View source for Julie Newmar

{{short description|American actress (born 1933)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox person 
| name         = Julie Newmar
| image        = Julie Newmar - 1965.jpg      
| imagesize    = 
| caption      = Newmar in 1965
| birth_name   = Julia Chalene Newmeyer
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1933|08|16}}
| birth_place  = [[Los Angeles]], California, US
| known_for    = [[Catwoman in other media|Catwoman]] in ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]''<br>''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'' (play and the [[The Marriage-Go-Round (film)|film adaptation]])
| occupation   = {{hlist|Actress|dancer|singer|businesswoman|writer}}
| awards       = [[Inkpot Award]] (2014)<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
| years_active = 1952–present
| spouse       = {{marriage|J. Holt Smith|1977|1984|end=divorced}}
| children     = 1
| website      = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Julie Newmar''' (born '''Julia Chalene Newmeyer'''; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estate [[Business magnate|mogul]]. She won the [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play]] for her role as Katrin Sveg in the 1958 [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] production of ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'', and reprised the role in the 1961 film version, earning Newmar a nomination for a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Actress]]. In the 1960s, she starred for two seasons as [[Catwoman in other media|Catwoman]] in the television series ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' (1966–1967). Her other stage credits include ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' in 1956, Lola in ''[[Damn Yankees!]]'' in 1961, and in 1965, as Irma in regional productions of ''[[Irma la Douce]]''.

Newmar appeared in the music video for [[George Michael]]'s 1992 single "[[Too Funky]]" and had a cameo as herself in the 1995 film ''[[To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar]]''. Her voice work includes the animated feature films ''[[Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders]]'' (2016) and ''[[Batman vs. Two-Face]]'' (2017), for which she reprised her role as Catwoman, 50 years after the original television series.

==Early life==
Newmar was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 1933,<ref>{{cite book |last=Brode |first=Douglas |title=Deadlier Than the Male: Femme Fatales in 1960s and 1970s Cinema |date=2016 |publisher=BearManor Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PNRNDwAAQBAJ&dq=Julie+Newmar+1933&pg=PT471 |access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Blum |first=Daniel C. |title=Screen World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wddkAAAAMAAJ&q=Julie+Newmar+1933 |publisher=Crown Publishers |date=2006 |pages=369 |access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref> as the eldest of three children born to [[Don Newmeyer|Don]] and Helene (née Jesmer) Newmeyer.<ref name="Chapman">{{cite news |last1=Chapman |first1=John |title=Curtain Going Up! |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-julie-newmar-born-1933/177707466/ |work=Daily News |date=July 9, 1969 |location=New York, NY |page=14 |access-date=July 29, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Her father was head of the physical education department at [[Los Angeles City College]], and had played [[American football]] professionally in the 1920s with the 1926 [[Los Angeles Buccaneers]] of the [[National Football League]]. Her Swedish-French mother was a fashion designer, who used "Chalene" as her professional name, and later became a real estate investor.<ref name=groovy>{{cite web |last=Min |first=Janice |title=Feline Groovy |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20101852,00.html |work=People |date=October 16, 1995 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327135251/https://people.com/archive/feline-groovy-vol-44-no-16/ |archive-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref>

Newmar has two younger brothers: Peter Bruce Newmeyer, who was killed in a skiing accident, and John A. Newmeyer, who became a writer, epidemiologist, and winemaker.<ref>[http://www.newmeyer.com/about.php Newmeyer family genealogy site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040908/http://www.newmeyer.com/about.php |date=December 1, 2017}}, newmeyer.com; accessed October 10, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Strider |first=Chris |title=Swingin' Chicks of the '60s |publisher=Cedco Press |year=2000 |page=171 |isbn=978-0-768-32232-3}}</ref> She began dancing at an early age, and performed as a [[prima ballerina]] with the [[Los Angeles Opera]] when she was 15.<ref name=Huqueriza/>

