Alfred Pennyworth was created by the writers of the 1943 Batman serial—Victor McLeod, Leslie Swabacker, and Harry Fraser—and that DC Comics asked Don Cameron to write the first Alfred story, which was released earlier to the serial's airing. In Alfred's first appearance, he was overweight and clean-shaven; however, when the 1943 "Batman" serial was released, William Austin, the actor who played Alfred, was trim and sported a thin moustache. DC editors wanted the comic Alfred to resemble his cinematic counterpart, so in "Detective Comics" #83 (January 1944), Alfred vacationed at a health resort, where he slimmed down and grew a mustache. This
Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor. He played Alfred Pennyworth on "Birds of Prey", Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes's boss) during the sixth season of "Seinfeld", Rupert Cavanaugh (Ian Hainsworth's butler) on "Desperate Housewives", Professor Crumbs on "Wizards of Waverly Place", and Palpatine on "". Abercrombie was born on 11 September 1934 in Grays, Essex, England. He began his theatrical career during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in stage dancing, he performed in London, Scotland, Ireland, and the