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Alan Napier

May 19, 2023

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.[1]

Alan Napier
Napier in 1949
Born
Alan William Napier-Clavering

(1903-01-07)7 January 1903
King's Norton, Birmingham, England
Died8 August 1988(1988-08-08) (aged 85)
Santa Monica, California, US
Resting placeCremated; ashes scattered in the garden of his home in Pacific Palisades, California
EducationClifton College
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
Years active1920s–1981
Spouses
Emily Nancy Bevill Pethybridge
​
​
(m. 1930; div. 1944)​
Aileen Dickens Hawksley
​
​
(m. 1944; died 1961)​

Early life and career

Napier was a first cousin-once removed of Neville Chamberlain,[2] Britain's prime minister from 1937 to 1940. He was educated at Packwood Haugh School and,[3] after leaving Clifton College,[4] he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1925.[5]

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 [6] 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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[8]

He made his American stage debut as the romantic lead opposite Gladys George in Lady in Waiting.[7] 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,[9] as Bruce Wayne's faithful butler Alfred, a role he played until the series' cancellation in 1968.

I had never read comics before [I 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.[9]

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.[8] 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.[9]

Family

Napier was twice married. His second wife, Aileen Dickens Hawksley, was a great-granddaughter of novelist Charles Dickens.[8] 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.[10]

Death

Napier suffered a stroke in 1987, was hospitalized from June 1988, and was 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.[1]

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."[11] 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.[citation needed]

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ a b "Alan Napier, 'Batman's' butler, dies". Ukiah Daily Journal. Associated Press. 8 August 1988 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ ""Good Old Neville" Draws Support from Actor-Cousin". Bradford Evening Star. United Press. 9 May 1940 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ . Packwood Haugh School. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. pp446/77: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April 1948.
  5. ^ "Student & Graduate profiles". RADA. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  6. ^ Oldham, Michael (8 November 2018), "'Batman' Butler Alan Napier's Castellammare Home", Palisadian-Post, retrieved 28 December 2019
  7. ^ a b c "Alan Napier Gets There is Spite of Skyscraper Effect". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 5 May 1940 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ a b c Napier, Alan; Bigwood, James (24 September 2015). Not Just Batman's Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier. McFarland. ISBN 9781476662879.
  9. ^ a b c "Birmingham actor was Batman's butler". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  10. ^ Variety Staff (14 January 1993). "Jennifer Raine Bissell". Variety. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Alan Napier", Films in Review, February 1979, Vol XXX No. 2

External links

Preceded by
Eric Wilton
 Alfred Pennyworth Actor
1966–1968 		Succeeded by

May 19, 2023
alan, napier, alan, william, napier, clavering, january, 1903, august, 1988, better, known, english, actor, after, decade, west, theatre, long, film, career, britain, later, hollywood, napier, best, remembered, portraying, alfred, pennyworth, bruce, wayne, but. 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 1 Alan NapierNapier in 1949BornAlan William Napier Clavering 1903 01 07 7 January 1903King s Norton Birmingham EnglandDied8 August 1988 1988 08 08 aged 85 Santa Monica California USResting placeCremated ashes scattered in the garden of his home in Pacific Palisades CaliforniaEducationClifton CollegeAlma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic ArtYears active1920s 1981SpousesEmily Nancy Bevill Pethybridge m 1930 div 1944 wbr Aileen Dickens Hawksley m 1944 died 1961 wbr Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Batman 3 Later life and career 4 Family 5 Death 6 Autobiography 7 Selected filmography 7 1 Film 7 2 Television 8 References 9 External linksEarly life and career EditNapier was a first cousin once removed of Neville Chamberlain 2 Britain s prime minister from 1937 to 1940 He was educated at Packwood Haugh School and 3 after leaving Clifton College 4 he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduating in 1925 5 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 6 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 7 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 7 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 8 He made his American stage debut as the romantic lead opposite Gladys George in Lady in Waiting 7 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 EditIn 1965 he was the first to be cast in the Batman TV series 9 as Bruce Wayne s faithful butler Alfred a role he played until the series cancellation in 1968 I had never read comics before I 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 9 Jack Nicholson s version of the Joker in the 1989 film Batman was named Jack Napier in his honor Later life and career EditNapier 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 8 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 9 Family EditNapier was twice married His second wife Aileen Dickens Hawksley was a great granddaughter of novelist Charles Dickens 8 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 10 Death EditNapier suffered a stroke in 1987 was hospitalized from June 1988 and was 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 1 Autobiography EditIn 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 11 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 citation needed Selected filmography EditFilm Edit 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 Desiree 1954 as Despreaux Moonfleet 1955 as Parson Glennie The Court Jester 1956 as Sir Brockhurst Miami Expose 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 Senor 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 Edit 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 amp 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 VennefordReferences Edit a b Alan Napier Batman s butler dies Ukiah Daily Journal Associated Press 8 August 1988 via Newspapers com Good Old Neville Draws Support from Actor Cousin Bradford Evening Star United Press 9 May 1940 via Newspapers com After Packwood Packwood Haugh School Archived from the original on 19 September 2016 Retrieved 26 May 2016 Clifton College Register Muirhead J A O pp446 77 Bristol J W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society April 1948 Student amp Graduate profiles RADA Retrieved 19 March 2022 Oldham Michael 8 November 2018 Batman Butler Alan Napier s Castellammare Home Palisadian Post retrieved 28 December 2019 a b c Alan Napier Gets There is Spite of Skyscraper Effect Brooklyn Daily Eagle 5 May 1940 via Newspapers com a b c Napier Alan Bigwood James 24 September 2015 Not Just Batman s Butler The Autobiography of Alan Napier McFarland ISBN 9781476662879 a b c Birmingham actor was Batman s butler Sunday Mercury Retrieved 30 July 2020 Variety Staff 14 January 1993 Jennifer Raine Bissell Variety Retrieved 3 November 2018 Alan Napier Films in Review February 1979 Vol XXX No 2External links Edit Biography portalAlan Napier at IMDb Alan Napier at the Internet Broadway Database Alan Napier at the Internet Off Broadway DatabasePreceded byEric Wilton Alfred Pennyworth Actor1966 1968 Succeeded byMichael Gough Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alan Napier amp oldid 1155030527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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