Do you remember the Batman TV series from the 1960s?
You’ve probably still got the theme song stuck in your head – all these years later!
You probably also remember Burt Ward who played Robin in the show.
Burt Ward also had a wild and exciting life and had a reputation for being a womanizer.
Nevertheless, he lives a very different life today…
But how did it all get started for Burt Ward?
How did he become a famous actor and land the role of Robin in Batman.
And what was his lifestyle like in the 1960s – when people were more carefree and perhaps
freer?
His life today is very different and it’s interesting to see the contrast throughout
the decades.
Let’s learn about the incredible life and career of Burt Ward…
BURT’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Burt Ward was born as Bert John Gervis Jr. on July 6, 1945, in Los Angeles.
His father, Bert Sr., was the manager of a traveling ice skating show, which Bert Jr.,
eventually performed in.
As a young boy, Bert was into comic books, including the superhero comics such as Superman
and Batman.
He was also involved in many sports in school including wrestling, track racing, and football.
He also practiced Taekwando and was even an avid chess player.
With so many interests, it seemed that young Bert didn’t know what specifically he wanted
to do with his life.
But his varied interests also showed that he was up for anything!
At the age of 19, he was enrolled in college and worked for his father’s real estate
business.
But there was something else that caught his eye.
He wanted to become an actor – despite having zero experience so far!
He didn’t have a single acting credit on his otherwise impressive résumé.
But he would soon become one of the stars of a popular TV show still loved by fans to
this day…
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BATMAN AND BURT’S SHOW BUSINESS CAREER
When Bert was 19, he auditioned against actor Peter Deyell for the role of Robin in a new
TV series called Batman – based on the popular DC comic book series.
Despite never acting before, he managed to secure the audition and won the role.
He played Dick Grayson or “Robin” in Batman – which ran from 1966 to 1968.
It was at this time that Bert decided to adopt his stage name, Burt Ward.
He replaced the ‘e’ in his first name to a ‘u’ to “give it an extra punch.”
He decided not to use his surname Gervis as he felt audiences would have difficulty pronouncing
it.
He chose to use his mother’s maiden name, Ward.
Burt Ward became great friends with Adam West who played Batman on the show.
The two remained friends for the rest of Adam’s life and Burt often considered Adam to be
his mentor.
Even though Burt had no acting experience, he still managed to win over audiences with
his role as Robin.
He fit naturally into the role and loved acting as the character.
He once recalled:
“Playing Robin was everything I could want.
It was me being allowed to be myself.
I was exactly what the producers imagined Robin would be like.”
Burt truly loved his experience working on Batman and felt that Adam West and he were
the perfect Batman and Robin.
In later years, he spoke about how he wasn’t a fan with the darker direction that many
of the Batman films had taken.
He felt that Batman Forever was too dark and he liked the fact that the original series
was appropriate for family viewing.
Burt and Adam appeared in the 1966 feature film Batman: The Movie as well as the TV short
Batgirl in 1967.
In the 1970s, he voiced Robin for the animated series The New Adventures of Batman.
Apart from his work in the Batman series Burt Ward was an occasional actor in films.
Owing to his popularity as Robin, he was often cast by directors and producers who were fans
of his work.
He appeared in films as varied as Fire in the Night, The Under Achievers, Virgin High,
Hot Under the Collar, Beach Babes from Beyond, Pacino is Missing, From Heaven to Hell, and
the upcoming film Star Quest – in which he stars.
He also had occasional TV roles and often had cameo appearances on popular shows.
He appeared on Living Single, Homeboys in Outer Space, Clueless, Spongebob Squarepants,
and Futurama.
In 2019, he played Dick Grayson in an episode of the hit TV show Supergirl.
_______________________________________________________________________ BURT’S (FORMER) LIFESTYLE
So, what was Burt Ward’s life like off camera?
His popularity certainly must have awarded him an exciting lifestyle!
He has stated that he and Adam West were like “sexual vampires!”
In his autobiography, Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, he discussed, among other things,
the wild lifestyle he enjoyed – particularly at the height of his fame in the 1960s.
He stated that he would have sexual encounters on-set and in his dressing room, whenever
there was a break to spare!
When he had complete time-off, that’s when he really spent time with the ladies.
He has stated that this promiscuous and carefree behavior was a sign of the times.
The 60s was the decade of “free love” and rebelling against the conservative attitudes
of the 1950s.
He has stated that, today, such a lifestyle simply wouldn’t be feasible.
Reflecting upon the past, he stated:
“I must tell you, in today’s world, which is really a sad reflection of our time…with
the horrors and the scourge of AIDS and God only knows what else is lurking out there,
that in this time it seems like about the only safe sex is to read a book.”
But it wasn’t just his sex life that was exciting.
Burt also did many of his own stunts on Batman.
While there were professional stunt performers, he was often asked to perform his own stunts
– including particularly dangerous ones!
There were a few times where he got injured performing stunts.
There was even a time when he had to be rushed to the emergency hospital.
But Burt was full of energy and had incredible physicality – owing to his years playing
sports and practicing Taekwondo.
In fact, it was later revealed that the reason he did more stunts was to save a bit more
money for the producers!
He was paid the minimum amount that was permitted by the Screen Actors Guild for his role in
Batman.
He learned that his stunt double got paid for every stunt!
To save money, Burt was made to perform many of his stunts.
As horrific as this may sound to some of us, Burt took it in his stride.
He has nothing but fond memories of his work on Batman and he’s grateful for the incredible
life that he’s enjoyed because of his role as Robin.
He certainly lived life to the fullest and he’s showing no signs of slowing down…
BURT’S LIFE TODAY…
So, what’s Burt Ward up to today?
He’s been married and got divorced thrice!
He married Tracy Posner in 1990 and the two have been together ever since.
Burt also has two children, one with Tracy and one from his first marriage to Bonney
Lindsay.
The fact that Burt was busy trying many things as a child certainly helped him in later life.
In addition to his show business career, he decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship.
Burt and Tracy started a charity together called Gentle Giants.
With this charity, they help rescue stray and abandoned dogs.
They provide them with nourishment and care.
They also help these dogs find new homes.
He also sells dog and cat food through Gentle Giants.
His daughters, Lisa and Melody are also heavily involved with the charity.
Burt loves spending time with his family and spends most of his time with them and with
his charity.
His film and television work continue, though this isn’t the main focus of his life today.
BURT’S LEGACY
Burt Ward is now in his seventies and he’s just as popular as ever!
His voice and his likeness have been used for spin-off works from the original Batman
series.
These include video games and direct-to-video films.
He regularly attends conventions to discuss his life and career working on Batman.
Fans can also hope to see him make more cameo appearances in popular TV shows as well as
interviews on podcasts.
In 2021, he appeared on the popular podcast Funny Science Fiction Podcast.
He also appeared on the podcast The Man Cave Chronicles Podcast in 2018.
He often appears in documentaries to discuss Batman and the show’s legacy.
He’s set to appear in a documentary called The Beat of the Bat which deals with the music
behind the 1960s Batman TV series!
In January 2020, he received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
While his show business career was defined by one character – it was one character
that we’ll never forget.
The original Batman TV series remains an iconic part of American popular culture and Burt
Ward will remain a legend for superhero fans!
Are you a fan of Burt Ward?
Do you think that the original Batman series still holds up?
Or do you think that the new, darker versions by Christopher Nolan have set the new standard?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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