Batman: All 12 Alfred Pennyworth actors ranked from worst to best

3. Michael Caine

Cinema legend Michael Caine became Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, before reprising the role in both the universally-acclaimed sequel The Dark Knight and the trilogy’s grand finale, The Dark Knight Rises.

Undoubtedly the most quotable of all the adaptations of Alfred, Caine’s portrayal quickly resonated with fans, with the character’s dry wit making him one of the trilogy’s most enjoyable characters.

Not only could he be relied upon to lighten the mood (when it very much needed him to), he also used that wit to get through to Bruce himself – seriously though, “all those push-ups” and he couldn’t “even lift a bloody log”, right?

Speaking of Bruce, this was perhaps one of the most emotional that their on-screen relationship has ever been, as the pair weren’t afraid of sharing some tearful moments in a bid to highlight just how much they meant to each other. And those scenes, in particular, illustrated just how well Caine and Christian Bale worked together. The “Why do we fall, Sir?” and “I burned that letter” exchanges (from Begins and Rises) respectively remain some of the finest work of either man’s career.

Caine’s Alfred played second-fiddle to no one and ended up stealing the vast majority of scenes that he was in. Both his star-power and his excellent performance elevated Alfred from the character’s usual supporting role, ensuring that he never got lost in the star-studded trilogy while also allowing him to hold his own when sharing the screen with its larger-than-life characters.

Without a doubt, Michael Caine (and, for many, Alfred) at his absolute finest.