Yvonne Craig

On Monday, Aug 17, 2015 another acting soul was taken from this planet. She was no longer a young woman, but will always be remembered as one. She had flare and fire, to give into her passion of acting and dancing. She added romance into the heart. Most women can only dream to one day have caught his eye. She was the first woman to ever hold a batarang and join forces with the dynamic duo on the small screen. She was Yvonne Craig!

We all have heard a bit of news the last week about Yvonne, mostly being that she played Batgirl on the hit 1960s TV show “Batman” which starred Adam West and Burt Ward who held their roles for the three seasons and one movie the network heads would allow. We sadly did not get to see Yvonne as Batgirl in the movie, but you can bet it would have added another scene of memory for all of us.

Yvonne did not only want to be an actress, like many young girls who dream of stardom, she wanted to reach that stardom with dancing. She had amazing grace and was poetic in her ways of movement. So much so that she was the youngest woman to ever be accepted to “Ballet Rouse De Monte Carlo” which was not only a dancing school but a performing art center as well that toured the country, most prominently after WWII. Yvonne did not stay with the company long. It has not been confirmed her reasoning for leaving but, most commonly known is that she was unhappy with some of the casting choices the company was making.

She would later move on to some small quick roles in TV spots, but one of her most known roles outside of Batgirl would be that in real life and in two movies, she was a girlfriend of Elvis Presley. A heart she would truly belong to and that would belong to her. 

Yvonne had a side of her that is not common in most women even today. That is she could make any character beautiful. Any role she played, men would fantasize about her for ages to come. Even today though, few may know she was the original Green Slave girl from Star Trek. The green woman that so many have dressed up to try and portray. That was Yvonne Craig! She made an alien species exotic and sexy.

Though she hasn't been in the direct spot light for some time now, she was able to live her life happily and enjoy her work. She left the acting persona and became a Realtor and branching into a new line of work is never easy, but Yvonne continued and made it possible. It is never easy to see a woman I adored as a child pass. However we will never have to truly miss what she brought to us. As long as we continue to support what she meant to the characters she played. 

As I stated before, to this day women are attempting to recreate what she had brought to an alien or hero, or even just a starry eyed girl in love with a rock star. As long as there are women out their that think of those characters and roles when they attempt to recreate them, then Yvonne will continue to live on. I encourage all to give thanks to Yvonne for what she brought every time they see an Orion Slave Girl, or Purple suited Batgirl, or Elvis heartbreak. 

May she rest in Peace

Yvonne Craig

May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015 (78 years)