Lewis Gilbert Wilson (January 28, 1920 – August 9, 2000) was an American actor, who was most famous for being the first actor to play

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

character

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

on screen in the 1943

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

''.

Life and career

Wilson was born in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, the son of Lucile (née Gregg) and John Henry Wilson. He grew up in

Littleton, Massachusetts Littleton (historically Nipmuc: ''Nashoba'') is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,141 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the neighborhood of Littleton Common, please s ...

, where his father was minister of the First Unitarian Church from 1927-1945. Wilson graduated from

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1939. His family had long roots with the school and his father and grandfather were graduates. Following the entry of the United States into World War II, in 1943

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

created the first

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

series, simply called ''Batman''. Wilson was cast as the title character in the 15-episode serial against J. Carrol Naish who portrayed a Japanese spy named Dr. Daka. It was Wilson's screen debut at the age of 23. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the serial was made in 1949, but Robert Lowery replaced Wilson as Batman. After the war concluded, Wilson and his family moved to California, and he and his wife joined the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. His final film was ''

Naked Alibi ''Naked Alibi'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Gene Barry. It was released on October 1, 1954 by Universal-International. Portions of the film were shot in Tijuan ...

'' in 1954. He then left show business and worked for

General Foods General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, after several corporate ...

for many years. Wilson married novelist and actress Dana Natol, and they had a son, Michael G. Wilson. They met while attending the Academy of Dramatic Arts at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

in New York, but separated and divorced after moving to California. After retiring from acting, he lived in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The Nor ...

Death

He died on August 9, 2000, in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

at age 80.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Lewis 1920 births 2000 deaths American male film actors Worcester Academy alumni Male actors from New York City People from Greater Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors