Who was the first actor to play Batman's sidekick Robin?

Douglas Croft (August 12, 1926 – October 24, 1963), born Douglas Malcom Wheatcroft, was an American child actor who is best remembered for being the first person to portray the DC Comics character Robin, the Boy Wonder, as well as his secret identity Dick Grayson, in the 1943 serial "Batman" when he was 16 years old.

Croft was living with his mother in Los Angeles, California, in 1941. Fascinated by movie stars, a talent agent spotted him loitering near a studio and signed him up. About September 1941, he began using the stage name "Douglas Croft". He also shaved several years off his age, claiming in July 1941 and again in March 1942 that he was 11 years old. A December 1941 newspaper report listed his age as 12 when he was by then actually 15.

His first role was a bit part in "Remember The Day". His second role was a small part in the 1942 film "Kings Row", with his first major part and notable performance coming the same year in "Not A Ladies Man".

His breakout role was that of the young George M. Cohan in 1942's Oscar-winning "Yankee Doodle Dandy". The year 1942 also saw Croft in a substantial role as the young Lou Gehrig in "The Pride of the Yankees" and as Raymond, in "George Washington Slept Here".