American socialite Marcelle Tagand Lear is most known for being the third wife of late Hollywood actor Adam West, who played Bruce Wayne, often known as Batman, in the 1966 theatrical feature picture Batman and the ABC television series Batman (1966–68). Her former spouse was John Lear, a UFO conspiracy theorist and airman who was the son of Bill Lear, the founder of Lear Jet Corporation. She frequently went to different occasions and events with her two spouses during each of her marriages. Most famously, she was there to support Adam West on April 5, 2012, as he was awarded a star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
Marcelle Tagand Lear Ascent to Fame
After marrying John Lear, the heir to the airplane industry, Marcelle Tagand Lear first gained notoriety. She was able to mingle with celebrities from a variety of industries and join the ranks of the corporate elite thanks to her marriage to him. Later on, this brought her to the attention of well-known actor Adam West, with whom she finally got married following her first husband’s divorce. Even though her second husband had a terrible reputation for being a big drinker and womanizer, he changed after they got married and didn’t hesitate to discuss her importance in his life in public.
In Behind the Curtains
Little is known about Marcelle Tagand Lear’s early years; however, one source claims that she was born in 1941, making her two years older than her first husband, John Lear.
Connections of Marcelle Tagand Lear
Although Marcelle Tagand Lear and actor Adam West from “Batman” are best known for their lengthy marriage, Marcelle and Adam were previously married. Marcelle was initially married to John Lear, an executive of Learjet. From her marriage to him, she had two daughters, Moya and Jill. By the way, John’s family aviation company facilitated her initial encounter with Adam. More specifically, when filming for a promotional event for “Batman” in the late 1960s, the production team need a real aircraft to serve as a prop for the iconic “Bat Jet.” John, her first husband, had flown a single Lear Jet to the Santa Monica Airport so it could be used as a prop. Marcelle was present to witness the filming process and had the chance to get to know the actors.Marcelle Tagand Lear subsequently revealed to ‘People’ that she was first drawn to Adam because of his unusual outfit, but that all changed when he took off his mask and she fell in love with him because of his charm and sense of humor. Her marriage to John Lear is reported to have suffered as a result of their increasing closeness. She eventually parted from him, and on November 7, 1970, she married Adam West. John eventually got married again, this time to Mississippi-born actress Marilee, who ran a prosperous movie casting agency out of Las Vegas.
Two children were born to Marcelle Tagand Lear and Adam West: a son named Perrin in 1979 and a girl named Nina West in 1976. Nina, her daughter, is an actress, model, and TV program host. In 2002, she cohosted “TV Land Real Estate” and made an appearance on her father’s radio show with Howard Stern.
Adam Wes was previously married twice: he wed Cook Island dancer Ngatokorua Frisbie Dawson from 1957 to 1962 in his second marriage, and Billie Lou Yeager, his college lover, from 1950 to 1956 in his first marriage. His two previous marriages produced two children. In 1990, Marcelle and Adam relocated to Ketchum, Idaho, so they could concentrate on their interests and pastimes. As stated in a Whitman College article from 2006, she encouraged him to paint in his free time. After a brief fight with leukemia, they lived happily together for 47 years until his unexpected death on June 9, 2017.
Adam West Needs to Get Serious
Adam West, Marcelle Tagand Lear’s spouse, gave thanks to her in a Sunday Express interview for helping him overcome his alcoholism. His portrayal as the Caped Crusader on television between 1966 and 1968 had catapulted him to unexpected prominence. He was quickly converted into a “rock star” by the program, which veered from the somber, dark concept of the Batman films to a more lighthearted and comic figure. Following his two brief marriages, West found himself on his own at the time and developed a similar womanizing behavior to that of his on-screen alter ego, Bruce Wayne. It wasn’t until the program was over that he understood how much being Batman had influenced his career, leading him to become “very self-destructive” and an alcoholic. In the end, he was able to overcome his drinking, in part because of Marcelle, her just wed wife. He said in jest to “Sunday Express” that “I can’t get away with anything because she is not understanding!”
Net worth of Marcelle Tagand Lear
The estimated net worth of Marcelle Tagand Lear is about $1 million.