William Austin

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William Austin
Born	12 June 1884(1884-06-12) Georgetown, British Guiana
Died	15 June 1975 (aged 91) Newport Beach, California, USA

William Austin (12 June 1884 – 15 June 1975) was a British character actor who was born in Georgetown in British Guiana (now Guyana) and 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 is 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 mustache.

External links

• William Austin at the Internet Movie Database
• William Austin at Find-A-Grave
• McLean, Thomas (9 July 2008). "Batman's father figure: Michael Caine and Alfreds through the years". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988711.html?categoryid=3184&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 

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