See All 8 Actresses Who Have Played Catwoman
See All 8 Actresses Who Have Played Catwoman
Kelsie Gibson, Emily KrauserFri, May 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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From left: Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in 1992's 'Batman Returns'; Halle Berry as the titular character in 2004's 'Catwoman'; Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle in 2022's 'The Batman'
Credit: Everett (2); moviestore/shutterstock
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Eight actresses have played Catwoman in live-action films and on TV shows
The first to don the catsuit was Julie Newmar on the 1960s series Batman
Zoë Kravitz was the last actress to take on the role when she starred alongside Robert Pattinson in 2022's The Batman
Eight actresses have slipped into Catwoman's black catsuit on-screen over the years.
The very first to paw her way into the role was Julie Newmar in the 1960s, and it wasn't until 2004 that Catwoman got her own standalone film. That Halle Berry-led flick wasn't a critical or commercial success, but that didn't stop the movie from being the highest-grossing female-led superhero film of all time, until the release of 2017's Wonder Woman.
The bottom line is that Catwoman has had more than nine lives throughout her pop culture existence. Comic book character Selina Kyle was first introduced in 1940 as part of DC Comics' Batman series. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, she was initially referred to as "The Cat." The legacy of Catwoman was later reimagined in the 1980s by Frank Miller, who gave Selina a darker background.
In the 1960s, the antiheroine — who sometimes leans hard into villain territory — was brought to life in the live-action world by Newmar on the Batman TV series opposite Adam West, who played the titular crime fighter. Since then, Catwoman has appeared in various movies and on TV shows, including Matt Reeves' The Batmanin 2022, where Zoë Kravitz took on the part.
From Newmar to Berry to Kravitz, take a look back at the stars who have played live-action iterations of the fan-favorite comic character Catwoman.
01 of 08
Julie Newmar on Batman
Julie Newmar as Catwoman on the 1960s series 'Batman'
Credit: Everett Collection
Newmar played the very first Catwoman during the first two seasons of the ABC series, which also starred Burt Ward as Robin, from 1966 to 1967.
"I'm realizing that through all the shows I've done — the television, film and stage — all the mediums I've worked in, Catwoman's costume was the one that allowed me to tell the story through my body," Newmar told Bring Me the Newsin March 2018. "The words were brilliant, and funny on top of that. The producer hired the right people to do all the lighting, to do this, that and the other, and it was the right time in the right decade. It all worked."
02 of 08
Lee Meriwether in Batman (1966)
Lee Meriwether as Catwoman in 1966's 'Batman'
Credit: Mary Evans/20TH CENTURY FOX/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
In 1966, DC Comics released the first full-length theatrical adaptation of Batman, which was based on the 1960s series. Though Newmar played Catwoman on the show, she wasn't able to reprise the character for the movie.
As a result, Lee Meriwether played Catwoman in the feature, making her the first actress to play the character in a live-action film.
"I was the luckiest of all the Catwomen because I got to work with Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin and Burgess Meredith, three absolute geniuses," the former Miss America told Studio 10 in April 2018 about her role in the film. "I watched them all the time, but I learned the most from Burgess and Cesar and Frank."
03 of 08
Eartha Kitt on Batman
Eartha Kitt as Catwoman on the 'Batman' series in 1967
Credit: Everett Collection
On the third and final season of the Batman series, Eartha Kitt took over the role of Catwoman.
Though she played the role for only one season, she had a lasting impact on the Batman franchise and future superhero projects, as she was the first Black actress to portray the character.
"That character to me was so much fun," Kitt said during an interview with Michael Rosen in October 2002. "I was in dire need of tremendous help at that time, and like a starving cat, I had to find a way to survive. And something wonderful always happens. It was one of the most wonderful bones that has ever been thrown to me."
The singer-songwriter and actress was known for the 1953 holiday hit "Santa Baby" and voicing Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove franchise. She also appeared in 1992's Boomerang and 2003's Holes.
Kitt died at the age of 81 on Christmas Day 2008.
04 of 08
Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns (1992)
Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in 1992's 'Batman Returns'
Credit: Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock
In Tim Burton's Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman opposite Michael Keaton's Batman.
Annette Bening was originally cast in the role but had to drop out of filming due to her pregnancy — she shared on a 2024 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that she had even been measured for the costume. Several stars were reportedly up for the part, including Cher and Madonna, but it eventually went to Pfeiffer.
