Yvonne Joyce Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16 1936 until August 17 15th, 2015), was an American dancer, dancer, and choreographer. Craig is most well-known for her appearances in the 1960s Batman TV show Batman and Marta who played an Orion slave with green skin in the Star Trek 1969 episode "Whom Gods Destruction". The Huffington Post referred to her as "a pioneer of female super heroes" on TV. Yvonne Craig was born in Taylorville, Illinois, and was raised in Columbus, Ohio. In 1951, her family moved to the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, where she was a student at W. H. Adamson High School and later Sunset High School, from which she was not able to finish her education due to the absence of "a single PE credit". Craig was recognized by Alexandra Danilova (a ballerina and teacher) and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as its youngest corps de ballet member. This experience was beneficial when she was performing stunts playing Batgirl. She left the ballet company in 1957 "over a disagreement on casting changes" and relocated to Los Angeles in the hopes of continuing her dancing career, but was playing film roles. Her first television appearances was on the TV series Perry Mason ("The Case of the Lazy Lover") in the year 1958 with Neil Hamilton. Hamilton later was the Batgirl's stepfather, police Commissioner James Gordon. She appeared in three films soon after, The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story and Gidget (all 1959). Craig also appeared in the TV series Mr. Lucky, as Beverly Mills, in the episode "Little Miss Wow", also 1959. Craig made an appearance with Bing Crosby in High Time (1960) and in Seven Women from Hell (1961) which was co-starred with Cesar Romero. In 1962, she was guest on Western Laramie's show "The Long Road Back". Craig also starred with Elvis Presley's characters in It was at the World's Fair (1963), and Kissin Cousins (64). In the year 1966, she starred in Mars Needs Women. In 1967, she was an Russian ballet dancer in In Like Flint.