William Austin

Acting

William Austin

Born 1884-06-10 · 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

Acting credits

Batman poster
6.2

Japanese master spy Daka operates a covert espionage-sabotage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo, which turns American scientists into pliable zombies. The great crime-fighters Batman and Robin, with the help of their allies, are in pursuit.

Batman

1943

No artwork available
8.0

Jim Wilson is separated from his wife Bella, so when his maiden Aunt Selina -- who thoroughly disapproves of divorce -- comes to visit, Wilson is compelled to locate a temporary wife. His friend, Kit Eclair, is happy to fill in, but during a party, his home is quarantined for smallpox. To complicate matters, a burglar is hiding from a cop in Wilson's home, and wacky Anne Brown is busy trying to hold a seance.

Seven Days

1925

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes poster
6.9

Having once again avoided criminal conviction, Professor Moriarity develops a murderous plan to “finish off” his last major nemesis, Sherlock Holmes, by making him fail to prevent the perfect crime. Does it involve a family curse, the crown jewels of England, or something else…

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

1939

Redheads on Parade poster
9.0

A film star finds herself in trouble with her co-star when she has to flirt with the backer to prevent him from withdrawing his support.

Redheads on Parade

1935

Alice in Wonderland poster
6.1

In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland, populated by even more fantastic characters.

Alice in Wonderland

1933

National Velvet poster
7.2

Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse.

National Velvet

1945

The Gay Divorcee poster
6.9

Seeking a divorce from her absentee husband, Mimi Glossop travels to an English seaside resort. There she falls in love with dancer Guy Holden, whom she later mistakes for the corespondent her lawyer hired.

The Gay Divorcee

1934

Embarrassing Moments poster
10.0

A couple meet, fall in love and get married in a 24-hour period.

Embarrassing Moments

1930

Imitation of Life poster
7.0

A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter. The two women start a successful business but face familial, identity, and racial issues along the way.

Imitation of Life

1934

The Return of the Vampire poster
6.1

In 1918, an English family is terrorized by a vampire, until they learn how to deal with it. They think their troubles are over, but German bombs in WWII free the monster. He reclaims the soul of his wolfman ex-servant, and assuming the identity of a scientist who has just escaped from a concentration camp, he starts out on a plan to get revenge upon the family.

The Return of the Vampire

1943

No artwork available
7.0

A British comedy film directed by John Rawlins

High Society

1932

Common Sense poster
10.0

Dan Bowers, embittered and disillusioned by an unhappy marriage, seeks solitude in the Maine woods, with a lame dog as his only companion. One day he meets Violet Manners who, with her invalid mother Marion, is visiting in a nearby village. Marion is haunted by memories of the past, and one day when Violet takes Dan to meet her mother, she discovers that he is the husband who deserted her years ago. The shock causes Marion's death, but before she dies, she justifies her past behavior toward Dan. -From the AFI Catalog of Feature FIlms.

Common Sense

1920

The Private Life of Henry VIII poster
6.4

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second betrothed, executed on charges of treason, Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that wedded bliss also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the tyrannical king chooses German-born Anne of Cleves, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and so Henry's reign of spousal terror continues.

The Private Life of Henry VIII

1933

County Hospital poster
6.8

Ollie is in the hospital with a broken leg. When Stan comes to visit him, total chaos ensues.

County Hospital

1932

Honeymoon Hate poster
8.0

Gail Grant, the impetuous daughter of a Pittsburgh steel magnate, arrives at a hotel in Venice and demands the Imperial Suite; in London, George Banning-Green, a persistent admirer, believes that she has gone to Berlin. Searching for "imperial" furnishings, the hotel manager goes to the palace of Prince Dantarini, who is selling the contents of his villa as an aftermath of the war. Dantarini agrees to be her guide in Venice, and when he proposes in his garden, Gail accepts.

Honeymoon Hate

1927

Paramount on Parade poster
5.9

This 1930 film, a collection of songs and sketches showcasing Paramount Studios' contract stars, credits 11 directors

Paramount on Parade

1930

Just Married poster
7.0

After many outrageous moments, a young girl marries her former acquaintance, not with her fiancee.

Just Married

1928

Oil for the Lamps of China poster
7.2

An American oil company representative risks sacrificing his marriage for his career in the rural lands of China.

Oil for the Lamps of China

1935

Silk Stockings poster
8.0

Sam and Molly Thornhill, a married couple very much in love, are nevertheless continually quarreling. On the eve of their wedding anniversary, Sam fails to notice a pair of silk stockings slipped into his pocket by a lady.

Silk Stockings

1927

Charley's Aunt poster
6.3

In 1890, two students at Oxford force their rascally friend and fellow student to pose as an aunt from Brazil--where the nuts come from.

Charley's Aunt

1941

Live, Love and Learn poster
5.6

A starving, uncompromising artist and an heiress fall in love at first sight and immediately get married. She loves his outrageous behaviour, his strange roommate, and the best apartment poverty can buy.

Live, Love and Learn

1937

Red Hair poster
8.5

A free-spirited young girl has three middle-aged admirers, each of whom sees her from a completely different perspective. Unknown to her, they also happen to be the guardians of a wealthy young man to whom she is attracted. Only a small fragment of this film survives.

Red Hair

1928

Someone to Love poster
8.0

A poor but honest sheet-music salesman is parted from his wealthy fiancée when she mistakenly comes to believe he’s nothing but a gold digger. But circumstance places him on the board of an exclusive girls’ school, where he can prove his integrity as well as his love. This film is believed lost.

Someone to Love

1928

Duck Soup poster
6.4

Fleeing a group of forest rangers, who are rounding up tramps to serve as firefighters, they take refuge in a mansion. The owner has gone on vacation and the servants are away, so Hardy pretends to be the owner and offers to rent the house to an English couple. Hardy gets Laurel to pose as the maid. Unfortunately, the owner returns and tells the would-be renters that he owns the house; Laurel and Hardy then flee again and are caught by the rangers and forced to fight wildfires.

Duck Soup

1927