Bill Finger was a comic book writer born in Denver, Colorado, to parents Louis Finger, an Austrian immigrant, and Tessie, a New Yorker. His family moved to New York City, where he grew up in The Bronx, attended DeWitt Clinton High School, and graduated in 1933. During the Great Depression, Finger entered the comic strip business as a ghost writer for Bob Kane's studio.
In 1938, National Comics, the predecessor of DC Comics, had its first major success with Superman, creating a market for superheroes. Bob Kane created the hero "Bat-Man" or "Batman" and asked Finger for assistance on the project. Finger rejected Kane's initial ideas and suggested changes in design and characterization, including a civilian identity for the character as "Bruce Wayne", named after Robert the Bruce and Anthony Wayne.
Finger's contributions to the character were not acknowledged, and Kane claimed sole credit for creating Batman. However, Finger continued to work on "Batman"-related stories throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, either as a writer or ghost writer, co-creating many of Batman's foes and supporting characters, including the Joker, Catwoman, Robin, and the Penguin.
Finger also worked on other DC Comics titles, such as "Green Lantern", "Superman", and "Superboy", and is credited with co-creating Green Lantern/Alan Scott and adapting "Kryptonite" into comic books. He created the character Lana Lang for the "Superboy" series and contributed to rival companies, including Fawcett Comics, Quality Comics, and Timely Comics.
Finger mostly retired from comic book writing in 1961 and began a career as a screenwriter for films and television series, including two episodes for the 1960s "Batman" live-action series. He died in 1974 due to atherosclerosis, with his remains cremated and ashes scattered on a beach. Finger was married twice and survived by his son, Fred. His granddaughter Athena Finger requested a creator's credit for his work, and DC Entertainment finally credited Finger as Batman's co-creator in 2015.
