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Through he portrayed hundreds of characters, for comic book fans, Frank Gorshin will always be the Riddler. The 72 year-old actor passed away Tuesday evening after being hospitalized for three weeks with multiple ailments at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Gorshin was born April 5th, 1934 in Pittsburgh, PA. He began acting when he was 12, and while in high school, was already earning a reputation for his dead-on impressions. His career was at age 17 when, as a winner of a talent contest, he landed a one-week engagement at Jackie Heller’s Carousel night club, with Alan King headlining.

From there, Gorshin attended Carnegie Tech, served in the Army in Korea, and fully entered show business with a role in The Proud and The Profane. After mistakenly being reported as killed in 1957, Gorshin’s movie career continued, as did roles on television dramas and a headliner in Las Vegas clubs.

In the ‘60s, Gorshin’s breakthrough came when he landed the part of The Riddler on the Batman television series. “I could feel the impact overnight," Gorshin is quoted as saying at www.frankgorshin.com

Like many of the series’ stars who played villains, Gorshin’s career continued after Batman ended, with many more roles in film and on television, as well as a prolific career both in acting and performing at nightclubs. While his roles were varied over the years, Gorshin never shied from genre work, as he was the half-black, half-white alien in the Star Trek: TOS episode, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” as well as performing in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Meteor Man, 12 Monkeys and many others.

Most recently, Gorshin portrayed the legendary George Burns on Broadway in the Tony-nominated show “Say Goodnight Gracie,” a tribute to George Burns.

One of Gorshin’s final television appearances will be broadcast tomorrow night, the season finale of CBS’ C.S.I., directed by Quentin Tarantino. In it, Gorshin and fellow Vegas pal Tony Curtis appear as themselves.

In a statement to the AP, Gorshin's long-time friend and former co-star Adam west said, "Frank will be missed. He made an indelible impression as The Riddler in the classic 'Batman' TV series and he was a fine impressionist as well. Frank made me laugh. He was a friend and fascinating character.''


To me, as much as Christopher Reeve was Superman, or Adam West IS Batman (one, classic version of Batman, at least), Frank was the Riddler, and made the character my favorite of all the Batman villains growing up. I know his work went well beyond that single role, and he deserves a lot more attention for his talent, but I'll always remember him in the green and purple suit, question mark emblazoned on his chest.