Michael Gough (actor)

The late Michael Gough portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

Significant roles[]

Spintho in Androcles and the Lion (1946)
Prince Charles in Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948)
Duke of Buckingham in The Sword and the Rose (1953)
Duke of Montrose in Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953)
Arthur in Dracula (1958)
Cassius in Julius Ceasar (1959)
Squire Mercer in Dancers in Mourning (1959)
Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1967)
Metellus Cimber in Julius Caesar (1970)
Sam Murdock in Trog (1970)
Norfolk in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)
Beverly Carlton in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972)
Sir Anthony Eden in Suez 1956 (1979)
Dr. Paul Flammond in Top Secret! (1984)
Schoonbacher in The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Alfred Pennyworth in Batman (1989)
Maurice James Kingsley in Blackeyes (1989)
Andrei Zorin in Sleepers (1991)
Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Returns (1992)
Bertrand Russell in Wittgenstein (1993)
Henry van der Luyden in The Age of Innocence (1993)
Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Forever (1995)
Leo Tolstoy in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Travels With Father (1996)
Alfred Pennyworth in Batman & Robin (1997)
Feers in The Cherry Orchard (1999)
Notary Hardenbrook in Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Elder Gutknecht in Corpse Bride (2005)
Dodo Bird in Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Quotes[]

"I never thought for a moment that I would be doing Batman Forever. I thought that I had done two, and had enjoyed them very much indeed, and that with a new director and a new Batman there was absolutely no reason on Earth why they should have the same Alfred. I never thought that I would do it, but I was delighted when they said 'Come on'."
"Alan was a friend of mine. We'd worked together in the theatre and when he played Alfred I became very interested in his character. I remember that I wrote to him and said, 'Alan, you made Alfred look like a very interesting character because it appears as though he does nothing at all but he is, in fact, a very important character' , so I had that link before I ever knew I would play the part. He was very reserved, very impeccable and I watched him a lot; I didn't really have a lesson in how to look after silver, how to polish glass and all the things like that, I learned just by watching him. His persona was so good and he was absolutely brilliant."
"I think it's the best yet [Batman Forever]. I think it's marvellous. It's funnier and it's not quite as intense as the first two films. It's difficult to explain but there's nothing sick about this picture at all - not that I'm saying that about the other ones - but somehow this film is lighter and more accessible than its predecessors."
"It was nice working with Val again and Chris is a brilliant actor. The three of us worked very well together. I liked Michael Keaton very much and we became mates, but everyone knew that the chemistry would be there between Val and I because we had already worked together. Val and Michael are very different personalities, but they both play the same character and the relationship between Alfred and Bruce Wayne remains the same."
"Tim very much leaves it to you. He casts the characters very carefully and once you're cast, it's up to you. Joel is just as sweet as Tim but is more concerned with shaping you and stretching you a little bit, which I love: he says, 'I think you could be a bit quicker here', 'You could be a little bit more straight here', and so on. He's lovely to work with as well."
"I would love Alfred to drive a horse-and-cart, a pony and trap or something like that. I would need to go to France to start riding again but I would enjoy doing that, and I've done it in two or three films. And of course, because Alfred is the only servant and does everything himself for his master, if we did have a pony and trap, Alfred would have to ride it. Yes, that would be lovely."