William Austin
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 10, 1884
- Died
- June 15, 1975
- Birthplace
- 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
Filmography
Campus Sleuth 1948
Editor
The Ghost Goes Wild 1947
as Barnaby
Alias Mr. Twilight 1946
as Forbes (uncredited)
Swingin' on a Rainbow 1945
as Musician (uncredited)
National Velvet 1945
as Reporter (uncredited)
The Return of the Vampire 1943
as Detective Gannett
Batman 1943
as Alfred
Charley's Aunt 1941
as Spectator
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1939
as Inquisitive Stranger
Doctor Rhythm 1938
as Mr. Martingale
Live, Love and Learn 1937
as Bob's Butler (uncredited)
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted 1937
as Constable Holly
The Garden Murder Case 1936
as Sneed, Hammle's Butler (Uncredited)
$1,000 a Minute 1935
as Salesman
The Goose and the Gander 1935
as Arthur Summers
Redheads on Parade 1935
as Trelawney Redfern
Oil for the Lamps of China 1935
as Clerk in Chase's office
Imitation of Life 1934
as Englishman at Party (uncredited)
The Gay Divorcee 1934
as Cyril Glossop
- Once to Every Bachelor
Once to Every Bachelor 1934
as Mathews
Alice in Wonderland 1933
as Gryphon
The Private Life of Henry VIII 1933
as Duke of Cleves
Three Men in a Boat 1933
as Harris
- High Society
High Society 1932
as Wilberforce Strangeways
County Hospital 1932
as Ollie's Hospital Roommate
Rule 'Em and Weep 1932
as Duke
Corsair 1931
as Richard Bentinck
A Tailor-Made Man 1931
as Jellicott
Along Came Youth 1930
as Lord Eustace
Let's Go Native 1930
as Basil Pistol
The Flirting Widow 1930
as James Raleigh
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu 1930
as Sylvester Wadsworth
Paramount on Parade 1930
as Partygoer ('Impulses') (uncredited)
The Man from Blankley's 1930
as Mr. Poffley
Embarrassing Moments 1930
as Jasper Hickson
The Marriage Playground 1929
as Lord Wrench
Sweetie 1929
as Prof. Percy Willow
Illusion 1929
as Mr. Z
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu 1929
as Sylvester Wadsworth
What a Night! 1928
as Percy Penfield
Someone to Love 1928
as Aubrey Weems
Just Married 1928
as Percy Jones
The Fifty-Fifty Girl 1928
as Engineer
Red Hair 1928
as Dr. Eustace Gill
Drums of Love 1928
as Raymond of Boston
Honeymoon Hate 1927
as Banning-Green
Silk Stockings 1927
as George Bagnall
Swim Girl, Swim 1927
as Mr. Spangle PhD.
The World At Her Feet 1927
as Det. Hall
Ritzy 1927
as Algy
Duck Soup 1927
as Lord Tarbotham
It 1927
as Monty Montgomery
One Hour of Love 1927
as Louis Carruthers
The Flaming Forest 1926
as Alfred Wimbledon
West of Broadway 1926
as Mortimer Allison
Her Big Night 1926
as Harold Crosby, cub reporter
Fig Leaves 1926
as Andre's Assistant
The Far Cry 1926
as Eric Lancefield
What Happened to Jones? 1926
as Henry Fuller
The Fate of a Flirt 1925
as Riggs
The Best People 1925
as Arthur Rockmere
- Seven Days
Seven Days 1925
as Dal Brown
The Night Club 1925
as Gerly - The Valet
Head Winds 1925
as Theodore Van Felt
Who Cares 1925
as Dr. Harry Oldershaw
In Love with Love 1924
as George Sears
The Garden of Weeds 1924
as Archie
The Enemy Sex 1924
as Joe's Friend (uncredited)
The Reckless Age 1924
as Lord Allan Harrowby
Ruggles of Red Gap 1923
as Mr. Belknap-Jackson
Rich Men's Wives 1922
as Reggie
The Cowboy King 1922
as Wilbur
Handle with Care 1922
as Peter Carter
Common Sense 1920
as Reggie Barrett
Credits from TMDB.