==Career==

===Early work and stage career===
[[File:George Tobias Julie Newmar Gardner McKay Adventures in Paradise 1960.jpg|thumb|On the set of ''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]'' (1960), L–R: [[George Tobias]], Newmar, and [[Gardner McKay]]]]
[[Image:Buzandvicky.jpg|thumb|250px|[[George Maharis]] with guest star Newmar in ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' (1962)]]
[[File:Bob Cummings Julie Newmar My Living Doll.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Newmar with [[Bob Cummings]] in ''[[My Living Doll]]'' (1964)]]
Newmar appeared in bit parts and uncredited roles in films as a dancer, including a part as the "dancer-assassin" in ''[[Slaves of Babylon]]'' (1953)<ref name="Chapman"/> and the "gilded girl" in ''[[Serpent of the Nile]]'' (1953), in which she was clad in gold paint. She danced in several other films, including ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (also 1953) and ''[[Demetrius and the Gladiators]]'' (1954).<ref name="Chapman"/> She also worked as a choreographer and dancer for [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] beginning at the age of 19.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/julie-newmar-9542351|work=Biography.com|publisher=[[The Biography Channel]]|access-date=June 2, 2017|title=Julie Newmar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414222718/https://www.biography.com/people/julie-newmar-9542351|archive-date=April 14, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehollywoodsentinel.com/issue29newmar.html|work=The Hollywood Sentinel|title=Bruce Edwin Interview Julie Newmar|access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref> Her first major role, billed as Julie Newmeyer, was as Dorcas, one of the brides in ''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (film)|Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' (1954). She was also the female lead in a low-budget comedy, ''[[The Rookie (1959 film)|The Rookie]]'' (1959).<ref name="ibdb">{{IBDB name|id=54483}}</ref>

Newmar made her Broadway debut in 1955 as Vera in ''[[Silk Stockings]]'', starring [[Hildegarde Neff]] and [[Don Ameche]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Silk Stockings – Broadway Musical – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/silk-stockings-2504 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> In the following year she created the role of Stupefyin' Jones (a three-minute cameo) in the [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] production of ''[[Li'l Abner (musical)|Li'l Abner]]''. She stayed with the production for its entire run from November 1956 through July 1958,<ref>{{cite web |title=Li'l Abner – Broadway Musical – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/lil-abner-2585 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> and also appeared in the film version, released in 1959. A few months later, ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'' opened on Broadway, with Newmar in the role of Swedish vixen Katrin Sveg, for which Newmar won the 1959 [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Marriage-Go-Round – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-marriage-go-round-2708 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> She later re-created this role for the [[The Marriage-Go-Round (film)|1961 film adaptation]], starring [[James Mason]] and [[Susan Hayward]]. In 1961, she appeared in the [[Sam Spewack]] play ''Once There Was a Russian'', which lasted only one performance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Once There Was a Russian – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/once-there-was-a-russian-2292 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> She later starred opposite [[Joel Grey]] in the national tour of ''[[Stop the World – I Want to Get Off]]'', staying with the tour from March to October 1963.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stop the World – I Want to Get Off – Broadway Musical – Tour {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/stop-the-world--i-want-to-get-off-531380 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> In 1973, Newmar was slated to return to Broadway in the [[David Rabe]] play ''[[In the Boom Boom Room|Boom Boom Room]]'', opening on November 8, 1973, at the [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]] at [[Lincoln Center]]. Director [[Julie Bovasso]] fired Newmar during rehearsals, and she was replaced by her understudy, [[Mary Woronov]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Press of Atlantic City 19 Oct 1973, page 9 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/922452744/ |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Bovasso was then replaced as director during previews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boom Boom Room – Broadway Show – Play {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/boom-boom-room-11182 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>

===Television work===
[[File:Julie Newmar Catwoman Batman 1966.JPG|thumb|right|190px|Newmar as [[Catwoman in other media|Catwoman]] (1966)]]
Newmar's fame stems mainly from her television appearances. Her statuesque form and height made her a larger-than-life sex symbol, most often cast as a temptress or Amazonian beauty, including an early appearance in a sexy maid costume in ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''. She starred as Rhoda the Robot in the television series ''[[My Living Doll]]'' (1964–1965), and is known for her recurring role in the 1960s television series ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' as the villainess Catwoman. ([[Lee Meriwether]] played Catwoman in the [[Batman (1966 film)|1966 feature film]] due to Newmar being unaware that a film was going to be made, and being already signed onto an adaptation of ''[[Monsieur Lecoq]]'' that never got made, and [[Eartha Kitt]] portrayed Catwoman in the series' final season. For the final season, Newmar was busy making the film ''[[Mackenna’s Gold]]'', shot during the filming of the final season, but not released until 1969.) Newmar modified her Catwoman costume—now in the [[Smithsonian Institution]]—and placed the belt at the hips instead of the waist to emphasize her [[hourglass figure]].<ref name="moore20110124">{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Booth |title=Catching up with the original Catwoman, Julie Newmar |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2011/01/catching-up-with-the-original-catwoman-julie-newmar.html#more |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 24, 2011 |access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref>