Following the success of the 1992 film, there was talk of Pfeiffer starring in a standalone Catwoman film, per The New York Times, but that never came to fruition.
Still, Pfeiffer has said she would love to reprise the role if the opportunity arose.
"I mean, that would be incredible," Pfeiffer told former Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb in April 2019. "I was sad when that ended. I was just getting comfortable with everything that I had to deal with and beginning to have some fun with it, and then it was over."
It seems as though fans would love to see her in the role again, too — a clip of her expertly wielding her whip went viral on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2021.
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05 of 08
Halle Berry in Catwoman (2004)
Halle Berry as Catwoman in 2004's 'Catwoman'
Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Berry took on the titular role in the 2004 film shortly after becoming the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for Monster's Ball at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002.
She later recalled that people tried to talk her out of taking on the campy comic book part.
"People said to me, 'You can't do that. You've just won the Oscar,' " she told Varietyin September 2020. "[But] I thought, 'This is a great chance for a woman of color to be a superhero. Why wouldn't I try this?' "
The film performed poorly at the box office, and Berry has discussed the aftermath of the critical failure. For Entertainment Weekly's 2024 oral history of Catwoman, the Crime 101star admitted that the backlash was difficult to handle despite being "used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way."
She didn't let it bring her down, however, adding, "A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn't love it, but it wasn't going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do."
Berry even celebrated the film's 20th anniversary in 2024 by posting a slideshow on Instagram of herself topless as she posed in a black cat-eye mask with her kittens Boots and Coco.
"And STILL... meow!" she captioned the post. "It's been 20 years today since I had the honor of bringing this iconic character to life. She will always be close to my heart and I will forever be Patience Phillips aka CATWOMAN!"
06 of 08
Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in 2012's 'The Dark Knight Rises'
Credit: Ron Phillips/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
In the final installment of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway took on the role of Catwoman.
When auditioning for the 2012 film, Hathaway actually thought the part was for Harley Quinn, telling BBC Radio 1 in April 2020, "I wore these flat Joker-y looking shoes. And I was trying to give Chris these crazy little smiles. About an hour into the meeting, he said, 'Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but it's Catwoman.' And I was like shifting into a different gear."
In addition to learning martial arts for the movie, as reported by Collider, Hathaway modeled her character's speech after actress Hedy Lamarr, who was the original inspiration for the Catwoman character in the comics, per PBS.
07 of 08
Camren Bicondova on Gotham
Camren Bicondova as young Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman) on 'Gotham' in 2014
Credit: Jessica Miglio/FOX
On Fox's Gotham series, which served as the origin stories of Batman and his infamous enemies, Camren Bicondova played the younger version of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman).
Despite playing the character all five seasons, an adult Selina was played by Lili Simmons on the series finale on April 25, 2019.
"The only three words that I can describe this experience with are awesome, an honor and grateful," Bicondova told Collider in October 2014 about playing the character. "Every synonym of those three words is me, at the moment. It's great. I'm getting to show a side of Selina Kyle that nobody's ever seen before, and that's cool. I feel pretty special."
08 of 08
Zoë Kravitz in The Batman (2022)
Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman in 2022's 'The Batman'
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics
In 2022's The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the titular character, Kravitz took on the role of Catwoman.
Kravitz told Empire she studied wild cats to get into character.
"We watched cats and lions and how they fight, and talked about what is actually possible when you're my size and Batman's so much stronger than me," she said. "What is my skill? It's being fast and tricky. So we did some really interesting floor work that incorporated different kinds of martial arts and capoeira and a kind of feline, dance-like movement."
As the Caught Stealing actress and Blink Twice director explained it, The Batman is "an origin story for Selina," adding, "It's the beginning of her figuring out who she is, beyond just someone trying to survive. I think there's a lot of space to grow, and I think we are watching her become what I'm sure will be the femme fatale."
Kravitz also joked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2022 that she drank milk from a bowl to really get into character and also noted that she "hung out with cats a lot" while filming.
She told GQthat November, "Batman was the first time that I felt like I was in something undeniable."
Pfeiffer welcomed Kravitz into the Catwoman club with some hilarious advice during an appearance on Good Morning Americain October 2019.
After saying she was "so excited" for Kravitz, TheMadison star said, "Make sure, whilst designing the costume, they consider how you're gonna go to the bathroom. Minor detail, but it's an important one."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
