There are few comic book characters as recognizable as Catwoman. Selina Kyle has been purring her way into the hearts, minds, and bank accounts of Gotham City residents for close to a century and, somehow, her popularity has found new ways to reach even greater heights. Not even Batman himself could stop that.
The femme fatale of DC Comics made her debut all the way back in 1940, just a year after The Dark Knight himself. Originally just a cat burglar known aptly as The Cat, she would evolve over the years to eventually become Selina Kyle - an equal to Batman on the villainous side of things and, eventually, a love interest. But, through her various storylines and personas over the years, Selina proved that she was so much more than that, too.
Catwoman has reached so many, with one of the biggest reasons for that being her portrayal on film and TV. From Julie Newmar's innovation of the character's live-action legacy in the Batman 1966 TV series and Michelle Pfeiffer's haunting portrayal in Batman Returns to Anne Hathaway's cat burglar-inspired take in The Dark Knight Rises and Zoë Kravitz's comic-accurate performance in The Batman, we've seen so many iconic interpretations of the felonious feline that it's no surprise that she has stood the test of time.
That being said, which of these performances stand out the most - and which legendary actress delivered the best Catwoman of them all? Let's rank them and find out!
Honorable Mention: Casey Elizabeth Easlick
One name that is often forgotten on these Catwoman actress rankings is Casey Elizabeth Easlick – and that has nothing to do with her actual performance, but her lack of screen time playing the character. Easlick portrayed Selina Kyle / Catwoman in WB’s short-lived 2003 series Birds of Prey. Appearing only in a series of flashbacks in the show’s opening sequence, she was uncredited for her non-speaking performance.
Birds of Prey clearly took its cues from the Burton / Schumacher Batman films and, as far as Catwoman goes, that really shows. From the brief glimpse we see of Easlick in costume, it’s pretty obvious that the cat-suit was inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer’s from Batman Returns. That being said, there are slight differences as her long hair flows out the back and, in all honesty, the suit looks a tad unfinished.
Easlick isn’t overlooked because of her performance, it's unfortunately that there just isn’t much to go on. Other than the opening sequence, which she nails, she doesn’t appear as the character in the show, and that makes it hard to judge her performance against anyone else’s.
Still though, that is a great opener…
9. Lili Simmons
Appeared in: Gotham (series finale)
Gotham‘s decision to jump forward 10 years in its series finale brought with it a lot of change – change that limited the show’s use of its younger cast members.
Though they were able to dance around David Mazouz’s Batman through smoke and mirrors, they likely wouldn’t have been able to do the same with Camren Bicondova’s Selina – but they didn’t have to, as the actress decided it would be for the best if she allowed the show to cast an older version of the character in her place. And that’s where Lili Simmons came in.
It mustn’t have been easy having only 40 minutes to channel an authentic adult version of a character that had spent five years growing on-screen, but it’s hard to deny that Simmons did just that. She didn’t just look like Bicondova – she behaved, moved and spoke exactly like her version of Selina and her performance was so convincing that it almost made up for the long-running cast member’s absence from the finale.
There was so much potential in Simmons’ performance – and that, in a way, is its biggest drawback as we never got the chance (and probably never will) to see that potential fully explored.
Gotham spin-off, anyone?
8. Halle Berry
Appeared in: Catwoman
To say that Halle Berry’s performance in 2004’s Catwoman has gone down in infamy would be quite the understatement. However, the negative perception of said performance stemmed from the overwhelmingly negative response to the film itself – as it was panned by critics and is renowned for being one of the worst superhero films of all time.
A reboot of sorts, the film was originally envisioned as a spin-off for Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman from 1992’s Batman Returns. Unfortunately, years of development hell saw the idea morph into this standalone adventure instead. And just like that, Selina Kyle was dropped altogether, as the film told a new story about reborn cat-lady named Patience Phillips (Berry) and her feud with Sharon Stone’s Laurel Hedare over toxic skin cream Beau-Line.
Now, in all fairness, the film doesn’t deserve as much negativity as it gets, simply because without context, it’s a fairly decent popcorn flick. That being said, it failed to live up to any kind of promise and, instead, left us all wondering why Pfeiffer’s spin-off was never made.
Berry does what she can in spite of the problematic script, and absolutely captures the sensual nature of the character, but that isn’t enough to turn Catwoman into the comic book masterpiece that the original idea could have been.