In 1962, Newmar appeared twice as the motorcycle-riding, free-spirited heiress Vicki Russell in ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', filmed in [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]] ("How Much a Pound Is Albatross") and in [[Tennessee]] ("Give the Old Cat a Tender Mouse"). She guest-starred in ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' as the devil in "[[Of Late I Think of Cliffordville]]", ''[[F Troop]]'' ("Yellow Bird" in 1966) as a girl kidnapped as a child and raised by Native Americans, ''[[Bewitched]]'' ("The Eight-Year Itch Witch" in 1971) as a cat named Ophelia given human form, ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' as a Swedish actress who stays with the Clampetts to learn their accents and mannerisms for a role, and ''[[Get Smart]]'' as a double agent, posing as a maid, assigned to Maxwell Smart's apartment. In 1967, she guest-starred as April Conquest in an episode of ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' ("Monkees Get Out More Dirt", season one, episode 29), in which the main characters all fall in love with her, and played the pregnant Capellan princess, Eleen, in the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "[[Friday's Child (Star Trek: The Original Series)|Friday's Child]]". In 1969, she played a hit woman in the ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'' episode "The Funeral is on Mundy" with [[Robert Wagner]]. In 1983, she reprised the hit-woman role in ''[[Hart to Hart]]'', Wagner's later television series, in the episode "A Change of Hart". In the 1970s, she had guest roles in ''[[Columbo]]'' and ''[[The Bionic Woman]]''.

===Later roles===

Newmar appeared in several low-budget films during the next two decades. She guest-starred on TV, appearing in ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'', ''[[CHiPs]]'', and ''[[Fantasy Island]]''. She was featured in the music video for [[George Michael]]'s "[[Too Funky]]" in 1992. She appeared as herself in the 1995 film ''[[To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar]]'' and a 1996 episode of ''[[Melrose Place]]''.
[[File:Julie Newmar by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|Newmar attending [[Phoenix Comic Fest|Phoenix Comicon]], 2014]]

In 2003, Newmar appeared as herself in the television movie ''[[Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt]]'' alongside former ''Batman'' co-stars [[Adam West]], [[Burt Ward]], [[Frank Gorshin]], and [[Lee Meriwether]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Return To The Batcave |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/return-to-the-batcave/ |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=March 6, 2003 |access-date=August 8, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> Julia Rose played Newmar in flashbacks to the production of the television series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Julie Newmar and Batman Comments: Original Catwoman Sounds Off |url=https://www.christianpost.com/trends/julie-newmar-and-batman-comments-original-catwoman-sounds-off.html |website=www.christianpost.com |date=July 29, 2012 |access-date=August 8, 2019}}</ref> However, due to longstanding rights issues over footage from the ''Batman'' TV series, only footage of Meriwether taken from the feature film was allowed to be used in the television movie.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nolasco |first=Stephanie |title=Catwoman Lee Meriwether recalls steamy on-set kiss with 'Batman' star Adam West |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/catwoman-lee-meriwether-recalls-steamy-on-set-kiss-with-batman-star-adam-west |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=January 9, 2018 |access-date=August 8, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2016, she provided the voice of Catwoman in the animated film ''[[Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders]]''. In 2017, she reprised her role in the animated sequel ''[[Batman vs. Two-Face]]''. Newmar also appeared on ''[[The Home and Family Show]]'' in May 2016, where she met ''[[Gotham (TV series)|Gotham]]'' actress [[Camren Bicondova]] who portrays a younger Selina Kyle.<ref>{{cite web |title=TV's Catwoman Camren Bicondova & Julie Newmar – Home & Family |url=http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/videos/tvs-catwoman-camren-bicondova-julie-newmar-home-family |work=The Hallmark Channel |access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>

In 2019, Newmar played the role of Dr. [[Julia Hoffman]] (replacing the late [[Grayson Hall]]) in the audio drama miniseries ''[[Dark Shadows]]: Bloodline''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Julie Newmar joins Dark Shadows – News – Big Finish |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/julie-newmar-joins-dark-shadows}}</ref>

