Known For
Acting
Born
Jun 10, 1884
Died
Jun 15, 1975
Place of Birth
Georgetown, British Guiana [now Guyana]
Credits
74 titles
William Austin
Biography
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
Filmography
Campus Sleuth
Editor
The Ghost Goes Wild
Barnaby
Alias Mr. Twilight
Forbes (uncredited)
Swingin' on a Rainbow
Musician (uncredited)
National Velvet
Reporter (uncredited)
The Return of the Vampire
Detective Gannett
Batman
Alfred
Charley's Aunt
Spectator
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Inquisitive Stranger
Doctor Rhythm
Mr. Martingale
Live, Love and Learn
Bob's Butler (uncredited)
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted
Constable Holly
The Garden Murder Case
Sneed, Hammle's Butler (Uncredited)
$1,000 a Minute
Salesman
The Goose and the Gander
Arthur Summers
Redheads on Parade
Trelawney Redfern
Oil for the Lamps of China
Clerk in Chase's office
Imitation of Life
Englishman at Party (uncredited)
The Gay Divorcee
Cyril Glossop
Once to Every Bachelor
Mathews
Alice in Wonderland
Gryphon
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Duke of Cleves
Three Men in a Boat
Harris
High Society
Wilberforce Strangeways
County Hospital
Ollie's Hospital Roommate
Rule 'Em and Weep
Duke
Corsair
Richard Bentinck
A Tailor-Made Man
Jellicott
Along Came Youth
Lord Eustace
Let's Go Native
Basil Pistol
The Flirting Widow
James Raleigh
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
Sylvester Wadsworth
Paramount on Parade
Partygoer ('Impulses') (uncredited)
The Man from Blankley's
Mr. Poffley
Embarrassing Moments
Jasper Hickson
The Marriage Playground
Lord Wrench
Sweetie
Prof. Percy Willow
Illusion
Mr. Z
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
Sylvester Wadsworth
What a Night!
Percy Penfield
Someone to Love
Aubrey Weems
Just Married
Percy Jones
The Fifty-Fifty Girl
Engineer
Red Hair
Dr. Eustace Gill
Drums of Love
Raymond of Boston
Honeymoon Hate
Banning-Green
Silk Stockings
George Bagnall
Swim Girl, Swim
Mr. Spangle PhD.
The World At Her Feet
Det. Hall
Ritzy
Algy