William Austin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Austin (12 June 1884 – 15 June 1975) was a British character actor who was born on a sugar plantation in Georgetown in British Guiana (now Guyana). On the death of his father he was brought to England 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. He died in Newport Beach, California. 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). Mr. Austin's portrayal in the 1943 Batman serial of Batman's butler Alfred is the iconic portrayal still used in the comics. Previous to being played by Mr. Austin, the character was fat and had no facial hair. Performed by Mr. Austin, the character was thin with a mustache. Shortly after the serial was released, Alfred in the comics was changed to match the look of the serial; 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Austin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Credits
- 1947 · The Ghost Goes Wild as Barnaby
- 1946 · Alias Mr. Twilight as Forbes (uncredited)
- 1945 · Swingin' on a Rainbow as Musician (uncredited)
- 1945 · National Velvet as Reporter (uncredited)
- 1943 · The Return of the Vampire as Detective Gannett
- 1943 · Batman as Alfred
- 1941 · Charley's Aunt as Spectator
- 1939 · The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes as Inquisitive Stranger
- 1938 · Doctor Rhythm as Mr. Martingale
- 1937 · Live, Love and Learn as Bob's Butler (uncredited)
- 1937 · Renfrew of the Royal Mounted as Constable Holly
- 1936 · The Garden Murder Case as Sneed, Hammle's Butler (Uncredited)
- 1935 · $1,000 a Minute as Salesman
- 1935 · The Goose and the Gander as Arthur Summers
- 1935 · Redheads on Parade as Trelawney Redfern
- 1935 · Oil for the Lamps of China as Clerk in Chase's office
- 1934 · Imitation of Life as Englishman at Party (uncredited)
- 1934 · The Gay Divorcee as Cyril Glossop
- 1933 · Alice in Wonderland as Gryphon
- 1933 · The Private Life of Henry VIII as Duke of Cleves
- 1933 · Three Men in a Boat as Harris
- 1932 · High Society as Wilberforce Strangeways
- 1932 · County Hospital as Ollie's Hospital Roommate
- 1932 · Rule 'Em and Weep as Duke
- 1931 · Corsair as Richard Bentinck
- 1931 · A Tailor-Made Man as Jellicott
- 1930 · Along Came Youth as Lord Eustace
- 1930 · Let's Go Native as Basil Pistol
- 1930 · The Flirting Widow as James Raleigh
- 1930 · The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu as Sylvester Wadsworth
- 1930 · The Man from Blankley's as Mr. Poffley
- 1930 · Embarrassing Moments as Jasper Hickson
- 1929 · The Marriage Playground as Lord Wrench
- 1929 · Sweetie as Prof. Percy Willow
- 1929 · Illusion as Mr. Z
- 1929 · The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu as Sylvester Wadsworth
- 1928 · What a Night! as Percy Penfield
- 1928 · Just Married as Percy Jones
- 1928 · The Fifty-Fifty Girl as Engineer
- 1928 · Red Hair as Dr. Eustace Gill
- 1928 · Drums of Love as Raymond of Boston
- 1927 · Swim Girl, Swim as Mr. Spangle PhD.
- 1927 · The World At Her Feet as Det. Hall
- 1927 · Duck Soup as Lord Tarbotham
- 1927 · It as Monty Montgomery
- 1926 · The Flaming Forest as Alfred Wimbledon
- 1926 · Fig Leaves as Andre's Assistant
- 1926 · What Happened to Jones as Henry Fuller
- 1925 · The Best People as Arthur Rockmere
- 1925 · Seven Days as Dal Brown
- 1925 · The Night Club as Gerly - The Valet
- 1925 · Head Winds as Theodore Van Felt
- 1924 · The Garden of Weeds as Archie
- 1924 · The Reckless Age as Lord Allan Harrowby
- 1923 · Ruggles of Red Gap as Mr. Belknap-Jackson
- 1922 · The Cowboy King as Wilbur
- 1922 · Handle with Care as Peter Carter
- 1920 · Common Sense as Reggie Barrett