, the statement said.
The Camry driver was not injured, the police
statement said.
Robinson became a household name in 2012,
after police dashcam footage captured him
getting out of his Batmobile in full costume
during a traffic stop on route 29 in Silver
Spring, Maryland. The video went viral after
the Montgomery County Police Department
shared it on social media, earning Robinson
the moniker "route 29 Batman."

On top of the cost of his Batmobile and Caped
Crusader suit, Robinson said, he spent tens of
thousands of dollars each year on coloring
books, sunglasses and other gifts for children
he visited in hospitals across Washington and
Maryland.
But he never wanted the story to be about him
or his gadgets: "It was about coming here for
the kids," he said in 2012 .
"It's rewarding in a completely different way,
just making that child smile. If I only touch
one kid out of all this, then I know I've done
really something really successful."

"Some of these kids recognize that this is not
Batman, but in their head it is, and this is a
great thing for them," Dr. Joseph M. Wiley
said in 2012 during one of Robinson's visits to
Baltimore's Sinai Hospital.
"It is absolutely clear to those of us in the field
that attitude and play therapy and distraction
help children overcome illnesses, so this is a
big deal for all the kids who are here today."
Robinson began volunteering full-time in 2007
after selling an industrial cleaning business he
started in high school. The business -- which
cleaned office buildings, churches and
synagogues -- was fulfilling, but being Batman
and cheering up sick children was his calling,
he said.
"You see what's going on. It has to be
moving. Sometimes you're crying on the
inside, but you're strong on the outside.
These are the real superheroes. It's not me;
it's not you. They're fighting for their lives
every single day," he said.
"Remember, at the end of the day, ask
yourself, 'Self, did I make a difference?' And
the answer had better be yes.""
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/living/route-29-beltway-batman-lenny-robinson-dies-feat/

Yvonne Craig looked good in green.

She was a true & gracious Lady.

Not, that we have many left in Hollywood, that call themselves 'stars' & 'superstars' & ' supermodels'

R.I.P

Two iconic roles in the 60s, Batgirl, and Marta on Star Trek.