Michael Gough could make good manners faintly threatening or quietly reassuring. We value the poised scepticism of his Alfred and his knack for making a supporting character worth watching without demanding that the film stop for him.
Fi1m perspective
In Batman Returns (1992), Michael Gough's Alfred remains composed while the villains make themselves difficult to ignore. We were grateful for his scepticism: with Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito giving those villains so much personality, his quieter presence offered some welcome relief. Gough gives the butler dignity without making every line sound like advice that ought to be written down. Tim Burton's dark comedy suits him, allowing an observer to matter without having to take over the action. The untidy plotting is a drawback, but this is a supporting performance worth seeking out.
The horror work had already found another use for that composure. Gough played Arthur Holmwood in Hammer's Dracula (1958), and became a familiar choice for upper-class Englishmen whose amiability could be sinister. His supporting work also included Mr Maudsley in The Go-Between (1971), well before Alfred brought wider recognition with Batman (1989). Across those different sorts of parts, the useful quality is his willingness to observe: he can interest us in someone who is not driving the story.
Out of Africa (1985), in which he plays Lord Delamere, is a less rewarding place to look for him. Sydney Pollack's film is handsome and carefully made, and Meryl Streep supplies emotional urgency, but the romance remains too remote. Robert Redford's reserve and the unhurried pacing are problems that no amount of assurance in the supporting cast can solve. His gift for giving even thin parts dignity should not become an excuse to recommend everything he appears in.
He played Alfred in four films from 1989 to 1997, carrying that poised scepticism through the series. His work with Burton continued as Notary James Hardenbrook in Sleepy Hollow (1999), then as the voice of Elder Gutknecht in Corpse Bride (2005). Start with Batman Returns, with due tolerance for its untidy plotting.
Biography
Michael Gough was a British character actor. Born Francis Michael Gough on 23 November 1916 in Kuala Lumpur, he trained at the Old Vic and appeared in more than 150 film and television productions over seven decades.
He first came to prominence in Hammer horror films from 1958, including Dracula (1958). Gough is best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), and in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). He also appeared in Out of Africa (1985), Top Secret! (1984), The Age of Innocence (1993), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Corpse Bride (2005) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).
Gough won a Tony Award for his stage performance in Bedroom Farce (1979). He died on 17 March 2011 in England.
