We’ve got some sad news coming in this weekend from Los Angeles where Adam West, best known as the star of the ’60s Batman series, has passed away. It was not publicly known that he was in poor health but he reportedly died after a short battle with leukemia. In recent years he had become known for his voice acting work, in particular as the mayor of Quahog on Family Guy, but he also recently reprised his role as Batman in the animated feature film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. He was 88 years old.

Adam West got his first big break in the 1959 Paul Newman movie The Young Philadelphians and went on to make guest appearances in several TV westerns in the early ’60s before landing a supporting role in the TV series The Detectives starring Robert Taylor. He tnen starred in the sci-fi film Robinson Crusoe on Mars and The Three Stooges comedy western The Outlaws Is Coming in 1964 and 1965 respectively before being cast as Batman.

West played Batman for three seasons on ABC and also starred in a feature film in 1966, creating a worldwide phenomenon at the time. For decades after that he struggled with typecasting, unable to land any other major roles although he did appear in such films as The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Zombie Nightmare, Hooper and The New Age. Either way, his turn as Batman remains indelible and for many people the colourful and campy version of the character that they grew up with. What are your favourite Adam West performances?