William Austin (actor)

William Austin (actor)
William Crosby Percy Austin (12 June 1884 – 15 June 1975) was an English character actor. He was the first actor to play Alfred in a Batman adaptation.
Early years
William Austin was born in Georgetown in British Guiana. His parents were Charles Percy Austin and Rosalie Ann Sarah Austin. On the death of his father, he was brought to the United Kingdom to complete his education. He was the brother of actor Albert Austin.
Austin attended Reading College in England and gained theatrical experience via Little Theatre and Drama Shop plays.
Career
Austin 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. Beginning in 1919, Austin acted at the Morosco Theatre in Los Angeles for three years. He began working in films in 1922.
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. Of the 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.
Austin worked as a film editor from 1928 to 1930, primarily working with Westerns.
Batman
Austin portrayed Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in the 1943 Batman serial. 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, which has remained consistent since.
Death
On 15 June 1975, Austin died in Newport Beach, California, three days after his 91st birthday. He was buried in Pacific View Memorial Park, Corona del Mar, California.
Selected filmography
Common Sense (1920) – Reggie Barrett
Handle with Care (1922) – Peter Carter
The Cowboy King (1922) – Wilbur
Rich Men's Wives (1922) – Reggie
Ruggles of Red Gap (1923) – Mr. Belknap–Jackson
The Reckless Age (1924) – Lord Harrowby
The Garden of Weeds (1924) – Archie
In Love with Love (1924) – George Sears
The Night Club (1925) – Gerly – The Valet
Who Cares (1925) – Dr. Harry Oldershaw
Head Winds (1925) – Theodore Van Felt
Seven Days (1925) – Dal Brown
The Best People (1925) – Arthur Rockmere
The Fate of a Flirt (1925) – Riggs
What Happened to Jones (1926) – Henry Fuller
The Far Cry (1926) – Eric Lancefield
Fig Leaves (1926) – André's Assistant
Collegiate (1926) – G. Horace Crumbleigh
Her Big Night (1926) – Harold Crosby
West of Broadway (1926) – Mortimer Allison
The Flaming Forest (1926) – Alfred Wimbledon
One Hour of Love (1927) – Louis Carruthers
It (1927) – 'Monty' Montgomery
Ritzy (1927) – Algy
The World at Her Feet (1927) – Det. Hall
Swim Girl, Swim (1927) – Mr. Spangle, PhD
Silk Stockings (1927) – George Bagnall
The Small Bachelor (1927)
Honeymoon Hate (1927) – Banning–Green
Drums of Love (1928) – Raymond of Boston
Red Hair (1928) – Dr. Eustace Gill
The Fifty-Fifty Girl (1928) – Engineer
Just Married (1928) – Percy Jones
Someone to Love (1928) – Aubrey Weems
What a Night! (1928) – Percy Penfield
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) – Sylvester Wadsworth
Illusion (1929) – Mr. Z
Sweetie (1929) – Prof. Willow
The Marriage Playground (1929) – Lord Wrench
Embarrassing Moments (1929) – Jasper Hickson
The Man from Blankley's (1930) – Mr. Poffley
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930) – Sylvester Wadsworth
The Flirting Widow (1930) – James Raleigh
Let's Go Native (1930) – Basil Pistol
Along Came Youth (1930) – Eustace
A Tailor Made Man (1931) – Jellicott
Corsair (1931) – Richard Bentinck
High Society (1932) – Wilberforce Strangeways
Don't Be a Dummy (1932) – Lord Tony Probus
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) – Duke of Cleves
Alice in Wonderland (1933) – Gryphon
Three Men in a Boat (1933) – Harris
Once to Every Bachelor (1934) – Mathews
The Gay Divorcee (1934) – Cyril Glossop
Thirty-Day Princess (1934)
Redheads on Parade (1935) – Trelawney Redfern
The Goose and the Gander (1935) – Arthur Summers
$1000 a Minute (1935) – Salesman
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937) – Constable Kelly
Doctor Rhythm (1938) – Mr. Martingale (The Floorwalker)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) – Inquisitive Stranger
Charley's Aunt (1941) – Cricket Match Spectator
Batman (1943, Serial) – Alfred Beagle (uncredited)
My Kingdom for a Cook (1943) – Brooks
The Return of the Vampire (1943) – Detective Gannett
The Ghost Goes Wild (1947) – Barnaby (final film role)
References
External links
1884 births
1975 deaths
English male film actors
English male silent film actors
20th-century English male actors
British expatriate male actors in the United States