Alan Napier

Alan William Napier-Clavering (7 January 1903 – 8 August 1988), better known as Alan Napier, was an English actor. After a decade in West End theatre, he had a long film career in Britain and later, in Hollywood. Napier is best remembered for portraying Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler in the 1960s live-action '' Batman'' television series.

Early life and career

Napier was a first cousin-once removed of Neville Chamberlain, Britain's prime minister from 1937 to 1940. He was educated at Packwood Haugh School and, after leaving Clifton College, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1925.

He was engaged by the Oxford Players, where he worked with the likes of John Gielgud and Robert Morley. As Napier recalled, his “ridiculously tall” 6′ 6″ height played a crucial part in his securing the position and also almost losing it. J. B. Fagan had dismissed Tyrone Guthrie because he was too tall for most parts. Napier was interviewed (and accepted) as Guthrie's replacement while sitting down. Fagan realized that Napier was even taller than Guthrie when he stood up, but honoured his commitment. Napier performed for ten years (1929–1939) on the West End stage. Napier described himself as having a particular affinity for the work of George Bernard Shaw, and in 1937 appeared in a London revival of '' Heartbreak House'' supervised by Shaw himself.

He made his American stage debut as the romantic lead opposite Gladys George in ''Lady in Waiting''. Though his film career had begun in Britain in the 1930s, he had very little success before the cameras until he joined the British expatriate community in Hollywood in 1941. There he spent time with such people as James Whale, a fellow ex-Oxford Player. He appeared in such films as ''Random Harvest'' (1942), '' Cat People'' (1942), and '' The Uninvited'' (1944). In '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), he played the ethically questionable psychiatrist who is hired to declare Bernadette mentally ill. He also played the vicious Earl of Warwick in ''Joan of Arc'' (1948). He performed in two Shakespearean films: the Orson Welles '' Macbeth'' (1948), in which he played a priest that Welles added to the story, who spoke lines originally uttered by other characters, and MGM's ''Julius Caesar'' (1953), as Cicero. He appeared as Mr. Rutland in the Hitchcock movie ''Marnie'' (1964).

In 1949, he made an appearance on the short-lived television anthology series ''Your Show Time'' as Sherlock Holmes, in an adaptation of " The Adventure of the Speckled Band". In the 1950s, he appeared on TV in four episodes of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' and guest starred on Dale Robertson's NBC western series '' Tales of Wells Fargo''. He had a recurring role as General Steele on the 1962–1963 situation comedy '' Don't Call Me Charlie!''

''Batman''

In 1965, he was the first to be cast in the ''Batman'' TV series, as Bruce Wayne's faithful butler Alfred, a role he played until the series' cancellation in 1968.

I had never read comics before was hired for ''Batman'' My agent rang up and said, 'I think you are going to play on "Batman,"' I said 'What is "Batman"?' He said, 'Don't you read the comics?' I said, 'No, never.' He said, 'I think you are going to be Batman's butler.' I said, 'How do I know I want to be Batman's butler?' It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. He said, 'It may be worth over $100,000.' So I said I was Batman's butler.

Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker in the 1989 film '' Batman'' was named Jack Napier in his honor.

Later life and career

Napier's career extended into the 1980s with roles on television, including the miniseries '' QB VII'', '' The Bastard'' and ''Centennial'', and the drama '' The Paper Chase''. He retired in 1981, aged 78.

In early 1988, Napier appeared on the late-night talk show ''The Late Show'' as part of a reunion of the surviving cast of ''Batman'', despite being in a wheelchair. His co-star Yvonne Craig described the reunion show as overbooked, and when host Ross Shafer finally turned his attention to Napier, it was only to ask him a silly question, then cut him off abruptly as he was telling a story, much to Napier's annoyance. Napier did not participate in the subsequent cast reunion held before his death.

Family

Napier was twice married. His second wife, Aileen Dickens Hawksley, was a great-granddaughter of novelist Charles Dickens. Hawsley's daughter from a previous marriage, actress Jennifer Raine, was the mother of former child actor Brian Forster, best known as "Chris Partridge" on the 1970s television show ''The Partridge Family''.

Death

Napier suffered a stroke in 1987, was hospitalized from June 1988, and had been gravely ill for several days, before his death of natural causes on 8 August 1988, in the Berkeley East Convalescent Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He was 85 years old.

Autobiography

In the early 1970s, Napier wrote a three-volume autobiography which was not published at the time because, as he joked, "I haven't committed a major crime and I'm not known to have slept with any famous actresses.""Alan Napier", ''Films in Review'', February 1979, Vol XXX No. 2 In 2015, McFarland Press published the book under the title ''Not Just Batman's Butler'', with Napier's original text annotated and updated by James Bigwood.

