"There's no room for another man in my life, Mr. Wayne. You're nice, but my heart belongs to Batman." - as Catwoman on Batman (1966) Newmar's name is mentioned in the title of the comedy To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995). The plot revolves, partly, around an autographed publicity photograph of her. Julie Newmar was born on August 16th, 1933 in Los Angeles, California. Her father was a one-time professional football player (LA Buccaneers, 1926), her mother was a star of the Follies of 1920. From an early age, Julie studied piano, dance and classical ballet. She graduated from high school at the age of 15 (I.Q. of 135.), and spent a year touring Europe with her mother and brother. She attended UCLA studying classical piano, philosophy and French and became prima ballerina for the Los Angeles Opera. Newmar went to New York and tried out for Broadway musicals; in 1955, she made her Broadway debut as the ballerina in "Silk Stockings" which starred Hildegarde Neff and Don Ameche but first won acclaim for her role in the 1956 musical "Li'l Abner", and three-minute Broadway appearance as the leggy Stupefyin' Jones led to a reprise in the 1959 film version (below). Newmar was also the female lead in a low-budget comedy, The Rookie (1960) with Peter Marshall and Tommy Noonan (below left). She also appeared in the 1961 film, The Marriage-Go-Round, which starred James Mason and Susan Hayward (below right). Newmar had developed the role of the Swedish vixen on stage and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later appeared on stage with Joel Grey in the national tour of Stop the World - I Want to Get Off and as Lola in Damn Yankees! and Irma in Irma La Douce. Newmar wanted to be known for her comedy, as she told the New York Times: "Tell me I'm funny, and it's the greatest compliment in the world." She had beauty, brains and a fantastic sense of humor. Promoting her various Broadway and off-Broadway show appearances, Julie often posed as a pin-up girl. Making the transition to television, Newmar appeared in Rod Serling's science fiction series The Twilight Zone (1959), playing Miss Devlin (devil). In 1962, Newmar appeared twice as motorcycle-riding, free-spirited heiress Vicki Russell on Route 66. Her statuesque form made her a larger than life sex symbol, most often cast as a temptress or amazonian beauty, including an early appearance in sexy maid costume on The Phil Silvers Show and on F Troop as an Indian princess. She starred as "Rhoda the Robot" in the TV series My Living Doll (1964–1965), the sitcom had an enthusiastic cult following. In 1966, urged on by her friends, she would try out for and be cast as Catwoman (a character she had never heard of) in the wildly popular television series Batman (1966). Due to a movie commitment, Julie was unavailable to play Catwoman in the third season because she was working on the film Mackenna's Gold (her part was taken by Eartha Kitt). Newmar modified her Catwoman costume - now in the Smithsonian Institution - and placed the belt at the hips instead of the waist to emphasize her hourglass figure. Other notable TV guest appearances included The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Monkees and as a pregnant princess in the Star Trek episode "Friday's Child" (below). In 1969 she played a hit-woman in the It Takes a Thief episode The Funeral is on Mundy, starring Robert Wagner. In 1983 she would reprise the hit-woman role in Robert Wagner's series Hart to Hart, in the episode A Change of Hart. Selected Julie Newmar TVography Batman - Batman Displays His Knowledge (1967) - Catwoman Goes to College (1967) - Scat! Darn Catwoman (1967) - That Darn Catwoman (1967) - The Catwoman Goeth (1966) - The Sandman Cometh (1966) - The Bat's Kow Tow (1966) - The Cat's Meow (1966) - Ma Parker (1966) - The Cat and the Fiddle (1966) - Hot Off the Griddle (1966) - Better Luck Next Time (1966) - The Purr-fect Crime (1966) Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Chill of the Night! (2010) The Beverly Hillbillies - The Beautiful Maid (1966) Bewitched - The Eight Year Itch Witch (1971) The Bionic Woman - Black Magic (1976) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - Flight of the War Witch (1980) CHiPs - This Year's Riot (1982) Columbo - Double Shock (1973) The Defenders - Gideon's Follies (1961) F Troop - Yellow Bird (1966) Fantasy Island - King of Burlesque/Death Games (1983) Get Smart - The Laser Blazer (1968) The Greatest Show on Earth - Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears (1964) Hart to Hart - A Change of Hart (1983) It Takes a Thief - The Funeral Is on Mundy (1969) Jason of Star Command - Escape from Kesh (1978) - The Haunted Planet (1978) The Love Boat - Crew Confessions/Haven't I Seen You?