==Inventor and entrepreneur==
In the 1970s, Newmar received two U.S. patents for [[pantyhose]]<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=3914799|title=Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derriere relief|gdate=1975-10-28 |fdate=1974-09-25|inventor=Julie Newmar}}<br />{{cite patent|country=US|number=4003094|title=Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derrier relief|gdate=1977-01-18|fdate=1975-08-28|inventor=Julie Newmar}}</ref> and two for a [[bra]]ssiere, one being a [[design patent]].<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=3935865|title=Brassiere|gdate=1976-02-03 |fdate=1974-11-22|inventor=Julie Newmar}}</ref><ref>[https://ppubs.uspto.gov/api/pdf/downloadPdf/D235389?requestToken=eyJzdWIiOiJmOWJjNTBkZS1hMmFmLTRlMGUtYWFiOC0zNjdkNDNlYzg3ZDUiLCJ2ZXIiOiI4MmE2OWNiOC1jZDQzLTRlY2QtYjgzZC1iNzY5ODRkYTNkZmUiLCJleHAiOjB9 Design Patent 235,389]</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Junoesque Julie Newmar Wins a Patent on a New Kind of Pantyhose |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20067432,00.html |url-status=dead |work=People |volume=7 |issue=6 |page=76 |date=February 14, 1977 |access-date=January 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110113155/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20067432,00.html |archive-date=January 10, 2011}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Julie Newmar Patents<ref>[https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html Patent Search based on Julie + Newmar]</ref>
!Title
!Patent Number
!Publication Date
|-
|Design Patent for Brassiere
|US-D235389-S
|1975-06-17
|-
|Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derrière relief
|US-3914799-A
|1975-10-28
|-
|Brassiere
|US-3935865-A
|1976-02-03
|-
|Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derrière relief
(A change in the types fabrics of the earlier patent)
|US-4003094-A
|1977-01-18
|}

=== Real estate entrepreneur ===
[[File:Map of Fairfax district, Los Angeles, California.png|thumb|Map of [[Fairfax District, Los Angeles|Fairfax District]]]]
Newmar's parents engaged in real estate investing in the 1940s and 1950s, purchasing buildings in the [[La Brea Avenue|La Brea]] and [[Fairfax District, Los Angeles|Fairfax Avenue areas]] of [[Los Angeles]]. Her father owned property on Fairfax and Rosewood Avenue in the 1940s. As a young actress, she ran the real estate enterprise.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-14 |title=Column: TV's Catwoman battles rude customers obsessed with ultra high-end street wear |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-catwoman-fairfax-20180214-story.html |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> In the 1970s, Newmar returned to UCLA to study real estate and had expanded her continued management of the real estate investor business practice of her parents. She had made notable investments in the La Brea and [[Melrose Avenue]] area. Melrose Avenue passes through the Fairfax District, where her parents had been property owners in an earlier time, as shown on the map to the right. She was considered to have significantly contributed to the area's development. Newmar was described as having had contributed significant time in community advocacy as well.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-19 |title=Inside Catwoman star Julie Newmar's life away from Hollywood at 91 — the surprising sources of her wealth now |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/832895/catwoman-julie-newmar-life-away-from-hollywood-income-family-now/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=HELLO! |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-01 |title=Julie Newmar - Actress, Dancer, Inventor, Businesswoman, Real Estate Investor |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julie-newmar/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=TV Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Personal life==
After a broken engagement to novelist [[Louis L'Amour]]<ref name=groovy/> and romances with comedian [[Mort Sahl]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Curtis |first=James |title=Last Man Standing |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |year=2017 |page=161 |isbn=9781496811998}}</ref> and actor [[Ken Scott (actor)|Ken Scott]],<ref>[http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/465/Leticia+Roman/register.php Leticia Roman Profile - Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen]</ref> Newmar married J. Holt Smith, a lawyer, on August 5, 1977, and moved with him to [[Fort Worth, Texas]], where she lived until their divorce in 1984.<<ref name=demaret>{{cite web |last=Demaret |first=Kent |title=At 42, Julie Newmar Takes Her First Husband, and a Texas Lawyer Gets His Own Living Doll |url=http://people.com/archive/at-42-julie-newmar-takes-her-first-husband-and-a-texas-lawyer-gets-his-own-living-doll-vol-8-no-11/ |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=September 12, 1977 |access-date=June 2, 2017}}</ref> They had a son in 1981.<ref>[http://womensissues.about.com/od/startingover/a/JulieNewmar.htm After Catwoman: Julie Newmar's Many Lives] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925095057/http://womensissues.about.com/od/startingover/a/JulieNewmar.htm |date=September 25, 2016}}, womensissues.about.com; accessed October 1, 2014.</ref>

