First appearing in print for Batman #1 (Spring 1940), Catwoman is one of the most recognized female character in the comic world. Named Selina Kyle, she was portrayed as a burglar who liked to use a whip in her nocturnal activities. The popularity of the campy Batman television show of the sixties was of course a great help for getting more recognition all around the world. For that series and a couple of movie projects that came much later, Catwoman was mainly portrayed by the following five actresses, five very different women in terms of acting experience and looks.

Julie Newmar
Born August 16, 1933
Having played Catwoman the most often for the TV series, Julie Newmar is eternally associated with the character, probably her best part ever. Her impressive beauty and height were of course appealing, but let’s not forget her awesome timing for comedy.

Lee Meriwether
Born May 27, 1935
Replacing Julie Newmar who was endlessly shooting the troubled western McKenna’s Gold, Lee Meriwether was elected to portray Catwoman for the Batman movie, which reunited the original male cast from the show. She stood her own, bringing great looks and sexiness to a role already defined by Julie.

Eartha Kitt
Born January 17, 1927
Eartha Kitt was a bold choice for the time as a replacement for some episodes, with the producers going on a completely different look, her the daughter of a white farmer and a black Cherokee mother. She already had a cat-like personality as a performer so it would have been interesting to see her grow into the character, if more episodes have been shot.

Michelle Pfeiffer
Born April 29, 1958
Catwoman got a real shot in the arm in terms of popularity for Batman Forever, the second episode of a newly hot superhero movie franchise. Michelle Pfeiffer was also very high on the list of top Hollywood actresses at the time, so nothing could go wrong. Her costume is still a classic of the genre and produced great interest for latex/rubber fashions.

Halle Berry
Born August 14, 1966
Even before a single scene was shot, that 2004 production was already reviled and shrouded in controversy. Hailed as one of the turkeys of the year, I’m one of the nine people worldwide who actually had some fun seeing it in an empty theater. Of course, Halle Berry fared much better as Storm for the X-Men franchise. But is it any worse than Elektra or The Punisher, I can only ask?

Is there any possibility left that Catwoman could make a return to the big screen? In a future Christian Bale movie episode, maybe? Recently, throaty actress Gina Gershon has done some voice work for the character in the animated The Batman TV series. I could easily picture her in the flesh with that kind of costume, though…

One of the very first American actress that caught my eye as a youth (and I mean when I was around four or five years old!) was Suzanne Pleshette in her movie debut, The Geisha Boy, a Jerry Lewis comedy that I probably saw on TV dubbed in French. Even as an infant, I was astounded by her eyes, her voice and her perfectly shaped face. A born New-Yorker, Suzanne Pleshette left her mark on television work and the stage, more than on any movie project, even if her fate in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds gave me nightmares. She’ll be principally remembered for her part in The Bob Newhart Show… and of course that amazing husky voice. Another highlight was the replacement of Anne Bancroft in the Broadway version of The Miracle Worker, where Suzanne got great reviews. And she almost got to be the first Catwoman on the Batman TV series, before the part went to Julie Newmar.

It has been known since August 2006 that she was suffering from lung cancer. She arrived in a wheelchair at a Bob Newhart Show cast reunion in September 2007, where she announced that a part of one of her lungs had been removed for treatment. But she finally passed away on January 19, 2008, from respiratory failure.