7. Camren Bicondova
Appeared in: Gotham
If you wanted a tale that really delves into the origins of Catwoman, then Gotham is undoubtedly the tale for you. Set long before the Dark Knight rears his head, the Batman prequel kicks off with the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, allowing Bat-fans to witness the birth of some of DC Comics’ most legendary characters. And one of those characters is, of course, Selina Kyle.
From her very first appearance, Camren Bicondova caught our attention because she looked like a younger version of Michelle Pfeiffer. But in a few short scenes, she proved that her acting prowess was undoubtedly her greatest attribute and, at just 15 years old in the first season, she stole the well-populated show countless times.
Here, Selina was a poor young woman perpetually angry at the world and refused to apologize for doing what she had to in order to survive. And that resonated with audiences due to Bicondova’s powerful performances, as she oozed an endless range of emotion, passion, fire and charisma while bringing the character to life.
It was a unique interpretation (one that occasionally tipped its hat to Batman Returns and The Dark Knight Rises) and Selina’s origin story remains one of Gotham‘s greatest reinventions. As for Bicondova, she showed a maturity in her performances well beyond her years – capturing some of the character’s most iconic traits while also putting her own unique spin on the role. Also, the chemistry she had with David Mazouz’s Bruce Wayne was the ultimate tribute to the comic book relationship between Batman and Catwoman.
Whenever we think of Selina Kyle’s childhood from now on, we’ll think of Bicondova. Not because she’s the only actress to portray a young version of her, but because of all that she accomplished during the five years that she brought her to life. Those accomplishments gave us a nuanced, strong and incredibly well-developed version of this wonderful character.
6. Anne Hathaway
Appeared in: The Dark Knight Rises
When fans of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight saga heard that Catwoman would be coming to the final installment of the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, we didn’t know what to expect. Nolan’s films employed elements of realism which, in the past, had limited various Batman villains from showing up and while Catwoman was certainly one of the more plausible possibilities, we were excited to see how the film would reinvent her and, more importantly, what Anne Hathaway would bring to the table.
What set Hathaway’s apart from almost all of the recent interpretations was that her felonious feline wore an outfit similar to that of the ’60s Catwomen – the reason being that this version of Selina Kyle wasn’t all that feline (she was never actually referred to as Catwoman) and was, instead a more tactical cat-burglar.
A somewhat-hardened version of the character, the film briefly touched upon her roots and how a life of petty crime led to her to Bane. While it could have delved so much deeper into her origins, that didn’t stop Hathaway from doing her utmost to bring the character to life, and her chemistry with Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman was palpable.
Sharp-tongued, slinky and as sassy as they come, she managed to instill this realistic version of Selina with a ton of recognizable comic book elements and, even in the character’s most desperate of moments, she behaved like the film’s most powerful. And it was a joy to watch her unleash her fighting skills at every given opportunity.
5. Eartha Kitt
Appeared in: Batman (season 3)
Eartha Kitt stepped in to replace original Catwoman Julie Newmar (who was unavailable at the time) during the third season of the classic Batman series, appearing in three episodes between 1967 and 1968. Now, let’s make one thing clear, it’s no easy task to step into shoes as iconic as Catwoman’s, let-alone shoes that Newmar made famous, and yet Kitt did just that – and shined.
As continuity wasn’t Batman‘s strong-suit, this interpretation was written in a way that made her far more evil and less-family-friendly than her predecessor. However, Kitt’s enigmatic performance brought what could have been a bland and one-dimensional version of the character to life.
She was sultry and sassy as she delivered the lines, commanding the screen with her larger-than-life presence and she did such an incredible job of making the role her own that she even managed to shine in episodes that were packed with Adam West’s Batman, Burt Ward’s Robin, Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl and even Cesar Romero’s Joker.
And on top of all of that, the way that she rolled her tongue and purred her way through every line was nothing short of iconic. The only criticism here is that we didn’t see more of her.
4. Lee Meriwether
Appeared in: Batman: The Movie (1966)
When the Batman TV series transitioned to the big screen for 1966’s Batman: The Movie, Julie Newmar was unavailable and thus, couldn’t reprise her role as Catwoman. However, as the feline fatale was one of the Caped Crusader’s most iconic villains, the-powers-that-be had to find someone to replace her. Lee Meriwether stepped up and, in spite of having big heels to fill, she absolutely nailed it.
Meriwether’s big-screen interpretation bore quite a few similarities to Newmar’s, which was understandable because she wasn’t just playing Catwoman, she was playing Newmar’s Catwoman. That said, she didn’t let that stop her from making the role her own.
