Trivia of Julie Newmar

 Trivia of Julie Newmar (16 August 1933)

*Young Newmar studied ballet and classical piano, and later performed for the ‘Los Angeles Opera’ as a prima ballerina. She graduated from ‘John Marshall High School’ at the age of 15 and then joined the UCLA. But she quit after six weeks and joined ‘Universal Studios’ as a choreographer and dancer.While working at ‘Universal Studios’ Julie Newmar made uncredited appearances in the movies ‘ Just For You (1952), She’s Working Her Way Through College’ (1952) and ‘Call Me Madam’ (1953).

*She made her first credited appearance under the name Julie Newmeyer as ‘the gilded girl’ in the movie ‘Serpent of the Nile’ (1953). The small role of her dancing completely painted in gold wearing next to nothing turned her into a sex symbol.The star used her Newmeyer name until 1957, when she opted for the shorter Newmar that she is still known by today.

*Newmar was also active on stage during the 1950s. On Broadway, she made her first appearance in 1955 while performing Silk Stockings. This role led Newmar to a contract with 20th Century Fox, made her become Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield-type roles in Hollywood.

*Julie Newmar won a Tony award as Featured Actress in the 1958 Broadway comedy The Marriage-Go-Round, which starred Claudette Colbert and Charles Boyer. She played a Swedish bombshell who wanted the married Boyer, a college professor, to father her baby so the child would have brains and beauty. Newmar repeated the role in the 1961 film version with Susan Hayward and James Mason.

*One of her early roles on TV that earned her Golden Globe nominations was in My Living Doll, an American sitcom. This show was aired for one season before it ended after 26 episodes of running.She plays an android called Rhoda that becomes the responsibility of an Air Force psychiatrist played by Robert Cummings. Most of the humor is derived from Cummings' character trying to keep Rhoda's android identity a secret. In an interview with Starlog Magazine, Newmar stated that CBS considered Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. before casting Cummings. "(The show) needed a different kind of actor...It was not a flip part--it needed a straight actor who could play opposite this bizarre creature so the comedy would come off."

*The Batman TV series was already a hit in 1966 when Julie Newmar was offered the role of Catwoman. She had never heard of the show, but her brother had--and told her she had to take the part. Newmar portrayed Catwoman in thirteen episodes during the first two seasons of Batman. Due to a scheduling conflict, she was replaced by Lee Meriwether in the 1966 Batman theatrical film. Also, Eartha Kitt replaced her as Catwoman during Batman's third and final season. Long after the show ended, Newmar acquired her form-fitting Catwoman costume and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution where it's displayed on the third floor of the Museum of American History in Washington, as one of the "National Treasures of Popular Culture."

*In the 1970s, Newmar received two U.S. patents for pantyhose and one for a brassiere.The pantyhose were described as having "cheeky derriere relief" and promoted under the name "Nudemar". The brassiere was described as "nearly invisible" and in the style of Marilyn Monroe.