Cause of death Stroke Years active 1920–1970 Role Character actor | Occupation Actor Name William Austin Siblings Albert Austin | |
Born 12 June 1884 ( 1884-06-12 ) Georgetown, British Guiana Family Albert Austin(brother) Died June 15, 1975, Newport Beach, California, United States Movies It, The Gay Divorcee, The Private Life of Henry VIII, Alice in Wonderland, Red Hair Similar People Clarence G Badger, Albert Austin, James Parrott, Norman Z McLeod, James Cruze | ||
William Austin (12 June 1884 – 15 June 1975) was an English character actor.
Contents
Biography
William Austin was born on a sugar plantation in Georgetown in British Guiana (now Guyana). On the death of his father he was brought to United Kingdom 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.
Career
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). He supported Laurel and Hardy in two of their films, Duck Soup and County Hospital.
Batman
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 moustache. 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.
Death
Austin died in his Newport Beach home from complications of a stroke.