Although many recent versions of the character have cut these elements from the Penguin’s appearance, as they are no longer of the time, the appearance portrayed by Burgess Meredith’s Penguin that was passed on to Batman: The Animated Series' Penguin is the most iconic because it visually portrays everything the audience needs to know about the character that he is a refined gentleman mobster with a penguin-like appearance/affectation as well as penguin-themed schemes and gadgets.
Penguin from batman series#
Many cite Adam West's Batman show as the best depiction of all characters from the comics, and Batman: The Animated Series wasn't afraid to pay tribute to its influence.
The Penguin from Batman: The Animated Series had the same visual trademarks as the Burgess Meredith version of the character which showed the Penguin's appearance was still iconic even after thirty years. He was depicted as a dapper rotund man in a suit with penguin-like qualities, he had a cigarette holder in one hand and a weaponized umbrella in the other. He set the standard for how the character would look going forward, and his depiction ensured the Penguin's comic appearance would carry on into the world of television and cinema. The villain has become a surprisingly versatile member of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, as long as his core characteristics as a calculative, bird-like cretin are still in place.Burgess Meredith was the actor to portray the first cinematic iteration of the Penguin in Batman (1966). Each of these are equally fun, warmly welcome iterations of the character. On the other side of that coin, Wayne Knight ( Newman from Seinfeld) also does a version of Penguin with a Brooklyn accent and a Jewish nephew on HBO Max’s animated Harley Quinn series, and DC Super Hero Girls de-ages him to a teenage con artist with a slightly similar dialect voiced by Alexander Polinsky. To be clear, I am not against this unusual change to the Penguin’s dialect and, quite frankly, I am actually surprised no one else had tried it before, because if any member of Batman’s rogues gallery would make the most sense as a Brit, it is the one with a monacle.
He is played this time by accomplished voice actor Nolan North - who is from Connecticut, if you were wondering - who has also voiced the villain in each installment of the Batman: Arkham video games series. However, for whatever reason, this Oswald Cobblepot is apparently from (or at least has spent a good portion of his life in) London, as evident by his thick cockney accent.
Penguin from batman movie#
The 2014 animated feature, Batman: Assault on Arkham ( a Suicide Squad movie disguised as a Batman movie) indulges in more references to Danny DeVito for its Penguin, who has the same grayish complexion, insatiable appetite for raw fish, and ratty fur coat. (Image credit: Warner Bros.) Nolan North (Batman: Assault On Arkham) The voice he chooses is more uniquely reserved and, frankly, human than what we tend to associate with the character, but effectively accentuates his more sophisticated approach to crime.
Providing the voice of the Penguin on the Emmy-winning series, opposite Kevin Conroy as the Dark Knight, is renowned musician Paul Williams, who is also known for writing the Oscar-winning song “Evergreen” from 1976’s A Star is Born, and collaborating with now defunct electropop duo Daft Punk on their Grammy-winning 2013 album, Random Access Memories.
Penguin from batman skin#
Despite the lack of sickly pale skin and black oral discharge, his globe-like stature and flippers for hands are a perfect match for what we see in Batman Returns. (Image credit: Warner Bros.) Paul Williams (Batman: The Animated Series)Ī clear example of just how influential Danny Devito’s Penguin turned out to be is the character’s design on Batman: The Animated Series, which was created in response to the success of Tim Burton’s live-action Batman movies, initially.