Selected filmography

Film

* '' Caste'' (1930) as Capt. Hawtree
* '' Stamboul'' (1931) as Bouchier
* '' In a Monastery Garden'' (1932) as Count Romano
* '' Loyalties'' (1933) as Gen. Canynge
* '' Wings Over Africa'' (1936) as Redfern
* '' For Valour'' (1937) as General
* ''The Wife of General Ling'' (1937) as Governor
* '' The Four Just Men'' (1939) as Sir Hamar Ryman
* '' We Are Not Alone'' (1939) as Archdeacon
* '' The Invisible Man Returns '' (1940) as Willie Spears
* '' The House of the Seven Gables'' (1940) as Fuller
* '' Confirm or Deny'' (1940) as Updyke (scenes deleted)
* ''Eagle Squadron'' (1942) as Black Watch officer
* '' A Yank at Eton'' (1942) as Restaurateur (uncredited)
* '' Cat People'' (1942) as Doc Carver (uncredited)
* ''Random Harvest'' (1942) as Julian
* '' Assignment in Brittany'' (1943) as Sam Wells
* '' Appointment in Berlin'' (1943) as Col. Patterson (uncredited)
* ''Lassie Come Home'' (1943) as Jock
* ''Madame Curie'' (1943) as Dr. Bladh (uncredited)
* '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943) as Dr. Debeau (uncredited)
* '' Lost Angel'' (1943) as Dr. Woodring
* '' The Uninvited'' (1944) as Dr. Scott
* '' Action in Arabia'' (1944) as Eric Latimer
* ''The Hairy Ape'' (1944) as MacDougald, Chief Engineer
* ''Ministry of Fear'' (1944) as Dr. JM Forrester
* ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) as Mr. Parker
* '' Dark Waters'' (1944) as The Doctor (uncredited)
* '' Mademoiselle Fifi'' (1944) as The Count de Breville
* ''Hangover Square'' (1945) as Sir Henry Chapman
* '' Isle of the Dead'' (1945) as St. Aubyn
* ''Three Strangers'' (1946) as David Shackleford
* '' House of Horrors'' (1946) as F. Holmes Harmon
* '' A Scandal in Paris'' (1946) as Houdon De Pierremont, Police Minister
* '' The Strange Woman'' (1946) as Judge Henry Saladine
* ''Sinbad the Sailor'' (1947) as Aga
* '' Fiesta'' (1947) as The Tourist
* ''High Conquest'' (1947) as Tommy Donlin
* '' Ivy'' (1947) as Sir Jonathan Wright
* '' Adventure Island'' (1947) as Attwater
* ''Lured'' (1947) as Detective Gordon
* '' Driftwood'' (1947) as Dr. Nicholas Adams
* '' Unconquered'' (1947) as Sir William Johnson
* '' Forever Amber'' (1947) as Landale
* ''The Lone Wolf in London'' (1947) as Monty Beresford
* '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948) as Defense Attorney
* '' Macbeth'' (1948) as A Holy Father
* ''Joan of Arc'' (1948) as Earl of Warwick
* '' Hills of Home'' (1948) as Sir George
* '' Criss Cross'' (1949) as Finchley
* '' My Own True Love'' (1949) as Kittredge
* ''Tarzan's Magic Fountain'' (1949) as Douglas Jessup
* ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1949) as High Executioner
* '' Manhandled'' (1949) as Alton Bennet
* ''The Red Danube'' (1949) as The General
* ''Challenge to Lassie'' (1949) as Lord Provost
* '' Master Minds'' (1949) as Dr. Druzik
* '' Tripoli'' (1950) as Khalil
* '' Double Crossbones'' (1951) as Capt. Kidd
* '' Tarzan's Peril'' (1951) as Commissioner Peters
* ''The Great Caruso'' (1951) as Jean de Reszke
* '' The Highwayman'' (1951) as Barton
* '' Across the Wide Missouri'' (1951) as Capt. Humberstone Lyon
* '' The Blue Veil'' (1951) as Prof. George Carter
* '' The Strange Door'' (1951) as Count Grassin
* '' Big Jim McLain'' (1952) as Sturak
* ''Julius Caesar'' (1953) as Cicero
* '' Young Bess'' (1953) as Robert Tyrwhitt
* '' Désirée'' (1954) as Despreaux
* '' Moonfleet'' (1955) as Parson Glennie
* '' The Court Jester'' (1956) as Sir Brockhurst
* '' Miami Exposé'' (1956) as Raymond Sheridan
* '' The Mole People'' (1956) as Elinu, the High Priest
* ''Until They Sail'' (1957) as Prosecution Attorney
* '' Island of Lost Women'' (1959) as Dr. Paul Lujan
* ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (1959) as Dean
* ''Wild in the Country'' (1961) as Prof. Joe B. Larson (uncredited)
* ''Tender Is the Night'' (1962) as Señor Pardo
* '' The Premature Burial'' (1962) as Dr. Gideon Gault
* '' The Sword in the Stone'' (1963) as Sir Pellinore (voice)
* ''Marnie'' (1964) as Mr. Rutland
* '' Mary Poppins'' (1964) as Huntsman / Reporter #3 / Hound (voice, uncredited)
* ''My Fair Lady'' (1964) as Gentleman who escorts Eliza to the Queen of Transylvania (uncredited)
* ''Signpost to Murder'' (1964) as The Vicar
* '' 36 Hours'' (1964) as Col. Peter MacLean
* '' The Loved One'' (1965) as English Club Official
* '' Batman'' (1966) as Alfred Pennyworth

Television

* '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1955) episode " Into Thin Air" as Geoffrey Toone
* '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1957) episode "I Killed the Count" as Lord Sorrington
* '' Don't Call Me Charlie!'' (1962–1963 TV series), recurring role as General Steele
* '' Twilight Zone'' (1963) episode " Passage on the Lady Anne" as Capt. Protheroe
* '' Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)'' (1965) S1/E26-27 "Cain's Birthday" (Parts 1 & 2) as Col. Sir Hubert Crater
* '' Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)'' (1965) S2/E13 "The Perilous Journey" as Lord Brisbane
*'' Batman'' (1966-1968) as Alfred Pennyworth
* ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (1967) episode "The Clampetts In London" as Chemist
*'' Ironside'' (1970, 1973, 1974)
* '' QB VII'' (1974 miniseries) as Semple
* '' The Bastard'' (1978 miniseries) as Dr. Bleeker
* ''Centennial'' (1979 miniseries) as Lord Venneford

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Alan
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English male film actors
English male television actors
English expatriates in the United States
People educated at Clifton College
1903 births
1988 deaths
Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands
20th-century English male actors
British expatriate male actors in the United States