There’s no question new versions of the Riddler will keep popping up to battle Bruce Wayne.

Now Paul Dano is poised to puzzle audiences March 4 in The Batman, following the likes of Jim Carrey in Batman Forever (1995) and Conan O’Brien in The Lego Batman Movie (2017). But they all owe a debt to Frank Gorshin, who originated the role opposite Adam West in Batman’s January 1966 premiere episodes as the show’s first supervillain, then wreaked havoc (with Burgess Meredith’s Penguin, Cesar Romero’s Joker and Lee Meriwether’s Catwoman) that summer in the first Batman feature.

Known for his maniacal laugh, the limber Gorshin made an impression on viewers and co-stars alike. “Even on the set, you just didn’t know what was going to come out of him,” recalls Burt Ward, who played Robin. “He was like super power steering with the way he could use his body and voice.”

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Ralph Garman, co-writer of the Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet comic book series, credits Gorshin as a key reason why the Riddler is now seen as a prominent villain in the franchise. “The Riddler had made a couple appearances in the comics and had been largely retired by the time the mid-’60s came around,” he explains. “It was Frank’s embodiment that really brought that character to the forefront, who made him a main player in the Batman mythos.”

Garman says Gorshin hoped his Emmy nomination for his Riddler turn would enable him to move beyond doing impressions on The Ed Sullivan Show and bit parts on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Although he would continue to make meaningful appearances in respected projects including 1995’s 12 Monkeys before his death in May 2005 at 72, the Riddler would remain his best-known role. But according to Garman, Gorshin made peace with this and was always grateful for Batman fans, not to mention his lifelong bond with West.

“Adam would talk about Frank with such love,” says Garman, host of daily podcast The Ralph Report. “Largely because Frank was the first villain on the show, and they had such a great chemistry together, and that translated into a great personal friendship.”

Ward says he and Gorshin similarly established a strong connection and would catch up over the years at conventions or over dinners. Ward, a dog lover who founded nonprofit Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions, says that Gorshin was quite afraid of dogs but wouldn’t let this prevent him from visiting Ward’s home, where plenty of canines were always on the loose. “I have a photo of him sitting on a couch with me and these giant dogs, and he’s trying his best to look calm, like he’s happy,” Ward recalls with a laugh.

Their time spent shooting the breeze on the Batman set still stands out to Ward. “He was such a nice guy and such a real person, and we spent days talking about all kinds of stuff,” he says. “But what a Riddler!”

A version of this story first appeared in the March 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.