There was a toughness about the character that was completely unique to her interpretation, as Meriwether portrayed her as an effective part of the villainous foursome (which consisted of her, The Penguin, The Joker and The Riddler). Though she occasionally got lost in the group fights (the film didn’t have her get involved), she had some exceptional dramatic moments throughout the movie and, from her seduction of Bruce Wayne as the dazzling Miss Kitka to overseeing the group’s villainous schemes, she helped Catwoman stand out as the most interesting villain of them all.
The actress may have figuratively “showed up late to the party” by joining what was already a well-oiled machine at this stage, but she immediately fit right in and showed us a Catwoman that was both loyal to Newmar’s and completely unique at the same time.
3. Zoë Kravitz
Appeared in: The Batman (2022)
Zoë Kravitz actually played Catwoman in two different Batman universes, first voicing the femme fatale in The Lego Batman Movie before going on to play her in Matt Reeves’ live-action The Batman. The movies and their Catwomen are obviously very different from one another, but one thing they do have in common is that Kravitz is positively wonderful in the role.
Her voicework as the character in both movies is something else, as she manages to convey the sultry tones of Catwoman with ease. She’s able to build upon that in The Batman, adding layers to Selina Kyle that we hadn’t seen in the movies yet, but layers that the comic book fans are familiar with.
She plays Selina as a troubled individual, quietly showcasing all of the trauma that Gotham bestowed upon her and how creating this persona was the only way to survive. And a survivor is exactly what she is.
Kravitz is a powerhouse, both on the emotional front and just on pure badassery, delivering a standout performance in the Matt Reeves crime drama and stealing the show whenever she is on screen. And her chemistry with Robert Pattinson instantly places their version of the Batman/Catwoman relationship high on the list of comic book movie romances.
We’re hoping this is just the beginning of Kravitz’s story as Selina, because the sky is the limit here.
2. Julie Newmar
Appeared in: Batman (seasons 1 – 2)
It’s hard to find the words to sum up just how iconic Julie Newmar’s interpretation of Catwoman was. The first to portray the comic book character, she was responsible for catapulting the feline into superstardom – and all you have to do is watch her performance to see why.
She had this aura around her when she performed, and it was impossible to look away from her as she did so. Yes, she was beautiful, but there was just something so engaging and charismatic about her performance that you wanted to root for her in spite of her cataclysmic capers.
Her character was also one of the few to actually develop over the two seasons that she appeared, as Catwoman grew closer and closer to Batman, eventually finding herself unable to kill him because of her feelings for him. And Newmar thrived when bringing this to life, as her first couple of villainous performances had a tint of ice in them before she softened a little – turning Catwoman into the anti-hero that she is today.
Furthermore, she had real chemistry with Adam West, with the pair’s adorable conversation about the art of kissing remaining one of the show’s standout moments – ensuring that one of the first live-action depictions of the Batman/Catwoman relationship was a worthy one.
Being the first isn’t easy… unless your Julie Newmar. With her strong on-screen presence, stunning figure and attention-grabbing purrs, the original Catwoman transformed the character into a pop-culture icon and, in the process, set a standard so high that it has only been equalled and / or exceeded once in the 60 years that have followed.
1. Michelle Pfeiffer
Appeared in: Batman Returns
“I am Catwoman. Hear me roar!”
Those are the words that Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman introduced herself with in Batman Returns, and “roar” is exactly what she did.
Tim Burton’s 1992 film thrived on its twisted nature as it portrayed all of the human aspects of these heroes and villains as twisted and broken characters, resulting in their costumed alter-egos becoming the sane side of their personalities. And that was very much the case with Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle.
As the original Selina, she was mousy, sheepish and feared growing irrelevant in a board room full of patronizing men, so after the character’s rebirth as Catwoman, she decided to take that power back in the most fearsome of ways. And that's exactly what she did, standing tall in a way that was full of nothing but aura.
Pfeiffer was fierce, formidable and downright terrifying at times and, even though the character was caught in a war between Michael Keaton’s beloved Batman and Danny DeVito’s show-stealing Penguin, she never failed to command our attention every time she walked, climbed or backflipped her way into the room.
Pfieiffer did for Catwoman what Newmar had done three decades prior, defining the role for an entire generation and, in the process, producing a performance so perfect that it has never been equaled… and it probably never will.
Without a doubt, Catwoman at her absolute finest.