Julie Newmar | |
|---|---|
 Newmar in 1965 | |
| Born | Julia Chalene Newmeyer (1933-08-16)August 16, 1933 (age 92) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1952–present |
| Known for | Catwoman inBatman The Marriage-Go-Round (play and thefilm adaptation) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (2014)[1] |
| Website | www |
Julie Newmar (bornJulia Chalene Newmeyer; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estatemogul. She won theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Katrin Sveg in the 1958Broadway production ofThe Marriage-Go-Round, and reprised the role in the 1961 film version, earning Newmar a nomination for aGolden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Actress. In the 1960s, she starred for two seasons asCatwoman in the television seriesBatman (1966–1967). Her other stage credits includeZiegfeld Follies in 1956, Lola inDamn Yankees! in 1961, and in 1965, as Irma in regional productions ofIrma la Douce.
Newmar appeared in the music video forGeorge Michael's 1992 single "Too Funky" and had a cameo as herself in the 1995 filmTo Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Her voice work includes the animated feature filmsBatman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) andBatman vs. Two-Face (2017), for which she reprised her role as Catwoman, 50 years after the original television series.
Newmar was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 1933,[2][3] as the eldest of three children born toDon and Helene (née Jesmer) Newmeyer.[4] Her father was head of the physical education department atLos Angeles City College, and had playedAmerican football professionally in the 1920s with the 1926Los Angeles Buccaneers of theNational Football League. Her Swedish-French mother was a fashion designer, who used "Chalene" as her professional name, and later became a real estate investor.[5]
Newmar has two younger brothers: Peter Bruce Newmeyer, who was killed in a skiing accident, and John A. Newmeyer, who became a writer, epidemiologist, and winemaker.[6][7] She began dancing at an early age, and performed as aprima ballerina with theLos Angeles Opera when she was 15.[8]
Newmar appeared in bit parts and uncredited roles in films as a dancer, including a part as the "dancer-assassin" inSlaves of Babylon (1953)[4] and the "gilded girl" inSerpent of the Nile (1953), in which she was clad in gold paint. She danced in several other films, includingThe Band Wagon (also 1953) andDemetrius and the Gladiators (1954).[4] She also worked as a choreographer and dancer forUniversal Studios beginning at the age of 19.[9][10] Her first major role, billed as Julie Newmeyer, was as Dorcas, one of the brides inSeven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). She was also the female lead in a low-budget comedy,The Rookie (1959).[11]
Newmar made her Broadway debut in 1955 as Vera inSilk Stockings, starringHildegarde Neff andDon Ameche.[12] In the following year she created the role of Stupefyin' Jones (a three-minute cameo) in theBroadway production ofLi'l Abner. She stayed with the production for its entire run from November 1956 through July 1958,[13] and also appeared in the film version, released in 1959. A few months later,The Marriage-Go-Round opened on Broadway, with Newmar in the role of Swedish vixen Katrin Sveg, for which Newmar won the 1959Tony Award forBest Featured Actress in a Play.[14] She later re-created this role for the1961 film adaptation, starringJames Mason andSusan Hayward. In 1961, she appeared in theSam Spewack playOnce There Was a Russian, which lasted only one performance.[15] She later starred oppositeJoel Grey in the national tour ofStop the World – I Want to Get Off, staying with the tour from March to October 1963.[16] In 1973, Newmar was slated to return to Broadway in theDavid Rabe playBoom Boom Room, opening on November 8, 1973, at theVivian Beaumont Theater atLincoln Center. DirectorJulie Bovasso fired Newmar during rehearsals, and she was replaced by her understudy,Mary Woronov.[17] Bovasso was then replaced as director during previews.[18]
