Robert Lowery

An American actor known for his impressive physique and roles in action films, Robert Lowery played Batman in the 1949 movie serial. A native of Missouri, Lowery was a standout athlete who played for the local minor league baseball team, the Kansas City Blues. After the early death of his father, he and his mother moved to California where he landed a contract with 20th Century Fox. His first film roles in the '30s were the typical bit parts, before he earned a supporting role in the 1938 comedy "Passport Husband" and a part in the John Ford war film "Drums Along the Mohawk." He played alongside Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in "The Mark of Zorro" in 1940, the first in a series of action/adventure films. He starred in the 1945 noir "Road to Alcatraz" and in the comedic Western "God's Country" in '46--a very productive period for the actor. His fame increased with his starring role in the 15-part serial "Batman and Robin." Afterwards he continued his prominent roles in Westerns, such as Sheriff Pat Garrett in the film "I Shot Billy the Kid" and, in his first TV appearances, various roles on "Cowboy G-Men." Television offered him many opportunities but curtailed his film work. He earned a regular role on the 30-minute family Western program "Circus Boy," and guest-starred on a staggering array of other programs, many of them Westerns, including a regular stint on the comedy "Pistols 'n' Petticoats," his final role.