When 19-year-old Burt Ward, born Bert Gervis, was cast as Robin, he'd never acted on camera before, but he was already a lifelong performer, having appeared in his father's ice skating show at age 2. As Batman's youthful partner, Ward's guileless energy was a perfect match for the self-aware tone of the show, and the series afforded him plenty of opportunities to show off his comedy skills without the mask, as in the Season 1 episode in which Robin must go undercover as a juvenile delinquent. A student of karate, Ward performed many more of his own stunts than his co-star Adam West, which resulted in a number of injuries over the series' three-season run.
Despite still being young, handsome, and charming, Ward had difficulty finding meaningful acting work after "Batman" ended. For better or worse, he was inescapably linked to Robin, and decades later, the Boy Wonder continues to be his most famous role. Ward has returned to the cape and tights many times, voicing Robin in the 1977 animated series "The New Adventures of Batman," the 2016 animated film "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders," and its 2017 sequel. In 2019, he had a cameo in The CW's superhero series crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths," playing Robin in the alternate universe "Earth-66." These days, Ward's focus is on the convention circuit and the canine charity organization he runs with his wife, Gentle Giants.
