R.I.P. Frank Gorshin, Best Riddler Ever

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The 72 year-old actor passed away Tuesday evening after being hospitalized for three weeks with multiple ailments at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Also great in Twelve Monkeys and Buck Rogers (providing one of my earliest moments of "look, it's the guy from the other thing!"), and I'm sure in stuff I can't think of as well.

But above all: the Riddler!

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Awww, that's too bad. He was great.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 18 May 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

IMDB says he voiced Hugo Strange on the new The Batman.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 18 May 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

I wish I wanted to watch the new Batman :/

But check this out: Gorshin as an angel named George Burns in a movie with Frank Stallone as Elvis, Rodney Dangerfield as God, and Adam West as someone named Alfred.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

WOW

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

I know! I have to assume Gorshin finished his filming on it, since Dangerfield's in the movie ... I want to own this movie. I want to own the special edition.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

As far as I can tell the Riddler only made three appearances (two in the late 40s, and one in '65) in comics before the Batman TV show. No doubt, Gorshin's portrayal of him insured the character's longevity.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

I saw footage of him once on a US talkshow doing an amazing stand-up routine where he switched back and forth between impressions of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, as if the two were having a conversation. At the time, of course, all I could think was "Thats the Riddler!"

― David N (David N.), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

yes! god i had forgotten about that.

he was great in that adam west batman movie - the bit where he flicks a load of switches on the penguin-submarine, to launch some missiles: he's all exaggerated motion and tiptoes, like an excited child about to gleefully do something bad...

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Thursday, 19 May 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

haha he did kirk douglas on the tarantino csi tonight, tony curtis gave him hell about it.

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 20 May 2005 06:54 (twenty years ago)

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