Penguin (character) rebuild. The Penguin is in the 1960s "Batman" television series, in which he was portrayed by Burgess Meredith. Spencer Tracy was offered the role but he said he would only accept the role if he was allowed to kill Batman. Meredith's performance is perhaps best remembered for his signature laugh, meant to mimic the squawk of a penguin. (One cause of the laugh was the cigarettes the character always smoked, which irritated Meredith's throat as he was a non-smoker.) His thugs wear black bowler hats and dark clothing adorned with names of various animals of prey, such as birds ("Hawk")
Burgess Meredith narrators of the NBC and syndicated public affairs program, "The Big Story" (1949–58), which focused on courageous journalists. In 1991, he narrated a track on The Chieftains' album of traditional Christmas music and carols, "The Bells of Dublin". He acted in the Kenny G music video of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which was released in 1994. He played the main character, a projectionist at a movie theater. His last role before his death was the portrayal of both Hamilton Wofford and Covington Wofford characters in the 1996 video game "Ripper" by Take-Two Interactive. Meredith was considered to play