Newmar's fame stems mainly from her television appearances. Her statuesque form and height made her a larger-than-life sex symbol, most often cast as a temptress or Amazonian beauty, including an early appearance in a sexy maid costume inThe Phil Silvers Show. She starred as Rhoda the Robot in the television seriesMy Living Doll (1964–1965), and is known for her recurring role in the 1960s television seriesBatman as the villainess Catwoman. (Lee Meriwether played Catwoman in the1966 feature film due to Newmar being unaware that a film was going to be made, and being already signed onto an adaptation ofMonsieur Lecoq that never got made, andEartha Kitt portrayed Catwoman in the series' final season. For the final season, Newmar was busy making the filmMackenna’s Gold, shot during the filming of the final season, but not released until 1969.) Newmar modified her Catwoman costume—now in theSmithsonian Institution—and placed the belt at the hips instead of the waist to emphasize herhourglass figure.[19]
In 1962, Newmar appeared twice as the motorcycle-riding, free-spirited heiress Vicki Russell inRoute 66, filmed inTucson ("How Much a Pound Is Albatross") and inTennessee ("Give the Old Cat a Tender Mouse"). She guest-starred inThe Twilight Zone as the devil in "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville",F Troop ("Yellow Bird" in 1966) as a girl kidnapped as a child and raised by Native Americans,Bewitched ("The Eight-Year Itch Witch" in 1971) as a cat named Ophelia given human form,The Beverly Hillbillies as a Swedish actress who stays with the Clampetts to learn their accents and mannerisms for a role, andGet Smart as a double agent, posing as a maid, assigned to Maxwell Smart's apartment. In 1967, she guest-starred as April Conquest in an episode ofThe Monkees ("Monkees Get Out More Dirt", season one, episode 29), in which the main characters all fall in love with her, and played the pregnant Capellan princess, Eleen, in theStar Trek episode "Friday's Child". In 1969, she played a hit woman in theIt Takes a Thief episode "The Funeral is on Mundy" withRobert Wagner. In 1983, she reprised the hit-woman role inHart to Hart, Wagner's later television series, in the episode "A Change of Hart". In the 1970s, she had guest roles inColumbo andThe Bionic Woman.
Newmar appeared in several low-budget films during the next two decades. She guest-starred on TV, appearing inThe Love Boat,Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,CHiPs, andFantasy Island. She was featured in the music video forGeorge Michael's "Too Funky" in 1992. She appeared as herself in the 1995 filmTo Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and a 1996 episode ofMelrose Place.
In 2003, Newmar appeared as herself in the television movieReturn to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt alongside formerBatman co-starsAdam West,Burt Ward,Frank Gorshin, andLee Meriwether.[20] Julia Rose played Newmar in flashbacks to the production of the television series.[21] However, due to longstanding rights issues over footage from theBatman TV series, only footage of Meriwether taken from the feature film was allowed to be used in the television movie.[22] In 2016, she provided the voice of Catwoman in the animated filmBatman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. In 2017, she reprised her role in the animated sequelBatman vs. Two-Face. Newmar also appeared onThe Home and Family Show in May 2016, where she metGotham actressCamren Bicondova who portrays a younger Selina Kyle.[23]
In 2019, Newmar played the role of Dr.Julia Hoffman (replacing the lateGrayson Hall) in the audio drama miniseriesDark Shadows: Bloodline.[24]
In the 1970s, Newmar received two U.S. patents forpantyhose[25] and two for abrassiere, one being adesign patent.[26][27] The pantyhose were described as having "cheeky derriere relief" and promoted under the name "Nudemar". The brassiere was described as "nearly invisible" and in the style ofMarilyn Monroe.[28]
| Title | Patent Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|---|
| Design Patent for Brassiere | US-D235389-S | 1975-06-17 |
| Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derrière relief | US-3914799-A | 1975-10-28 |
| Brassiere | US-3935865-A | 1976-02-03 |
| Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derrière relief (A change in the types fabrics of the earlier patent) | US-4003094-A | 1977-01-18 |
