William Austin
Born
June 10, 1884
Died
June 15, 1975 (91 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Georgetown, British Guiana [now Guyana]
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
Laurel & Hardy: Year One
2023
The Ghost Goes Wild
Barnaby
1947
Alias Mr. Twilight
Forbes (uncredited)
1946
Swingin' on a Rainbow
Musician (uncredited)
1945
National Velvet
Reporter (uncredited)
1945
The Return of the Vampire
Detective Gannett
1943
Batman
Alfred
1943
Charley's Aunt
Spectator
1941
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Inquisitive Stranger
1939
Doctor Rhythm
Mr. Martingale
1938
Live, Love and Learn
Bob's Butler (uncredited)
1937
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted
Constable Holly
1937
The Garden Murder Case
Sneed, Hammle's Butler (Uncredited)
1936
$1,000 a Minute
Salesman
1935
The Goose and the Gander
Arthur Summers
1935
Redheads on Parade
Trelawney Redfern
1935
Oil for the Lamps of China
Clerk in Chase's office
1935
Imitation of Life
Englishman at Party (uncredited)
1934
The Gay Divorcee
Cyril Glossop
1934
Alice in Wonderland
Gryphon
1933
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Duke of Cleves
1933
Three Men in a Boat
Harris
1933
High Society
Wilberforce Strangeways
1932
County Hospital
Ollie's Hospital Roommate
1932
Rule 'Em and Weep
Duke
1932
Corsair
Richard Bentinck
1931
A Tailor-Made Man
Jellicott
1931
Along Came Youth
Lord Eustace
1930
Let's Go Native
Basil Pistol
1930
The Flirting Widow
James Raleigh
1930
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
Sylvester Wadsworth
1930
The Man from Blankley's
Mr. Poffley
1930
Embarrassing Moments
Jasper Hickson
1930
The Marriage Playground
Lord Wrench
1929
Sweetie
Prof. Percy Willow
1929
Illusion
Mr. Z
1929
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
Sylvester Wadsworth
1929
What a Night!
Percy Penfield
1928
Someone to Love
Aubrey Weems
1928
Just Married
Percy Jones
1928
The Fifty-Fifty Girl
Engineer
1928
Red Hair
Dr. Eustace Gill
1928
Drums of Love
Raymond of Boston
1928
Swim Girl, Swim
Mr. Spangle PhD.
1927
The World At Her Feet
Det. Hall
1927
Duck Soup
Lord Tarbotham
1927
It
Monty Montgomery
1927
The Flaming Forest
Alfred Wimbledon
1926
Her Big Night
Harold Crosby, cub reporter
1926
Fig Leaves
Andre's Assistant
1926
What Happened to Jones
Henry Fuller
1926
The Best People
Arthur Rockmere
1925
Seven Days
Dal Brown
1925
The Night Club
Gerly - The Valet
1925
Head Winds
Theodore Van Felt
1925
Who Cares
Dr. Harry Oldershaw
1925
The Garden of Weeds
Archie
1924
The Reckless Age
Lord Allan Harrowby
1924
Ruggles of Red Gap
Mr. Belknap-Jackson
1923
The Cowboy King
Wilbur
1922
Handle with Care
Peter Carter
1922
Common Sense
Reggie Barrett
1920