Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl, dies at 78

In this July 11, 1959, file photo, actress Yvonne Craig poses on the set of "The Gene Krupa Story," in Los Angeles. (AP)

Yvonne Craig, the actress who starred as Batgirl on the 1960s ABC series “Batman”, has died at 78.

Craig died at her Pacific Palisades, California home on Monday night, according to an obituary posted on her website. The cause of death was breast cancer that had spread to her liver.

She joined "Batman" for the series' third and final season in 1967. Craig played the dual role of Batgirl and Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon who was played by Neil Hamilton. Craig did all of her own stunts on the show, including motorcycle riding, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Craig was also known for her appearance on an episode of “Star Trek” in 1969 when she played an Orion Slave Girl who wanted to kill Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner.

The Taylorville, Illinois native began her career at 17 when she became the youngest member of the The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was with the troop for three years before she was chosen to play the part of Elena de la Madrid in the 1959 movie “The Young Land.”

She went on to appear alongside Elvis Presley in two movies, 1963's “It Happened at the World’s Fair” and 1964's “Kissin’ Cousins.” She even had a brief relationship with Presley, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Craig would go on to other roles in television series like “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” and “Mod Squad."

Most recently, Craig appeared on the Nickelodeon show “Olivia” as the voice of Grandma in 2009. She also served as an executive producer for a documentary feature called “BIRTH” and had become a real estate agent, according to her website.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Craig and her sister, Meridel, also invested in the prepaid phone card business at its inception. They produced phone cards for the movie “Clueless” as well as Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny cards for Warner Bros. stores.

Craig is survived by her sister, husband Kenneth Aldrich and nephews Christopher and Todd Carson.