Newmar has [[Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease]], an inherited neurological condition that affects one in 2,500 Americans.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dador |first=Denise |title=Actress shares her story about having CMT |url=http://abc7.com/archive/7442797/ |work=ABC7 Los Angeles |date=May 14, 2010 |access-date=August 19, 2015}}</ref>

A legal battle with her neighbor, actor [[Jim Belushi]], ended amicably with an invitation to guest-star in his sitcom ''[[According to Jim]]'' in an episode ("The Grumpy Guy") that poked fun at the feud.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Belushi-Newmar-end-years-long-feud/99751139026549/ |title=Belushi, Newmar end years-long feud |date=February 3, 2006 |website=UPI |access-date=September 30, 2021}}</ref>

An avid [[gardener]], Newmar initiated at least a temporary ban on [[leaf blower]]s with the [[Los Angeles City Council]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gumbel |first=Peter |title=Actress Julie Newmar and Others Struggle With Noisy Leaf Blowers |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB881101258401263000?mod=googlewsj |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 3, 1997 |access-date=January 18, 2009}}</ref> She supported the presidential campaigns of [[Eugene McCarthy]] in 1968 and [[Ron Paul]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://13thdimension.com/my-brother-one-cool-cat-by-julie-newmar/|title=https://13thdimension.com/my-brother-one-cool-cat-by-julie-newmar/ |date=January 10, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Newmar|first=Julie|title=Ron Paul – Changing my Mind 1-1-2012|url=http://www.facebook.com/jnewmar/posts/2766573696408|publisher=Facebook|access-date=2012-01-16}}</ref>

Newmar, whose brother is gay, has been a vocal supporter of [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights]].<ref name=Huqueriza>{{cite web |last=Huqueriza |first=Chris |title=Julie Newmar, Original Catwoman, Receives LGBT Award |url=http://southfloridagaynews.com/Celebrity/julie-newmar-original-catwoman-receives-lgbt-award.html |work=South Florida Gay News |date=January 15, 2013 |access-date=June 1, 2017}}</ref> In 2013, she was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing organization in Los Angeles.<ref name=Huqueriza/>

