Burt Ward Is Famous For Playing Batman’s Sidekick, But In Real Life He’s A Genuine Hero

"I knew nothing about Batman or Robin," Ward told People in June 2023. He had actually grown up reading the Superman comic books, not those of the caped crusader. Yet the moment Ward met his co-star, Adam West, he seemingly knew it was a match made in heaven. "Within five minutes, the two of us were laughing," he said. "We got along so incredibly, and we never stopped laughing for more than 55 years."

Even as they were working on Batman, Ward had no idea that it was going to have such a lasting impact. He told Ellen when he appeared on her show, "After I heard what the ratings were the opening night, 55 share, which was greater than the Super Bowl that year, then I knew something was really afoot." But that's all he said about his career — because Ellen was more interested in his heroics off screen.

That was somewhat of a shame because Ward actually does have a fascinating life story. For instance, Burt Ward is not even his real name. He was born Bert John Gervis Jr. on July 6, 1945, in Los Angeles. He was the son of real-estate specialist Bert John Gervis Sr. and Marjorie Ward — so you can guess where the "Ward" stage name came from. The future actor was surrounded by considerable wealth as a youngster, with his parents being solidly middle-class. And his childhood sounds pretty idyllic.

Ward enjoyed playing a lot of sports growing up, including one activity you wouldn’t readily associate with California. With his dad being the proprietor of the wandering ice extravaganza Rhapsody On Ice, Ward had a passion for ice skating as a boy. In fact, Ward wanted to be a skater more than anything. His sporting prowess was such that in elementary school he was crowned “athlete of the year,” reportedly taking just six seconds to complete the 50-yard sprint!

Ward made his performing debut at the age of two as well. It involved skating at his dad's traveling ice show. “And I actually remember it — that’s a pretty amazing thing,” Ward told Variety in 2020. But the future actor was also a fan of baseball. Between the ages of eight and ten, Ward managed to throw five no-hitter games and even a couple of perfect games in the local baseball division. His enthusiastic and athletic ways led to his mom calling him “Sparky” — a nickname that stuck throughout his early years.

Ward subsequently attended Beverly Hills High School. “I grew up with other people whose families were in show business, and I always wanted to be an actor, and so I studied a lot,” he told Variety. This involved getting an acting coach, too. Yet during his high school years, his talent for martial arts and tennis had blossomed. Ward was much more than just a physical athlete, though. In fact, he was a supremely intelligent child.

Ward was so smart that he would even be called a “boy wonder” by the national press. After also excelling at chess in high school, he went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles. While studying there, Ward made it into the best 3 percent of students in the U.S. in a science and math evaluation. And an even more remarkable accolade earned him considerable press attention.

When he proved he was able to read 30,000 words per minute, Ward became, for a period of time at least, officially the quickest reader on the planet. It was in the wake of this incredible feat that the nickname the “boy wonder” was bestowed on him by a press that was fascinated by this remarkable young man. The future Robin’s talents didn’t end there, either.

The teen prodigy also displayed considerable business acumen and started to work in property with the support of his dad. Ward was soon among the youngest brokers in the state and handled deals for a couple of homes before his interest turned to acting. When Ward’s focus switched to performing, he was about 20 years old and managed to sell a home to noted L.A. mogul Saul David. Is there anything this guy can’t do?

“He was kind enough to send me to an agent, and the agent said, ‘I never take on a new person, and the only reason I’m taking you is because Saul David asked me to. Don’t expect to work for a year, and if you do, you’re going to get one line.’ Not exactly highly encouraging!” Ward told Variety. He had no background in acting at all, however, and hadn’t even undertaken any classes.

Ward’s agent soon landed him a secret audition with 20th Century Fox. The fledgling actor then introduced himself to producer William Dozier. "I think he was shocked that I was just so forward — in a nice way, though, but not timid and reserved," Ward said. It evidently went well, as shortly afterward he was asked to take part in a screen test with an actor named Adam West for Batman.

“I figured everybody got to do the screen test,” he said. “Well, that’s not true, either!” Of course, the young Ward subsequently landed the role that would change his life forever. And how he succeeded in doing so was interesting in itself. In the screen test with West, Ward demonstrated his considerable martial arts prowess, smashing up a brick and chopping a plank of wood an inch thick in half. He was already a karate brown belt at the time.

In fact, as Ward revealed to Me TV in 2017, he triumphed over more than 1,000 other hopefuls who were also vying for the role of Robin. “That’s pretty big competition,” he said, with considerable understatement. Ward also revealed that the casting team had selected him because he was precisely how they envisaged Robin would look and behave in the real world.