/Reunion (1979) Love, American Style - Love and the Bathtub (1972) - Love and the Vampire (1971) - Love and the Cake/Love (1971) - Love and the Big Night/Love (1970) McMillan & Wife - Aftershock (1975) The Monkees - Monkees Get Out More Dirt (1967) McCloud - Portrait of a Dead Girl (1970) My Living Doll - series regular (1964 - 1965) The Phil Silvers Show - The Big Scandal (1957) Route 66 - Give the Old Cat a Tender Mouse (1962) - How Much a Pound Is Albatross? (1962) Star Trek: The Original Series - Friday's Child (1967) The Twilight Zone - Of Late I Think of Cliffordville (1963) Selected Julie Newmar Filmography Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (2013) (documentary) Bettie Page Reveals All (2012) (documentary) The Mechanical Bride (2012) (documentary) (narrator) Beautiful Darling (2010) (documentary) Return to the Batcave (2003) with Adam West, Burt Ward, Lyle Waggoner, Lee Meriwether, Frank Gorshin, and Betty White One Last Score (1999) with Matthew Modine, John Hurt, Bruce Dern, and Lisa Marie Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996) with Richard Joseph Paul, Jackie Swanson, Meg Foster, Isaac Hayes, George Takei, and Maxwell Caulfield To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) with Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner, Jason London, Chris Penn, and Melinda Dillon Oblivion (1994) with Richard Joseph Paul, Jackie Swanson, Meg Foster, Isaac Hayes, and George Takei Ghosts Can't Do It (1990) with Bo Derek, Anthony Quinn, and Don Murray; directed by John Derek Cyber-C.H.I.C. (1989) with Kathy Shower, Burt Ward, Jack Carter, and Lyle Waggoner Nudity Required (1988) with Pamela Bach and Troy Donahue Dance Academy (1987) Deep Space (1987) with Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, Bo Svenson, Ron Glass, Anthony Eisley, Peter Palmer, and Michael Forest Evils of the Night (1985) with Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, John Carradine, and Jerry Butler Reel Horror (1985) with Catherine Bach, Leslie Caron, John Carradine, Donald Pleasence, Katharine Ross, and Talia Shire Love Scenes (1984) with Tiffany Bolling, Jack Carter, and Britt Ekland Streetwalkin' (1984) with Antonio Fargas Hysterical (1983) with the Hudson Brothers, Cindy Pickett, Richard Kiel, Robert Donner, Murray Hamilton, Clint Walker, and Charlie Callas Terraces (1977) with Lloyd Bochner A Very Missing Person (1972) with Eve Arden, James Gregory, and Ray Danton The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971) with Barbara Eden, David Hartman, Jo Anne Worley, Herb Edelman, Farrah Fawcett, and Harry Morgan Up Your Teddy Bear (1970) with Wally Cox, Victor Buono, and Angelique Pettyjohn The Maltese Bippy (1969) with Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Carol Lynley, Mildred Natwick, and Robert Reed Mackenna's Gold (1969) with Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Keenan Wynn, Ted Cassidy, Lee J. Cobb, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Edward G. Robinson, and Eli Wallach For Love or Money (1963) with Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, Gig Young, Thelma Ritter, William Bendix, Leslie Parrish, Dick Sargent, William Windom, and Alvy Moore The Marriage-Go-Round (1961) with Susan Hayward and James Mason The Rookie (1960) with Tommy Noonan, Peter Marshall, Jerry Lester, and Joe Besser Li'l Abner (1959) with Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish, Stubby Kaye, Stella Stevens, Billie Hayes, Gordon Mitchell, and Brad Harris Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) with Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, and Ruta Lee Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) with Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget, Anne Bancroft, William Marshall, Richard Egan, and Ernest Borgnine Slaves of Babylon (1953) with Richard Conte, Michael Ansara, and Linda Christian The Band Wagon (1953) with Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray The Eddie Cantor Story (1953) Serpent of the Nile (1953) with Rhonda Fleming, William Lundigan, Raymond Burr, and Michael Ansara Just for You (1952) with Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Ethel Barrymore, and Natalie Wood In the 1970s she had guest roles in Columbo, The Bionic Woman and Bewitched ("The Eight-Year Itch Witch" in 1971) as a cat named Ophelia given human form by Endora (essentially playing her Catwoman character from Batman). Also during this time, because of her love of the stage and live performances, Newmar toured the country in stage productions of "Damn Yankees" and "Dames at Sea" and others. Becoming an entrepreneur, in 1977, Newmar turned up in People Magazine wearing her new invention "Nudemar" pantyhose. She holds three U.S patents. Newmar went back to UCLA to take a few real estate courses and then began investing in Los Angeles real estate in the 1980s. She is credited as being partly responsible for improving the Los Angeles neighborhoods on La Brea Avenue and Fairfax Avenue near the Grove. During this time she continued to take acting roles, and appeared in nine films while raising her only child, John Jewl Smith (born 1981), who is deaf and has Down syndrome. AV CLUB SLIDESHOW DEPARTMENT slideshow Julie Newmar links slideshow