As long as Batman has existed, so has Catwoman. The character of Selina Kyle made her debut in Batman #1, remaining a crucial member of The Dark Knight’s extensive rogues gallery. While Catwoman has always been portrayed as an adversary of Batman, she’s also his biggest love interest. This love-hate relationship is not only what makes their character dynamic so interesting, but it also happens to be a defining factor of all the live-action versions of the character thus far. With Zoë Kravitz being the latest actor to inhabit the mantle of Catwoman in The Batman, now seems like a better time than ever to provide an obligatory ranking of every live-action Catwoman Performance.
Cover Photo: Warner Bros.
Ranked! Live-Action Catwoman Performances
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8. Carmen Bicondova - Gotham
Overall, Gotham is a pretty terrible show, but Carmen Bicondova’s portrayal of Catwoman is surprisingly interesting. It’s not a perfect performance by any means, but it also doesn't help that Bicondova is partnered with David Mazouz most of the time, which is the equivalent of acting opposite a cardboard box for 5 seasons. It’s honestly a shame that the writing in Gotham isn’t better, because Bicondova could have had the chance to provide a good modern Catwoman origin story. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.Overall, Gotham is a pretty terrible show, but Carmen Bicondova’s portrayal of Catwoman is surprisingly interesting. It’s not a perfect performance by any means, but it also doesn't help that Bicondova is partnered with David Mazouz most of the time, which is the equivalent of acting opposite a cardboard box for 5 seasons. It’s honestly a shame that the writing in Gotham isn’t better, because Bicondova could have had the chance to provide a good modern Catwoman origin story. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
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7. Lee Meriwether - Batman: The Movie
Although the 1960’s Batman series is well-known for featuring multiple actresses in the role of Catwoman, Lee Merriwether gets probably gets the least amount of love. It’s true that Merriwether was basically instructed to copy Julie Newmar’s performance for 1966’s Batman: The Movie, so she never really had a chance to make the role her own. Despite having a few good moments to shine in the movie, her (short) stint as Catwoman is serviceable at best.
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6. Halle Berry - Catwoman
Even though Halle Berry famously won a Razzie for her performance in 2004’s Catwoman, her performance is actually better than most people give her credit for. The film is directed by a VFX supervisor-turned director simply known as Pitof, which should tell you everything about this trash fire of a movie that you need to know. While the movie is often working against her, Berry is also easily the best part of the movie. The only question is why she agreed to do it in the first place.
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5. Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises
Anne Hathaway is another actress that often gets shit on for her performance in The Dark Knight Rises, but her performance is the least of that film’s problems. Nevertheless, Hathaway does a great job of capturing the true vulnerability of someone like Selina Kyle but also amalgamating specific elements of the previous versions into her performance. However, The Dark Knight Rises uses the Catwoman in all the wrong ways. Ultimately, this makes Hathaway’s portrayal of the character feel too much like a plot device, and not, you know, an actual character.
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4. Julie Newmar - Batman (1966)
As the original Catwoman in the 60s Batman TV show, it’s safe to say that Julie Numar’s performance as Selina Kyle is undoubtedly iconic. So much so, that it has served as the template from which every version of the character has ultimately started. What makes Numar’s version of Catwoman so fascinating is that she has no interest in portraying the sympathetic side of the character. She has great chemistry with Adam West, but she’s also a total badass who steals almost every scene she is in.
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3. Eartha Kitt - Batman (1967)
Aside from being the first woman of color to play the role, Eartha Kitt’s version of Catwoman is easily the most committed. Although she only appeared in 5 episodes of the show’s third season, Kitt offers a take that can only be described as a method performance. In addition to taking every conceivable opportunity to literally sound like a cat, she also manages to find a mix of devious sexuality in her unapologetic performance. Even Numar admitted that Kitt was born to play the role (in the TV series), which makes her performance even more powerful in retrospect.
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2. Zoë Kravitz - The Batman
Much like Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz had near-impossible shoes to fill in The Batman. Luckily for us, Kravitz not only met those expectations but surpassed them. It’s true that Kravitz leans hard into the sex appeal of a character like Catwoman, she also manages to give the most intricate and nuanced performance to date. What makes this version of the character so interesting is how modernized she is. For the comic nerd out there, it’s closer to something out of Zero Year than a comic like Batman: Year One. Aside from being the big-budget movie version of a walking thirst trap, she is also the first actress to successfully incorporate elements of modern feminism into her performance.
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1. Michelle Pfeiffer - Batman Returns
Batman Returns may be a polarizing movie, but one thing is for sure: Michelle Pfeiffer IS Catwoman. In many ways, Pfeiffer managed to create a pitch-perfect portrayal of the character. It’s a performance that captures almost every notable aspect of Catwoman, while also being simultaneously timeless. Even more now than when Batman Returns was originally released, Pfeiffer’s take on the character has also transcended the movie in terms of pure classical feminism. Not to mention that it’s also an unbelievably sexy performance, one that gives 12-year old boys everywhere special feelings for the first time. Regardless of this, Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is ultimately the high-bar that every rendition of the character has strived for since.
