Yvonne Craig dead: Actress who played Batgirl in Batman TV series dies aged 78

Ms Craig acted alongside Adam West and Burt Ward

Yvonne Craig appeared alongside Burt Ward and Adam West in the Batman TV series (Rex)

Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl in the 1960s TV series Batman, has died at the age of 78.

Regarded by many as a pioneer of on-screen female superheroes, Craig - a trained dancer - was renowned for doing her own stunts in the show.

An obituary posted on her official website explains that she passed away at her home in Pacific Palisades, in Los Angeles, on August 17 from complications with breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver.

The actress had been battling breast cancer for two years, her family said in a statement to CNN.

Over the course of her career, she worked opposite Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and James Coburn. In 2000, she wrote a book of anecdotal memoirs, titled From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, which covered some of her years in the ballet and theatrical career. In 2009, she voiced Grandma in the Olivia cartoon series.

Craig also gained recognition as the green-skinned Orion slave girl Marta, who wanted to kill Captain Kirk in Star Trek. She also appeared as a guest star in many series, including The Six Million Dollar Man, Mod Squad and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

“She had been in chemo almost continuously for the past two plus years since being diagnosed and that had weakened her immune system as well as her body,” he family said in a statement.

“This didn't dampen her sense of humour or her spirit, she intended to fight and win this battle. In the end, her mind still wanted to fight but her body had given up.”

The family is to hold a private service and have asked that donations be made to the cancer research and treatment centre: the Angeles Clinic Foundation.