ACTRESS Diane McBain, best known for her role in the Batman TV series and starring alongside Elvis Presley, has died aged 81.
The star died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California following a battle with liver cancer.
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The tragic news of her death was confirmed by her friend Michael Gregg Michaud.
He wrote on social media: “It is with great sadness that I report actress Diane McBain lost her battle with liver cancer and passed away on December 21, 2022,” Deadline reported.
The duo had co-authored her 2014 memoir Famous Enough.
McBain was best known for her role in the 1966 film spinout alongside Elvis Presley and starring in the ABC series Surfside 6.
She was initially working as a model before signing a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers Studios on her 18th birthday in 1959, Michaud said.
She made her debut in her acting career in an episode of ABC’s Maverick starring James Garner.
The following year, she portrayed Daphne Dutton on ABC’s crime series Surfside 6.
The series which ran from 1960 to 1962 also featured Troy Donahue, Van Williams and Lee Patterson.
In 1961 she played the role of Claudelle English – the favorite of her career – and played in Parrish with Donahue.
She also appeared in four Batman episodes in 1966 and 1967.
Other roles in TV series such as Sugarfoot, Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Burke’s Law, The Wild Wild West and The Man From UNCLE
Her most recognizable film role was the author Diana St. Clair, who is trying to profile famous race car driver and singer Mike McCoy, who is portrayed by Elvis.
“Women have asked me many times what it was like to kiss Elvis,” McBain said in an interview last year with Boomer Magazine, “and I tell them it was just as wonderful as you would imagine!
“He was charming and a lovely person to work with. He didn’t come on to me, which I appreciated because so many did throughout my career.”
McBain appeared in a number of TV shows during the 70s and 80s including Mod Squad, Police Story, Marcus Welby, Hawaii Five-O, Charlie’s Angels, Eight is Enough, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives.
Her last role before retiring was on the 2001 TV series Strong Medicine.
In addition to her memoir, she wrote The Laughing Bear in 2020 and The Color of Hope in 2021.
She launched a second career, becoming an advocate for victims of sexual assault after she was attacked by two men in West Hollywood on Christmas Day in 1982.
She is survived by her son Evan Burke and goddaughter Mary Haber.
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