[attach id=449523 size="medium"]Yvonne Craig As Marta in Whom Gods Destroy in Star Trek.[/attach]

Actress Yvonne Craig, best known for playing Batgirl in the original 1960s Batman TV series, has died aged 78.

Craig also starred in Star Trek as Marta, a green Orion slave girl intent on killing Captain Kirk.

In a statement on her official website, her family said: “She died from complications brought about from breast cancer that had metastasised to her liver.”

They said she had not fully recovered from surgery performed before Christmas which removed “portions of her liver and some tumours as well as her gall bladder (not infected but in the way)”.

“She had been in chemo almost continuously for the past two-plus years since being diagnosed and that had weakened her immune system as well as her body.

“This didn’t dampen her sense of humour or her spirit, she intended to fight and win this battle. In the end, her mind still wanted to fight but her body had given up.”

Craig started her career as a ballet dancer and was the youngest member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

She then landed a lead role in the movie The Young Land, which sparked a successful film and TV career.

She starred alongside Elvis Presley in two movies, and in numerous TV shows including Mod Squad and The Six Million Dollar Man.

She is survived by husband Kenneth Aldrich, sister Meridel Carson and nephews Christopher and Todd Carson.