R.I.P. Michael Gough

Veteran character actor and alumni of Doctor Who and The Avengers Michael Gough passed away today, at the age of ninety-four.

His acting credits include numerous Hammer Horror Films where he appeared alongside Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing; multiple episodes of Doctor Who, which he got in part because at the time he was married to the actress who played the Doctor’s companion; and a bit part in Top Secret, everyone’s favorite underrated farcical spy movie.

But what he was perhaps best known for, at least outside of Great Britain, was playing the role of Alfred in all four 90’s era Batman films (one of only two actors to appear in all of them). Gough’s performance is one of the few things about those movies that I can look back on without wincing. There are ways and ways to write and perform Alfred, and Michael Gough is right up there with the best of them.

So long, and thanks for all the performances, sir.