Burt Ward
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Burt Ward (born Herbert John Gervis Jr. July 6, 1945) is best remembered for his work as Robin, the "Boy Wonder", in the 60s television series, Batman. He starred alongside Adam West from 1966 to 1968.
Ward was born in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 2, he was listed in the magazine "Strange as it Seems" as the world's youngest professional ice skater. At the age of 19, working for a minor real estate company, he decided to audition for the part of Robin, without having ever read a "Batman" comic book. Ward was selected for the role of Robin, stepping onto the screen in 1966 with the debut of Batman. Unfortunately, unlike his partner, Ward was required to act during dangerous stuntwork because his costume revealed more of his face than a stuntman could compensate for.
After the end of "Batman," Ward found himself hard-pressed for other acting jobs. He appeared in a short, one season show called "The New Adventures of Batman," but only reemerged on the movie scene to act in small, low-budget films such as Virgin High. Ward admitted in an interview that playing Robin "killed my career." He did, however, appear in numerous reunions with costar Adam West.
Ward also wrote a controversial book called Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, which described his life while he was playing Robin, and his and Adam West's sexual misadventures with various fans. Of the latter, West has since claimed they are untrue. In 2001, Ward began Boy Wonder Visual Effects, Inc.
Currently, in addition to managing the aforementioned corporation, Burt Ward is married to Tracy Posner Ward, has two daughters, and runs a charity that shelters abandoned Great Danes.
External link
- Burt Ward's IMDB page (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911431/)
- 1966 Batman TV Heroes - Burt Ward (http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/7537/bward.htm)