Newmar's parents engaged in real estate investing in the 1940s and 1950s, purchasing buildings in theLa Brea andFairfax Avenue areas ofLos Angeles. Her father owned property on Fairfax and Rosewood Avenue in the 1940s. As a young actress, she ran the real estate enterprise.[30] In the 1970s, Newmar returned to UCLA to study real estate and had expanded her continued management of the real estate investor business practice of her parents. She had made notable investments in the La Brea andMelrose Avenue area. Melrose Avenue passes through the Fairfax District, where her parents had been property owners in an earlier time, as shown on the map to the right. She was considered to have significantly contributed to the area's development. Newmar was described as having had contributed significant time in community advocacy as well.[31][32]
After a broken engagement to novelistLouis L'Amour[5] and romances with comedianMort Sahl[33] and actorKen Scott,[34] Newmar married J. Holt Smith, a lawyer, on August 5, 1977, and moved with him toFort Worth, Texas, where she lived until their divorce in 1984.<[35] They had a son in 1981.[36]
Newmar hasCharcot–Marie–Tooth disease, an inherited neurological condition that affects one in 2,500 Americans.[37]
A legal battle with her neighbor, actorJim Belushi, ended amicably with an invitation to guest-star in his sitcomAccording to Jim in an episode ("The Grumpy Guy") that poked fun at the feud.[38]
An avidgardener, Newmar initiated at least a temporary ban onleaf blowers with theLos Angeles City Council.[39] She supported the presidential campaigns ofEugene McCarthy in 1968 andRon Paul in 2012.[40][41]
Newmar, whose brother is gay, has been a vocal supporter ofLGBT rights.[8] In 2013, she was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing organization in Los Angeles.[8]
Newmar is a classically trained pianist.[42][43][44][45]
In 2012,Bluewater Comics released a four-issue comic miniseries titledThe Secret Lives of Julie Newmar.[46]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | She's Working Her Way Through College | Julie | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Just for You | Chorine | Uncredited |
| 1953 | The I Don't Care Girl | Beale Street Blues Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Call Me Madam | Ocarna Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Serpent of the Nile | Gilded Girl | |
| 1953 | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Chorus Girl | Uncredited |
| 1953 | The Band Wagon | Salon Model / Chorine in Girl Hunt Ballet | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Slaves of Babylon | Dancer-Assassin | |
| 1953 | The Eddie Cantor Story | Showgirl | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Demetrius and the Gladiators | Primary Specialty Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | Dorcas Gaylen | |
| 1954 | Deep in My Heart | Vamp | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Li'l Abner | "Stupefyin'" Jones | |
| 1959 | The Rookie | Lili Marlene | |
| 1961 | The Marriage-Go-Round | Katrin Sveg | Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer |
| 1963 | For Love or Money | Bonnie Brasher | |
| 1969 | Mackenna's Gold | Hesh-Ke | |
| 1969 | The Maltese Bippy | Carlotta Ravenswood | |
| 1970 | Seduction of a Nerd | Mother Ferns | Also known asUp Your Teddy Bear |
| 1971 | The Feminist and the Fuzz | Lilah McGuinness | Television film |
| 1972 | A Very Missing Person | Aleatha Westering | Television film |
| 1974 | Fools, Females and Fun | Carla Dean | Television film |
| 1977 | Terraces | Chalane Turner | Television film |
| 1983 | Hysterical | Venetia | |
| 1984 | Love Scenes | Belinda | |
| 1985 | Streetwalkin' | "Queen Bee" | |
| 1985 | Evils of the Night | Dr. Zarma | |
| 1988 | Deep Space | Lady Elaine Wentworth | |
| 1988 | Body Beat | Miss McKenzie | Also known asDance Academy |
| 1989 | Ghosts Can't Do It | Angel | Nominated –Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress |
| 1990 | Nudity Required | Irina | |
| 1994 | Oblivion | Miss Kitty | |
| 1995 | To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar | Herself | |