Newmar is a classically trained pianist.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keeps|date=May 1, 2015 |first1=David A. |title=Julie Newmar to give public a look at her Brentwood garden |url=https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-newmar-garden-20150502-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=29 July 2025|quote=...Julie Newmar, the early blooming classical pianist...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Newmar |first1=Julie |title=MUSIC - made all the difference in my life. |url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxbQBGlvjSi/ |website=instagram.com |publisher=Julie Newmar via [[Instagram]] |access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cross |first1=Lucy E. |title=Julie Newmar |url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/artist/julie-newmar/ |website=masterworksbroadway.com |publisher=[[Sony Music Entertainment (United States)|Sony Music Entertainment]] |access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Berenz |first1=Ryan|date=August 16, 2023 |title=To Julie Newmar, Happy 90th Birthday! All of Us |url=https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/5575/julie-newmar-catwoman-photos-birthday/ |website=remindmagazine.com |publisher=NTVB Media (owner of [[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]])|access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
In 2012, [[Bluewater Comics]] released a four-issue comic miniseries titled ''The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Marc|title=The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar|publisher=Bluewater Productions|year=2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KVaktcR8Ow4C&q=secret+lives+of+julie+newmar|isbn=978-1-467-51620-4}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1952 || ''[[She's Working Her Way Through College]]'' || Julie || Uncredited
|-
| 1952 || ''[[Just for You (1952 film)|Just for You]]'' || Chorine || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[The I Don't Care Girl]]'' || Beale Street Blues Dancer || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Call Me Madam (film)|Call Me Madam]]'' || Ocarna Dancer || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Serpent of the Nile]]'' || Gilded Girl || 
|-
| 1953 || ''[[The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953 film)|The Farmer Takes a Wife]]'' || Dancer || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'' || Chorus Girl || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' || Salon Model / Chorine in Girl Hunt Ballet || Uncredited
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Slaves of Babylon]]'' || Dancer-Assassin ||
|-
| 1953 || ''[[The Eddie Cantor Story]]'' || Showgirl || Uncredited
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Demetrius and the Gladiators]]'' || Primary Specialty Dancer || Uncredited
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' || Dorcas Gaylen ||
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|Deep in My Heart]]'' || Vamp || Uncredited
|-
| 1959 || ''[[Li'l Abner (1959 film)|Li'l Abner]]'' || "Stupefyin'" Jones ||
|-
| 1959 || ''[[The Rookie (1959 film)|The Rookie]]'' || Lili Marlene ||
|-
| 1961 || ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round (film)|The Marriage-Go-Round]]'' || Katrin Sveg || Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer]]
|-
| 1963 || ''[[For Love or Money (1963 film)|For Love or Money]]'' || Bonnie Brasher ||
|-
| 1969 || ''[[Mackenna's Gold]]'' || Hesh-Ke ||
|-
| 1969 || ''[[The Maltese Bippy]]'' || Carlotta Ravenswood ||
|-
| 1970 || ''Seduction of a Nerd'' || Mother Ferns || Also known as ''Up Your Teddy Bear''
|-
| 1971 || ''[[The Feminist and the Fuzz]]'' || Lilah McGuinness || Television film
|-
| 1972 || ''A Very Missing Person'' || Aleatha Westering || Television film 
|-1973 || ''Double Shock''          || Lisa Chambers     || Columbo TV Series 
| 1974 || ''Fools, Females and Fun'' || Carla Dean || Television film
|-
| 1977 || ''Terraces'' || Chalane Turner || Television film
|-
| 1983 || ''[[Hysterical (1983 film)|Hysterical]]'' || Venetia ||
|-
| 1984 || ''Love Scenes'' || Belinda ||
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Streetwalkin']]'' || "Queen Bee" ||
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Evils of the Night]]'' || Dr. Zarma ||
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Deep Space (film)|Deep Space]]'' || Lady Elaine Wentworth ||
|-
| 1988 || ''Body Beat'' || Miss McKenzie || Also known as ''Dance Academy''
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Ghosts Can't Do It]]'' || Angel || Nominated – [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress]]
|-
| 1990 || ''Nudity Required'' || Irina ||
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Oblivion (1994 film)|Oblivion]]'' || Miss Kitty ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar]]'' || Herself ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Oblivion 2: Backlash]]'' || Miss Kitty / Ariel Gwen Shana ||
|-
| 1999 || ''[[If... Dog... Rabbit...]]'' || Judy's Mother ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt]]'' || Herself / Arizona Bar Owner || Television film
|-
| 2010 || ''[[Beautiful Darling]]'' || Herself || Documentary 
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Bettie Page Reveals All]]'' || Herself || Documentary
|-
| 2012 || ''The Mechanical Bride'' || Herself, The Narrator || Documentary
|-
| 2013 || ''Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age'' || Herself || Documentary
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders]]'' || [[Catwoman]]<br>(voice) ||
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Batman vs. Two-Face]]'' || Catwoman<br>(voice) ||
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1957 || ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' || Suzie || Episode: "The Big Scandal"
|-
| 1959 || ''[[Omnibus (American TV program)|Omnibus]]'' || || Episode: "Malice in Wonderland"
|-
| 1960 || ''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]'' || Venus || Episode: "Open for Diving"
|-
| 1961 || ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]'' || Brandy Gideon Morfoot || Episode: "Gideon's Follies"
|-
| 1962 || ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' || Vicki Russell || 2 episodes
|-
| 1963 || ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' || Miss Devlin || Episode: "[[Of Late I Think of Cliffordville]]"
|-
| 1963 || ''[[The Danny Kaye Show]]'' || Herself || Episode: "1.12"
|-
| 1964 || ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]'' || Willa Harper || Episode: "Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears"
|-
| 1964–1965 || ''[[My Living Doll]]'' || Rhoda Miller || Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female]]
|-
| 1965 || ''[[Vacation Playhouse]]'' || Kris Meeker || Episode: "Three on an Island"
|-
| 1966–1967 || ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' || [[Catwoman]] / Minerva Matthews / Miss Klutz || 13 episodes
|-
| 1966 || ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' || Ulla Bergstrom || Episode: "The Beautiful Maid"
|-
| 1966 || ''[[F Troop]]'' || Cinthia Jeffries / Yellow Bird || Episode: "Yellow Bird"
|-
| 1967|| ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' || April Conquest || S1:E29, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt"
|-
| 1967 || ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' || Eleen || Episode: "[[Friday's Child (Star Trek: The Original Series)|Friday's Child]]"
|-
| 1968 || ''[[Get Smart (TV series)|Get Smart]]'' || Ingrid || Episode: "The Laser Blazer"
|-
| 1969 || ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'' || Susannah Sutton || Episode: "The Funeral Is on Mundy"
|-
| 1970 || ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' || Adrienne Redman || Episode: "Portrait of a Dead Girl"
|-
|1970–1972 || ''[[Love, American Style]]'' || Various Roles || 4 episodes
|-
| 1971 || ''[[NBC Children's Theatre]]'' || Herself || Episode: "Super Plastic Elastic Goggles"
|-
| 1971 || ''[[Bewitched]]'' || Ophelia || Episode: "The Eight Year Itch Witch"
|-
| 1973 || ''[[Columbo (season 2)|Columbo]]'' || Lisa Chambers || Episode: "Double Shock"
|- 
| 1975 || ''[[ABC's Wide World of Entertainment|ABC's Wide World of Mystery]]'' || || Episode: "The Black Box Murders"
|-
| 1975 || ''[[McMillan & Wife]]'' || Luciana Amaldi || Episode: "Aftershock" (Credited as "Julie Neumar")
|-
| 1976 || ''[[The Bionic Woman]]'' || Claudette || Episode: "Black Magic"
|-
| 1976 || ''[[Monster Squad]]'' || Ultra Witch || Episode: "Ultra Witch"
|-
| 1978 || ''[[Jason of Star Command]]'' || Queen Vanessa || 2 episodes
|-
| 1979 || ''[[The Love Boat]]'' || Marla Samms || Episode: "The Reunion/Haven't I Seen You?/Crew Confessions" 
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' || Zarina || 2 episodes
|-
| 1982 || ''[[The Powers of Matthew Star]]'' || Nian || Episode: "The Triangle"
|-
| 1982|| ''[[CHiPs]]'' || Cora Dwayne || Episode: "This Year's Riot"
|-
| 1983 || ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' || Doralee || Episode: "King of Burlesque/Death Games"
|-
| 1983 || ''[[Hart to Hart]]'' || Eve || Episode: "A Change of Heart"
|-
| 1984 || ''[[High School U.S.A.#Pilot|High School U.S.]]'' || Stripper || TV pilot
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Half Nelson (TV series)|Half Nelson]]'' || Herself || Episode: "The Deadly Vase"
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Hope & Gloria]]'' || Herself || Episode: "Whose Poppa?
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Melrose Place]]'' || Herself || Episode: "Triumph of the Bill"
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Maggie (1998 TV series)|Maggie]]'' || Catwoman || Episode: "If You Could See What I Hear"
|-
| 2006 || ''[[According to Jim]]''|| Julie || Episode: "The Grumpy Guy"
|-
| 2010 || ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' || [[Martha Wayne]] (voice) || Episode: "Chill of the Night!"
|-
|}