The show first aired on ABC in January 1966 and quickly became a huge hit with audiences and critics alike. West’s Batman and Ward’s ever-enthusiastic Robin perfectly complemented each other. And unlike his co-star West, the athletic Ward personally carried out the vast majority of the stunts that the storylines required. In fact, you can’t imagine a studio risking the life of the star quite so much today!

"The first week, on the pilot episode, I was in the ER four days in a row with second-degree burns, while a 2-by-4 broke my nose," Ward told the Florida Times-Union in 2018. "I wasn't sure I would survive the first week." Yet despite Ward confessing that it was a "really dangerous" show to be on, he said, "It was a fantastic experience and so much fun."

Batman would run for three action-packed seasons and more than 100 episodes, with ABC broadcasting a couple of shows per week during the height of its popularity. Ward’s lovable Robin became as well known for his “holy…” catchphrase — with the actor estimating to Me TV that he uttered the phrase close to 400 times in the series — as for his earnest fight against Gotham City’s colorful villains. As a result, he was now a household name in the U.S. and a major star. This was his very first role!

At the height of the series’ popularity, Ward would make another interesting career move. The multi-faceted entertainer turned to music, recording some songs with the legendary rocker Frank Zappa. “Yeah, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. They are totally the opposite of me. I’m all-American, apple pie, and these guys have long beards and scraggly hair. It was hilarious,” he told Me TV. One of the tracks — the wryly titled “Boy Wonder, I Love You” — even made the charts in Illinois.

However, despite the success of the show — which was easily one of the most widely watched in the U.S. during its mid-60s run — Ward wasn’t being paid handsomely. In fact, as he would find out to his chagrin, he was only pocketing the lowest salary permitted by the Screen Actor Guild when he first signed onto the show. A decline in its viewer numbers would also lead to the series’ cancellation after season three.

Both Ward and West would reprise their roles in a 1966 spin-off movie, simply titled Batman. Unfortunately, though, after the series ended, Ward would find it much more difficult to succeed in the acting world. His performances as Robin were arguably so iconic and so synonymous with him that it was tough to snag other parts. He nonetheless appeared in a number of films and made-for-TV movies as well as lending his voice talents to The New Adventures of Batman animated series in the 1970s.

Ward’s private life was also busy during his Batman pomp — and beyond. In 1965, not long before the series had first aired, the actor married a woman named Bonney Lindsey. While the marriage only lasted until 1967, they did have a daughter together called Lisa before splitting up. Next, Ward would marry actress Kathy Kersh, whom he’d first met on the set of Batman in 1966. The pair tied the knot mere months after meeting but divorced in 1969 following fewer than two years of marriage.

After another failed marriage in the 1980s — this time to model Mariana Torchia – Ward would encounter a woman named Tracy Posner in the final year of that decade. Posner was the daughter of the notorious businessman Victor Posner, who ironically had dispatched Tracy to purchase Ward’s firm. Instead, though, she fell in love with the man whose business interests she was supposed to seize control of and subsequently told her father to leave Ward’s company well alone!

Initially, however, Victor — who was reportedly the basis for Wall Street’s predatory Gordon Gecko — didn’t take well to his daughter falling in love with Ward. The actor recalled the lengths the businessman went to stop their courtship during that 2017 Me TV interview. “He called me up and offered me $10 million to send his daughter back,” Ward revealed. “I said, ‘Sir, it’s a very kind offer, but I love your daughter, and I’d rather have your daughter than the money.’”

And keep her he did, as Ward went on to wed Posner in 1990. She was the Batman star’s fourth wife, but one whom he’s still very much in love with today. As well as their affection for one another, the pair — whose daughter, Melody Lane, arrived in 1991 — share a deep love of dogs. Ward has been a canine lover for much of his life, and what he and Posner have done for the animals has warmed hearts all around the world. And this is where Robin’s off-screen heroics come into play.

That’s because four years after they married, the couple set up a charity: it’s a not-for-profit that has by now saved tens of thousands of innocent lives from almost-certain death. For Ward, it is an extension of his time as Robin. “I realized that we really had a great responsibility when we played those roles to try to be positive influences on people,” he told Variety. The remarkable organization, which is still running today, goes by the name of Gentle Giants. In fact, it’s the biggest operation of its kind on the planet.

“Since my wife Tracy and I began running Gentle Giants... we have rescued over 15,500 dogs and found safe, loving homes for them,” Ward revealed to USA Today in 2016. The canine-loving couple run the charity from their enormous home in Norco, Riverside County, California. And aside from their family, the organization is now their main life concern. So how and why did it all start? That brings us back to The Ellen Show.

