Adam West Gets Star on Walk of Fame

Adam West, best remembered for his campy portrayal of Batman in the 1966-68 ABC series, received the 2,468th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday in a light-hearted ceremony that included thanks for KROQ-FM (106.7) personalities Kevin and Bean and their listeners for helping make it possible.

"You just kept these people fired up into a frenzy so they would send money and pay for my star," West said, drawing cheers, applause and laughter from fans gathered in front of the Guinness World of Records Museum on Hollywood Boulevard for the late-morning ceremony.

Ralph Garman, the entertainment reporter on the "Kevin and Bean" show, called West his hero.

"When I was a kid, Adam was my hero because of who he played," said Garman, who supplied the voice of West in a 2006 episode of the MTV2 claymation series Celebrity Deathmatch and like West is a voice on the Fox animated series Family Guy.

"Adam's Batman was everything to me. He taught me right from wrong, good versus evil and most significantly, the importance of driving a really cool car," referring to the Batmobile, which was displayed at the ceremony.

Born William West Anderson on Sept. 19, 1928, in Seattle and raised on a wheat ranch in Walla Walla, Wash., West began his career as a disc jockey and television show host. He arrived in Hollywood in 1959 after landing a contract with Warner Bros. and made his feature film debut that year opposite Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians.

West appeared on such television series as Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip before getting his first regular series role on The Detectives in 1961. His other pre-Batman television credits include Perry Mason, Bewitched, Gunsmoke and Petticoat Junction. His recent live action credits include 30 Rock and George Lopez.

West has made a record 156 individual screen appearances as Batman, including 120 in the live-action television series, along with several animated series.

West now supplies the voice of Mayor Adam West on Family Guy.

"It is my hope that at age 110, I will see you at Family Guy conventions, signing autographs for a whole new generation of loners and psychopaths," said Family Guy producer Seth McFarlane.

— City News Service