An impressionist and actor, Gorshin once said “I didn’t set out to be an impressionist. It just happened.” He was a teen, and after seeing “The Jolson Story” he started imitating the actor. He also did other impressions, including Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, and James Cagney. He played George Burns in the play Goodnight, Gracie through this Spring.
But he’s best known for his role in the 1966-1968 Batman TV series, where he played The Riddler. “It really was a catalyst for me,” he once said of the role. “I was nobody. I had done some guest shots here and there. But after I did that, I became a headliner in Vegas, so I can’t put it down.” One of those guest shots was on the Ed Sullivan Show — on the night The Beatles made their first appearance in 1964. “I followed the Beatles, which was good for me: [the girls in the audience] were still screaming when I went out.”
He was nominated for Emmy awards for Riddler and for a guest role on the original Star Trek series (“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”, 1969). Gorshin died in Burbank, Calif., on May 17 from lung cancer, emphysema, and pneumonia. He was 71.