Suzanne Lloyd

A prototype for Catwoman on TV

Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Batman was struggling as a comic book in 1959 when Rod Serling launched his television series The Twilight Zone. On 27 November of that year, the eerie episode, “Perchance to Dream” aired, and it featured a stunning performance by Canadian actress Suzanne Lloyd.

Ms. Lloyd began her career in early 1958 with a series of appearances on Zorro (a notable Bat-link, since Bruce Wayne considered him a role model—HONEST!!) as Raquel Toledano. She mostly appeared in television Westerns (including a 1961 appearance on Bonanza with future Batman Adam West).

But her appearance as Maya the Cat Girl (and Miss Thomas) was truly an unforgettable one. Maya’s sense of feline menace, her all-knowing attitude, and even her theme music on the episode seemed to have influenced the producers of the 1966 Batman series. (Incidentally, the actress stated on her Web site that her costume was originally worn by Cyd Charisse.) The Webmaster first saw this episode in Syracuse, NY around 1981, and counts this as his all-time favorite episode. According to Scott Sebring, who runs a Batman tribute site (http://www.batfriend.com), Lloyd’s appeareance is much closer to how Bob Kane, Batman’s creator, had envisioned Catwoman.

Ms. Lloyd continued acting in American television until 1962, when she moved to England with her then-husband, bandleader Buddy Bregman. There, she continued acting, appearing in movies (That Riviera Touch, 1966, with British comics Morecambe and Wise) and in television (The Saint, The Avengers). Her last appearance was in 1974 (the year she returned to the States), when she had a part in Mousey (a movie starring Kirk Douglas). Ms. Lloyd is the mother of actress Tracey E. Bregman (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful).

Links:

Suzanne Lloyd’s Web site: http://www.suzannelloyd.com

Twilight Zone Museum: http://www.twilightzonemuseum.com