William Austin (actor)

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William Austin
Austin (left) in Her Big Night (1926)
Born	(1884-06-12)12 June 1884 Georgetown, British Guiana
Died	15 June 1975(1975-06-15) (aged 91) Newport Beach, California, US
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1920–1970
Family	Albert Austin (brother)

William Austin (12 June 1884 – 15 June 1975) was an English character actor. He was the first actor to play Alfred in a Batman adaptation.

Biography[]

William Austin was born on a sugar plantation in Georgetown in British Guiana (now Guyana). On the death of his father, he was brought to the United Kingdom to complete his education. He later filled a business post in Shanghai and on being sent to San Francisco by the company he worked for, he decided to stay in America and take up acting on the stage and later in films. He appeared in many American films and serials between the 1920s and the 1940s, though the vast majority of his roles were small and uncredited. He was the brother of actor Albert Austin.

Career[]

Of the numerous silent films Austin appeared in, he is best remembered as the sidekick friend of Clara Bow in Bow's best known film It (1927). He supported Laurel and Hardy in two of their films, Duck Soup and County Hospital.

Batman[]

Austin's portrayal of Batman's butler, Alfred, in the 1943 Batman serial is the iconic portrayal still used in the comics. Previous to being played by Austin, the character was fat and had no facial hair. Performed by Austin, the character was thin with a moustache. Shortly after the serial was released, Alfred in the comics was changed to match the look of the serial;^[1] this representation of the character has for the most part continued to this day except for the live action films, the Birds of Prey series, and the Deadshot short in Batman: Gotham Knight where he has no moustache.

Death[]

Austin died in his Newport Beach home from complications of a stroke.

Selected filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Austin (actor).

• William Austin at IMDb
• William Austin at the Internet Broadway Database
• William Austin at Find a Grave
• McLean, Thomas (9 July 2008). "Batman's father figure: Michael Caine and Alfreds through the years". Variety. Retrieved 10 February 2009.