| 1996 | Oblivion 2: Backlash | Miss Kitty / Ariel Gwen Shana | |
| 1999 | If... Dog... Rabbit... | Judy's Mother | |
| 2003 | Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt | Herself / Arizona Bar Owner | Television film |
| 2010 | Beautiful Darling | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Bettie Page Reveals All | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | The Mechanical Bride | Herself, The Narrator | Documentary |
| 2013 | Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age | Herself | Documentary |
| 2016 | Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders | Catwoman (voice) | |
| 2017 | Batman vs. Two-Face | Catwoman (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The Phil Silvers Show | Suzie | Episode: "The Big Scandal" |
| 1959 | Omnibus | Episode: "Malice in Wonderland" | |
| 1960 | Adventures in Paradise | Venus | Episode: "Open for Diving" |
| 1961 | The Defenders | Brandy Gideon Morfoot | Episode: "Gideon's Follies" |
| 1962 | Route 66 | Vicki Russell | 2 episodes |
| 1963 | The Twilight Zone | Miss Devlin | Episode: "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" |
| 1963 | The Danny Kaye Show | Herself | Episode: "1.12" |
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Willa Harper | Episode: "Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears" |
| 1964–1965 | My Living Doll | Rhoda Miller | Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female |
| 1965 | Vacation Playhouse | Kris Meeker | Episode: "Three on an Island" |
| 1966–1967 | Batman | Catwoman / Minerva Matthews / Miss Klutz | 13 episodes |
| 1966 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Ulla Bergstrom | Episode: "The Beautiful Maid" |
| 1966 | F Troop | Cinthia Jeffries / Yellow Bird | Episode: "Yellow Bird" |
| 1967 | The Monkees | April Conquest | S1:E29, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt" |
| 1967 | Star Trek: The Original Series | Eleen | Episode: "Friday's Child" |
| 1968 | Get Smart | Ingrid | Episode: "The Laser Blazer" |
| 1969 | It Takes a Thief | Susannah Sutton | Episode: "The Funeral Is on Mundy" |
| 1970 | McCloud | Adrienne Redman | Episode: "Portrait of a Dead Girl" |
| 1970–1972 | Love, American Style | Various Roles | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | NBC Children's Theatre | Herself | Episode: "Super Plastic Elastic Goggles" |
| 1971 | Bewitched | Ophelia | Episode: "The Eight Year Itch Witch" |
| 1973 | Columbo | Lisa Chambers | Episode: "Double Shock" |
| 1975 | ABC's Wide World of Mystery | Episode: "The Black Box Murders" | |
| 1975 | McMillan & Wife | Luciana Amaldi | Episode: "Aftershock" (Credited as "Julie Neumar") |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman | Claudette | Episode: "Black Magic" |
| 1976 | Monster Squad | Ultra Witch | Episode: "Ultra Witch" |
| 1978 | Jason of Star Command | Queen Vanessa | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | The Love Boat | Marla Samms | Episode: "The Reunion/Haven't I Seen You?/Crew Confessions" |
| 1980 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Zarina | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | The Powers of Matthew Star | Nian | Episode: "The Triangle" |
| 1982 | CHiPs | Cora Dwayne | Episode: "This Year's Riot" |
| 1983 | Fantasy Island | Doralee | Episode: "King of Burlesque/Death Games" |
| 1983 | Hart to Hart | Eve | Episode: "A Change of Heart" |
| 1984 | High School U.S. | Stripper | TV pilot |
| 1985 | Half Nelson | Herself | Episode: "The Deadly Vase" |
| 1995 | Hope & Gloria | Herself | Episode: "Whose Poppa? |
| 1996 | Melrose Place | Herself | Episode: "Triumph of the Bill" |
| 1998 | Maggie | Catwoman | Episode: "If You Could See What I Hear" |
| 2006 | According to Jim | Julie | Episode: "The Grumpy Guy" |
| 2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Martha Wayne (voice) | Episode: "Chill of the Night!" |
{{cite web}}:External link in|title=...Julie Newmar, the early blooming classical pianist...
| Batman role | ||
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| 1st | Catwoman actress 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Lee Meriwether | Catwoman actress 1967 | Succeeded by |
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