The following text is from the official bio given out by 20th Century Fox in conjunction with the release of the show in 1966.  Adam's life and career has moved on since the show, but this bio gives a perspective of how he was being presented during the time of the production.

   Adam West, a handsome, talented actor with the rugged ability of a natural athlete, brings a long list of credits on adventure series to his new starring role of BATMAN, produced by Greenway Productions in association with 20th Century-Fox Television.

   The young actor was born on a ranch in the Blue Mountains near Walla Walla, Washington, and grew up with a fondness for physical activity.

   In the role of the dashing fighter against crime, executive producer William Dozier sought an actor who could honestly portray “Batman" in scaling the sides of buildings, battling arch criminals in hand to hand combat, and other situations where a real athlete was necessary.

   As Bruce Wayne, "Batman’s” other character when not fighting crime, the actor must portray a handsome, athletic, intelligent, young millionaire living in a mansion and maintaining a deep desire to help his fellow man through his philanthropic projects.

   In Adam West he found both qualities.

   He is personable, tall, with an athlete's physique, a warm voice, expressive green eyes and a conversational style very much his own.  Although he has played many serious roles, his versatility as an actor and his typical sense of humor have allowed him to do romantic comedies, western pictures and adventure or humorous roles as well.

   Adam has appeared on: "77 Sunset Strip," "Sugarfoot," "Cheyenne," "Lawman," "Maverick," "Perry Mason," "Overland Trail," "Bonanza," "Alcoa Theater," "Rifleman" and "Beachcombers."

   Then came the role of romantic young Sgt. Steve Nelson on "The Detectives” series with Robert Taylor, which was a direct result of the good performance he had given in the movie, "Geronimo," with Chuck Connors.

   Following this, he was with Sandra Dee in "Tammy and the Doctor," then did a role in "Soldiers in the Rain," several "Petticoat Junction" TV segments, "Outer Limits," "Bewitched," "The Virginian" and others.

   In the past year he has starred in two soon to be released feature films, "The Outlaws is Coming," a comedy for Columbia and "Mara of the Wilderness," an outdoor action-adventure film for Allied Artists.

   Adam was exposed to show business early in life.  His parents were interested in the local legitimate theater and frequently entertained visiting celebrities.

   After graduation from Lakeside School in Seattle, he pursued a variety of courses at the University of California in Santa Barbara, the University of Washington, College of Puget Sound and Whitman College, from which he received his degree.  From there he moved on to graduate work in radio and TV, as well as journalism at Stanford.

   It was in Palo Alto that he began his dramatic career when he won an audition and was signed as writer-director for a seven-station network, which also owned three newspapers.

   A year later he was drafted into the Army and among other things during his stint, he started the Army's first TV station at Camp Louis Obispo, he repeated this assignment at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey.

   Upon his discharge he decided to follow a longtime urge to take a walking trip through Europe, and to earn, the necessary money, he took jobs as the TV emcee for the Tommy Tucker Show, sang in clubs and worked as a milkman.  He was a singer, cowboy, truck driver and many other things.

   Before moving to Hollywood, he was attached to CBS in Hawaii as a director and performer on a daily radio and TV show.

   Adam lives in a Mediterranean-type villa on the beach near Malibu, far from the sound stages and hectic pace of Hollywood,

   He continues the active physical schedule of his youth, with the sports today varying from surfing and skin diving to racing motorcycles along the crowded freeways of Southern California.

    A mixture of the athlete and the intellectual, Adam has a wide assortment of friends in the movie capital but keeps his personal life removed from his professional life. 

VITAL STATISTICS
(in 1966)