==Stage credits==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1940) 
*''[[Silk Stockings]]'' (1955)
*''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' (1956) (closed on the road) 
*''[[Li'l Abner (musical)|Li'l Abner]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'' (1958)
*''[[Damn Yankees]]'' (1961) 
*''Once There Was a Russian'' (1961)
*''[[Stop the World – I Want to Get Off]]'' (1963)
*''[[Irma La Douce (musical)|Irma La Douce]]'' (1964) 
*''Damn Yankees'' (1965) 
*''[[Dames at Sea]]'' (1970) 
*''[[In the Boom Boom Room]]'' (1982) 
*''Li'l Abner'' (1998)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}

{{S-start}}
!colspan="3" style="background:#C1D8FF;"| [[Batman (TV Series)|Batman role]]
|-
{{s-non | reason=1st}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Catwoman|Catwoman actress]] | years = 1966}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Lee Meriwether]]}}
{{succession box
| before = Lee Meriwether
| title = Catwoman actress
| years = 1967
| after = [[Eartha Kitt]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Inkpot Award 2010s}}
{{TonyAward PlayFeaturedActress 1947–1975}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newmar, Julie}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Actresses from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:American musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:American people of Swedish descent]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women inventors]]
[[Category:American women singers]]
[[Category:Comedians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Dancers from California]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous actors]]
[[Category:Singers from California]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous comedians]]