Adam West, actor who portrayed Batman, dies

Adam West, whose portrayal of Batman in a 1960s TV series cemented the superhero as an American icon, has died at age 88 after a short battle with leukemia, his family said Saturday. Years after the show ended, West said he was pleased to have had a role in kicking off a big-budget film franchise by showing the character’s wide appeal. “You get terribly typecast playing a character like that,” he said in a 2014 interview. “But in the overall, I’m delighted because my character became iconic and has opened a lot of doors in other ways, too.”

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