The five-foot-11 statuesque temptress was the purrfect villainess to agonize and attract Batman. Outfitted in a black bodysuit, Catwoman created the sexual tension with Batman that his male villians couldn't compete with.
Unlike previous Catwoman characters who were more concerned with committing crime, Julie's feline unnerved Batman -- she purred at him in an attempt to seduce him into a more personal encounter. "Cats will grab your attention in a most seductive way," she later said.
A creative and artistic show woman, Julie designed her own skin-tight catsuit, tying the belt at her hips to accentuate her shapely figure. Her training as a dancer helped juxtaposition her 38-23-38 body into alluring poses. Batman co-star Adam West called her "the sexiest woman on television."
"I am so happy that girls want to be Catwoman. It's just a delicious character to sink your body into," she told www.insidesocal.com.
"First of all you're wearing black so it slims you down and you slink around and it's a very fortright kind of femaleness... the right amount of aggression and seduction and sassiness."
Julie had never heard of Catwoman when she was offered the role. "My mother wouldn't let me read comic books." Her brother, a Harvard student, urged her to take the part because "Batman" was his favorite TV show.
She appeared in only a dozen episodes from 1965-67. Due to movie commitments, Julie was replaced by Meriweather in the 1966 "Batman" movie and by Kitt in the 1968 season.
Born Julie Chalene Newmeyer in Los Angeles, Julie had several memorable TV roles.before "Batman." She played the Devil in a 1963 "The Twilight Zone" episode, and was the beautiful Rhoda the Robot for a season in "My Living Doll" in 1964.
No. 6
Classic TV Beauties 1960s Countdown
JULIE NEWMAR as Catwoman in "Batman"
By far the most popular Batman villian, the consensus among the comic-book hero fans is that Julie was a better Catwoman than felines Lee Meriweather, Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry. She was also considered sexier than other sex symbol guest stars on "Batman," such as Jill St. John (Molly) and Joan Collins (Vixen).
Julie believes that Catwoman was popular with women because she was both a heroine and a villainess.
She also had credits in "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Get Smart," "Route 66," and "Star Trek."
Julie guest-starred in several TV shows and films after "Batman," and she made a cameo in the 1995 film "To Wong Fo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar."
Not content to rest on her acting laurels, Julie, whose IQ is 135, received two US patents for pantyhose and one patent for a bra.
In her younger years she studied classical piano, philosophy and French at UCLA. After "Batman" she returned to college for her degree and became a successful real estate mogul in LA.
Other women of "Batman" on the
