Credit: Warner Bros. PicturesBatman fans are always talking about which is the best live-action portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman or the Joker, but we never spend enough time talking about one of the most ambiguous and complex characters in the Gotham universe: Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
Since 1966, there have been nine live-action versions of Catwoman (it looks like cats really do have nine lives), and with a brand-new Batman reboot in development titled The Brave and the Bold (TBA), we’ll no doubt see another actress slink into the role.
But for now, here are all nine live-action versions of Catwoman ranked.
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7 — 9. Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt
It might seem unfair to lump Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt together and at the bottom of the list, but while each of these actresses helped to shape the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman for future actors, because the television shows and films they appeared in haven’t aged all that well, the truth is they don’t hold a candle to modern era-performances.
Nevertheless, the bottom of this list doesn’t mean we think these three live-action versions of Catwoman are in any way bad, and sometimes. when it comes to the Batman universe, we need a little bit of camp — especially when it comes to characters of the more villainous nature (although Catwoman will forever sit on the fence — no pun intended).
Newmar played the character in the Batman television series from 1966 — 1967, and would also return to voice the character in some recent animated Batman films. Lee Meriweather stepped into the iconic costume for the 1966 feature film, and Kitt became the Cat in the third and final season of the television series in 1967.
Newmar is often hailed as the best Catwoman of three — which is no surprise considering she’s the first actress and also shaped the role into what it is today. Meriweather, on the other hand, was criticized for not separating her performance from Newmar’s, while Kitt’s portrayal was praised for being more serious and ruthless than her predecessors.
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6. Lili Simmons
Lili Simmons only plays Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the final episode of Gotham (2014), which takes place a long 10 years after the preceding episodes (so as to bring us up to speed with the arrival of Batman), making Simmons the adult-version of the character previously portrayed by Camren Bicondova.
Not only does Simmons nail the Gotham feline in the short time she has, during which she performs some classic Catwoman-thievery, she also captures Bicondova’s characteristics (and looks) perfectly, making her an honorable stand-in, no matter how short-lived.
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5. Halle Berry
We’re sure that the very sight of Halle Berry on this list will have many fans rolling their eyes or cringing in second-hand embarrassment. Not only that, but there will be some who don’t consider the actress to have actually portrayed Catwoman at all.
In a way, they’d be right — Halle Berry’s live-action version of Catwoman is in no way affiliated with Batman or the Batman universe. In fact, she’s not even called Selina Kyle in the film, as her name is Patience Phillips, a completely original character.
Catwoman (2004) was a box office-bomb and was lambasted by fans and critics. To this day, it’s still considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made, and even Halle Berry herself famously threw the film under the bus during a speech some years back.
With all that said, Berry gives the role her all — as the down-on-her-luck Patience Phillips, she’s likable and endearing enough, and as Catwoman, she’s fierce, ferocious, and seductive, and it’s only right that her performance is separated from the awful film that surrounds her as much as possible.
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4. Camren Bicondova
Camren Bicondova plays the youngest live-action version of Catwoman in live action, having appeared in all five seasons of the hit television series Gotham, which focuses on a number of Batman characters, including a young Bruce Wayne (Dave Mazouz).
Technically speaking, Bicondova plays a sort of pre-version of Catwoman, but it’s all right there regardless — the cat ear-like goggles, the black outfits, and more importantly, her ability to move unseen between rooftops and take down her enemies with ease.
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3. Michelle Pfeiffer
Many fans consider Michelle Pfeiffer to be the definitive Catwoman — at least in terms of live action. Pfeiffer portrayed the character in the Tim Burton-directed sequel Batman Returns (1992), opposite Michael Keaton’s second outing as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
In hindsight, though, while Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle is an empathic incarnation, and watching her exact cruel vengeance upon her wrong-doers is wildly entertaining, her Catwoman is, at least from an aesthetic point of view, pretty off-looking.
It’s definitely that S&M-esque outfit, which makes her look like she’s walked out of a dodgy back-street nightclub, as opposed to someone who’s supposed to be a sort of Ying to Batman’s Yang; a vigilante in her own right, if you will, albeit slightly corrupt.
And though every iteration is free to navigate the character’s moral compass as the writers and directors see fit, the fact that Pfeiffer’s leans far more into the bad side means that, at least by today’s standards, she pales in comparison to some other performances (even if it was most certainly the right thing to do in Burton’s quasi-gothic, adult-themed film).
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2. Zoë Kravitz
While The Batman (2022) grossed over $770 million worldwide last year, and was met with wide critical appraise, there are many fans who find the film to be overrated. But whether you like it or not, you can’t deny that Zoë Kravitz was born to play Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
Kravitz slips into the role effortlessly, almost as if it’s not her first rodeo in the cat-burglar costume and taking down the scum of Gotham City alongside Bruce Wayne/Batman (Robert Pattinson). Her somewhat amateur-like version of the iconic character is also the most realistic to date.
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1. Anne Hathaway
And so we arrive at the top of our list, and as both the heading and the image reveal, it is, of course, Anne Hathaway’s very own version of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, as seen in the threequel and trilogy-topping film The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
The Dark Knight Rises is truly a beast of a film, and serves as an explosive conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s two previous installments, Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008).
There are many things to love about The Dark Knight Rises, but it really all comes down to the characters, whether it’s Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale), Bane (Tom Hardy), or Robin John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). And Catwoman is among these memorable characters.
Anne Hathaway brings plenty of originality to a role that at this point had been played by six actresses in live-action. Yes, she’s crooked (come on, she’s Catwoman), but her moral fibre is among the strongest to date (even if she does get Batman’s back broken by Bane at the beginning).
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It remains to be seen whether or not Catwoman will appear in The Brave and the Bold, but if she does, we have a few suggestions as to who should play her!
Either way, Zoë Kravitz’s version of the character will definitely be returning in The Batman Part II (2025), which releases in theaters on October 3, 2025. The film will also see the return of Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon.
There are few details about the plot of the film, but fans can expect the action to pick up after the events of the Colin Ferrell-headed The Penguin series, which will be released next year on HBO Max.
Who’s your favorite live-action Catwoman? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!