Bio
Bert John Gervis, Jr. was born July 6, 1945 in Los Angeles. When he started acting, he changed the "e" in Bert to "u", feeling that it added more zip to his character. Finally, he adopted the last name of Ward, his mother's maiden name.
Landing the role of Robin - a feat he accomplished without reading a single Batman comic book - proved to be both a blessing and a curse. The role propelled him to instant fame. But it had its drawbacks as well. For instance, since his face was more exposed than Batman's, he had to perform his own stunts - even when costar Adam West got to use a stunt double.
The role of Robin also left Burt virtually unemployable when Batman closed. For he was too recognizable as Robin. His only notable appearance since was the role of teacher Dick Murphy in the low budget and soft-core porn film Virgin High. And even Dick Murphy couldn't shake the Robin type cast, as the "Holy" expletive was inserted libereally throughout his lines.
Landing the role of Robin - a feat he accomplished without reading a single Batman comic book - proved to be both a blessing and a curse. The role propelled him to instant fame. But it had its drawbacks as well. For instance, since his face was more exposed than Batman's, he had to perform his own stunts - even when costar Adam West got to use a stunt double.
The role of Robin also left Burt virtually unemployable when Batman closed. For he was too recognizable as Robin. His only notable appearance since was the role of teacher Dick Murphy in the low budget and soft-core porn film Virgin High. And even Dick Murphy couldn't shake the Robin type cast, as the "Holy" expletive was inserted libereally throughout his lines.
