Julie Newmar: Men Should Lead Film Industry

Actress Julie Newmar, who originated the role of Catwoman, has claimed that male executives 'should' still run the film industry.

The veteran actress, 92, is best known for playing the leather-clad villain in the 1960s Batman TV series, and in a new interview, reflecting on her own history with Hollywood decades before the rise of the #MeToo movement.

Julie shared that she feels 'men are very good to women' despite allegations against big movie moguls including , who is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault convictions. 

The star shared that given her status as a sex symbol she was no stranger to male attention, but admitted that unlike some stars, she 'liked it.'

She said: 'It was good. I’m … not the first in line in the #MeToo class.

'I love men too much. I understand them. And the heads of studios, yes, they break a door down and they do this or they do that … that’s how they act. You think you’re gonna change things? 

'Not a whole lot … And you know what? It works. It works beautifully because men are very good to women.'

Asked whether she feels men should run the film industry, she told The Guardian: 'It should be. They do it best.'

Julie made it big on Broadway in productions such as Silk Stockings and Li'l Abner before breaking into television. 

But it wouldn't be till a 1966 superhero show that she stole the hearts of many young men and boys as they watched her on screen, strutting around as a villainess in a tight catsuit.

She had a few torrid love affairs with prominent figures. She was engaged to novelist Louis L'Amour and romantically linked to actor Ken Scott and comedian Mort Sahl.

In 1977, she married lawyer J. Holt Smith and together they had her greatest love – her son John Jewel Smith.

Although they divorced in 1984, Julie never stopped advocating for her son, who was born with a hearing impairment and Down Syndrome.

She also advocates for LGBT rights, with a strong connection to the cause because of her brother John who is gay.

In 2004, Julie would get into one of her only public scandals when she was sued by her next-door neighbor, actor James Belushi, who accused her of a 'campaign of harassment' to 'drive him from his home'.

In his filing, he claimed Julie, who was then 71, destroyed a fence and landscaping at his home. He also claimed she spied on his family and played loud music aimed at his backyard. The actor sought $4million in damages.

But this feud was resolved two years later when Julie appeared on Belushi's ABC sitcom According to Jim where she played a children's author who models a grumpy old man after Belushi's character – resembling on-screen their dynamic.

Julie has retreated from the limelight, focusing on caring for her son and tending to her garden which has over 80 varieties of roses.

In an interview with Better Homes and Gardens in 2023, Julie said: 'Some people love dogs. I love plants. I think I fell in love with gardens because that's where I felt safest as a kid – out in the yard with my father.'