Suzanne Lloyd
Twilight Zone star and Catwoman precursor
Born: 11 November 1934 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some sources say 1932)
Batman was stuggling as a comic book in 1959 when Rod Serling launched his legendary television series The Twilight Zone. On 27 November 1959, the eerie episode "Perchance to Dream" aired. That episode featued a stunning performance by Canadian actress Suzanne Lloyd.
Ms. Lloyd began her acting career in 1958 with six appearances on the ABC series Zorro. This series has a certain Bat-link in that Zorro was one of the inspirations for Bruce Wayne to become a crimefighter. The show itself was a ratings sensation for ABC, just as Batman would be for the same network some years later. And both shows were cancelled in an untimely manner.
Ms. Lloyd would make a seventh appearance on Zorro in spring 1961. By this time, she had appeared largely in Westerns. She even appeared with Adam West in an episode of Bonanza that year. Sometime, though, she would show up in other programs, such as Perry Mason, as well in movies. In 1962, she moved to England, where she continued her career. By this time, she was "off the range," and was instead in guest roles on The Saint. Returning to America in 1974, her last role was in Mousey (1974), which starred Kirk Douglas. She then retired from acting to spend more time with her family.
Suzanne Lloyd's appearance as Maya the Catwoman, and as her alter ego Miss Thomas, was truly unforgettable. Maya's sense of menace, her all-knowing attitude and even her theme music in this episode seemed to have influenced Batman series producers. Scott Sebring, who runs the Batfriend Web site, stated in a 2004 conversation that Bob Kane had imagined Catwoman as someone who looked like Maya. FYI: Ms. Lloyd herself has stated that the Maya cat dress was the same one once worn by dancer Cyd Charisse.
The Webmaster considers the "Perchance to Dream" episode his all-time Twilight Zone favourite. Ms. Lloyd is the mother of actress Tracey E. Bregman (The Young And The Restless).
Suzanne Lloyd Web links:
Official Web site: http://www.suzannelloyd.com
The Twilight Zone Museum: http://www.twilightzonemuseum.com
