Efrem Zimbalist Jr. brought a smooth baritone and a refined manner to men accustomed to being listened to. We like him best when that composure allows affection or comedy through; solemn authority could make him rather colourless.
Fi1m perspective
Alfred in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) is a good use for Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s smooth baritone. His refined manner gives the butler a steadiness that suits this small, sad detective story. We were moved by its interest in Bruce Wayne himself, rather than simply what he does as Batman. Zimbalist's unshowy delivery belongs in a film prepared to pay that kind of attention. He does not need to make Alfred more conspicuous to make him worth listening to.
That composure had carried him through 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964), as private detective Stuart Bailey opposite Roger Smith, and The F.B.I. (1965–1974), as Inspector Lewis Erskine. Bailey's job often included being the straight man to more flamboyant company; in Quinn Martin's The F.B.I., the restraint could become the whole performance. Zimbalist made professional competence easy to believe, a useful quality when a programme expected audiences to return each week. The limitation was a man so buttoned-down that there was sometimes little personality left to meet. We prefer him when somebody is allowed to disturb the composure.
Hot Shots (1991) gives his suave image something less solemn to do, casting him as Wilson in Jim Abrahams's military spoof. Charlie Sheen's solemn stupidity supplies the strongest laughs, and we would not mistake Zimbalist's presence for the film's main attraction. But using his polish for parody is a sensible piece of casting: an actor practised at sounding respectable brings something for the comedy to work against. The uneven jokes and shortage of warmth keep our recommendation modest, though the film passes pleasantly enough.
Voice work gave that manner a longer second use, with Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and related productions becoming a defining part of his later work. These supporting parts placed different demands on an actor long accustomed to leading television programmes. His refinement remained useful, without having to sustain an entire programme's idea of how a professional should behave. Start with Mask of the Phantasm, and allow for animation that is sometimes stiff despite the handsome drawing.
Biography
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (30 November 1918 – 2 May 2014) was an American actor. He was born in New York City, the son of violinist Efrem Zimbalist and soprano Alma Gluck. He trained briefly at the Yale School of Drama and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and served in the US Army during the Second World War, receiving the Purple Heart.
Zimbalist starred as private investigator Stuart Bailey in the television series 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964) and as Inspector Lewis Erskine in The F.B.I. (1965–1974). He also appeared as Dandy Jim Buckley in Maverick. His film roles include Sam Hendrix in Wait Until Dark (1967).
Later in his career he provided the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) and related projects, including the film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), as well as Doctor Octopus in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series.