Ward explained to Ellen how the charity first came about. “At the time, the person who was rescuing them had died,” he told the host. “And they’re all dying in shelters. We thought, ‘What a terrible injustice.’” The dogs were in danger of being put down. It was the first week of August 1994 that I said to my wife, ‘Tracy, we can’t let them die,’” Ward told Ellen. So the caring couple stepped in.

Ward told Ellen how their temporary intervention subsequently turned into a noble, long-term cause. “I said to my wife [in 1994]… how about we just take them maybe for two weeks, until I find someone else to take them,” Ward revealed. “It’s been 24 years. Nobody else has taken them!” he roared, to much laughter and applause from the studio audience.

Ellen then went on to ask Ward how many dogs they have at any given time. “We always have a minimum of 50,” he explained, to noticeable gasps from the audience. Next, the down-to-earth actor disclosed how many of the large dogs would sleep on the bed with the couple at night. “As many as can get in,” he joked, before stating that the actual number was 25-30, which still provoked an expression of disbelief from Ellen.

Ward has gone into some detail elsewhere to outline exactly how his organization saves the lives of numerous breeds of large dogs. “My wife and I for the last 22 years, for total charity, we’ve rescued thousands of dogs. Every one of which would have been dead if we had not saved them,” he told Me TV in 2017. “We pay for their food, their shelter, their medical. We’ve found every one a safe, loving home. We vowed to help these magnificent gentle giants to live longer.”

But merely saving the magnificent beasts they’d taken in wasn’t enough for Ward or his wife. As he explained to both Ellen and Me TV, the couple have devised a distinctive guardianship and food program for the animals as well. "We couldn't stand to see our dogs dying so young," Ward told People. "When we would lose one, my wife Tracy and I would sob." So they did what they could to give the animals "a wonderful quality of life."

“We created a special feeding and care program that had increased the life span of every dog in the program by three years — from six to eight years for our breeds up to around 11 or 12 years,” Ward told Me TV. “But we wanted to do more, and 15 years ago, we thought, ‘Well, if we can make the best food possible...’” And the result of that drive was Gentle Giants Dog Food.

Gentle Giants Dog Food arrived in stores in 2008, and the Wards’ special formula is now sold in more than 1,000 outlets across America. So what difference does the specially produced food make? Well, as Ward said to Ellen, their big dogs — such as Great Danes — are now living to around double their anticipated ages. “We have them living up to 27 years, healthy and active,” he said proudly. “And it’s not just living long; it’s the quality of life.”

But what exactly is different about Gentle Giant in comparison to regular dog food? “There’s nothing magical, it’s all based on quality and science,” Ward told USA Today. “Most dog food contains 12-22 percent fat, but ours has a heart-healthy nine percent. You only have to put your hand in a bag of dog food to feel all the grease… but not Gentle Giants.”

The canines that the Wards keep all eat a form of specialized dog food. Feeding takes place at least five times per day, but as Ward told USA Today the dogs they look after consume less than average. He says this is because Gentle Giants’ formula is so easily absorbed into the animals’ bodies. “And our dogs are not in cages or locked in yards, but live communally together in our home with us in a very nurturing environment, so they are not stressed,” he added.

What the Wards do doesn’t come cheaply, however. In fact, it comes at a considerable cost to them. The large breeds that they keep munch their way through the best part of 600 pounds of food on a daily basis. This alone all adds up to approximately $14,000 a month in outgoings, while yearly medical costs for the animals amount to an eye-watering $50,000!

Some of the outlays are covered by generous donations, adoption fees, and the Gentle Giants brand of food, but not enough for them to ever be in the black. Despite this, though, the big-hearted Wards seemingly wouldn’t change a thing. “We pay for everything and take no salary,” the actor – who was awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2020 – explained to USA Today. “This is our charity.”

A great deal of time, effort, and space is required in keeping the dogs. Thankfully, the Wards have 5 acres’ worth of lush land for the animals to run around in as well as considerable finances to fall back on. “We could be off relaxing in Bora Bora, but we choose to use our resources to care for the dogs seven days a week. I couldn’t tell you the last time we took a vacation!” Ward stated.

Everything they do comes from a deep love of dogs. After a life largely known for being part of the hugely competitive and demanding entertainment industry, Ward could have been forgiven for retiring to the beach with his riches. But his remarkable and tireless work for needy canines after the salad days of his career were over has won him a new legion of admirers. “I was the Caped Crusader, but now I’m the Canine Crusader,” he joked.

In fact, Ward has claimed that his fictional counterpart and his real-life crusade aren't so different. "If you are running around wearing tights and rescuing people, it is a natural extension," he half-joked to the Florida Times-Union. "If you are in the business of rescue and justice, you would apply that not just to humans but animals as well. And even though we have focused on dogs, we have rescued horses, sheep, goats, pigs. If you save lives, you save lives, you know what I mean?"