Michael Gough

Michael Gough was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He was born in Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States (now Malaysia) on 23 November 1916, the son of English parents Francis Berkeley Gough, a rubber planter, and Frances Atkins. He was educated at Rose Hill School, Tunbridge Wells, and at Durham School. He moved on to Wye Agricultural College, which he left to go to the Old Vic. During World War II, he was a conscientious objector, although he was obliged to serve in the Non-Combatant Corps. He made his film debut in Blanche Fury in 1948 and thereafter appeared extensively on British television. He became known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwood in Dracula, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth from 1989 to 1997 in the four Batman films directed by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. He also appeared in three more Burton films: Sleepy Hollow, voicing Elder Gutknecht in Corpse Bride and the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland. He also appeared in popular British television shows, including Doctor Who, The Avengers, The Saint, and Blake's 7. He received a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1956 and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1979 for Bedroom Farce. He was married four times and had four children, one of whom died in a car accident in 1982. He died on 17 March 2011 at his home near Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, from pneumonia and prostate cancer. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the English Channel. He was 94 years old.