Best portrayal of Alfred Pennyworth

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Honestly, it's really hard to downright impossible to find a bad portrayal of Alfred. I have enjoyed him in his numerous portrayals, with his dry wit and support of Bruce and his allies.

I despised him in Beware the Batman...but I warmed up to him eventually.

Speaking of cartoons, TAS is the best portrayal of Alfred.

(cartoons count, right?)

[dancj]

The first time I've liked a live action Alfred was Michael Caine - and the second time is Sean Pertwee. Neither is anything like the one in the comics, but they worked in their respective stories.

I'd love to see a spot on rendition of the comic version though - and Jeremy Irons has a good chance of doing that in Batman vs Superman.

[Jim Kelly]

It seems like James Gordon has gotten younger over the years as Alfred has gotten older--in relation to Bruce. When Alfred was first introduced as a character in the comics, he looked like he might be within ten years of Bruce's age (if Bruce was around 30, then Alfred could be 35 to 40 years old). By contrast, Gordon looked twenty or thirty years older than Bruce. On TV and in the movies, Alfred has been played by actors who are old enough to be Bruce's father or grandfather--twenty to forty years older than Bruce. Sean Pertwee is a touch younger than the other actors, but he's playing Alfred to a very young Bruce so the wide age difference remains. And Jeremy Irons is twenty-four years older than Ben Affleck.

[brucekent12]

Neither Bruce or Alfred had a lot to do in the first several episodes, but both have shone in the last few shows. For me Gotham has really shown the promise we all expected at the beginning of the season these last few weeks. Nicely done everybody!

[tabo61]

I enjoyed the portrayal of the Gotham version on the recent episode.

[oasis1313]

I used to enjoy Alfred's adventures during Word War II with Mme Marie.

[batnbreakfast]

Alfred is really difficult to write or portray. A father, soldier, actor, gentleman, butler. When he's done right there aren't a lot of comic characters I enjoy more. Alfred needs a 75 year celebration Hardcover (hey even that Robin got one).

[JAG2045]

I would have to say:

Michael Gough -great in the 4 original films & the highlight of Batman & Robin - seriously the scenes of just him and Bruce when Alfred is sick are so heartwarming despite how bad the rest of the film is you really get the feeling of the Father/Son bond between them

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - like most TAS actors his voice is what I hear when reading the comic and he gets some great one liners on the show

Alan Napier - a real gentleman, I always loved seeing him go undercover to help Batman out and his scenes with Batgirl are some of the best parts of season 3

[ironman2978]

Live action wise
Sean Pertwee as Alfred on Gotham and potentially Jeremy Irons because he seems to marries the more military Alfred (ASB&R, Batman:Earth One, Beware the Batman and Gotham) with the classic dry wit Alfred(Michael Gough and Batman TAS), plus in the latest trailer he sounded similar to the Martin Jarvis portrayal of Alfred in the Arkham games.

As for animated, I would say* Batman the Animated Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. followed by Alastair Duncan (The Batman, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts),Martin Jarvis (Arkham Games) and J. B. Blanc (Beware the Batman)

[masahikotahara]

I could like Jeremy Irons as Alfred, but I'm afraid that if that is the case, it will be one of the only aspects (if not THE ONLY) I'm going to like about the movie. Seriously, I'm no hater, but I'm genuinely worried about Batman v Superman.

Jeremy-Irons-Alfred-Batman-Superman.jpg

[godisawesome]

And I'm not worried at all!

Have you heard that Alfred here has a backstory as the Wayne family bodyguard? It's a different take on the character, but I kind of like how it sounds like a way to really play up the idea that Alfred may have given Bruce some initial training, but felt guilty enough that Bruce would have to seek out his own mentors to develope further.

[Unfinishedsentenc]

The one thing that stays the same throughout pretty much each version of Alfred . . . is his undying sassiness. I'm not kidding, he's probably the most sarcastic, cheekiest butler I've ever seen.

[SiegePerilous02]

As a child of the 90s, definitely TAS Alfred and Michael Gough. Michael Cain is awesome, but he never gave an "Alfred" vibe to me.

But I fully expect Jeremy Irons Alfred to be the ****.

[scottsummer]

Having rewatched the Dark Knight trilogy recently, I have to say Michael Caine from TDKR is simply impeccable, his performance made the movie so much more emotionally moving, and his genuine care on Bruce was heartbreaking in which also made the ending far more rewarding.

[Raptor13]

I doubt I will ever not see Michael Gough when I hear Alfred Pennyworth. Now this might be because I grew up on those movies, but to this day I still think he's perfect and so fatherly. I'm anxiously awaiting Jeremy Irons though