15 Superhero Voice Actors Who Totally Nailed Their Characters
6. Alfred Pennyworth: Efrem Zimbalist Jr
Warner Bros. Animation
On the surface, there doesn't look like there's much to Alfred J. Pennyworth. After all, he is just Bruce's butler, right?
Well, no. Alfred is the single most influential figure in Batman's life outside of his parents, his most loyal ally, as well as his father figure. On top of that, the character (depending on the interpretation), has been a spy, a medic, a soldier and an actor. It's a pretty diverse move-set and history to inherit, but no actor embodied the sheer warmth and charm of the character like Efrem Zimbalist Jr did.
Starting with Batman: The Animated Series, the actor began a long-running stint as the butler - one that culminated in one, final heartfelt appearance in Justice League. There never really was an Alfred quite like his.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
