Sean Pertwee

Sean Pertwee is a prolific character actor, both in cinema and television, since launching his acting career in his 20s. Right out of college, Pertwee dived headfirst into show business in the early 1980s, earning recurring small screen roles right off the bat, most notably the crime drama "Chancer" (ITV 1990-91), starring Clive Owen. The English actor quickly became a mainstay in the dramas of science fiction, horror, and thriller, going on to star in films like "Event Horizon" (1997) and "Doomsday" (2008). Thirty years into a prosperous career, Pertwee joined the cast of blossoming Batman series "Gotham" (Fox 2014- ), portraying the iconic DC Comics fan favorite Alfred Pennyworth.

Pertwee was born on June 4, 1964, to thespian and comedian Jon Pertwee (best known as the third incarnation of The Doctor on the long-running sci-fi series "Doctor Who" (BBC 1963- )) and his second wife Ingeborg Rhoesa. Sean followed in his father's footsteps, pursuing education at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and then going on to explore a career in film and theater. Following graduation in 1986, the younger Pertwee began touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and landed roles in films like the Joe Orton biopic "Prick Up Your Ears" (1987)and television programs like "Hard Cases" (ITV 1988-89). Throughout the 1990s, Pertwee found roles on a number of genre pictures and pulp television series, as well as a good deal of voiceover work.

Among dozens of feature film and series gigs over the course of the decade, Pertwee's most notable exploits included the romantic comedy "Blue Juice" (1995), in which he starred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ewan McGregor, and the short-lived action series "Bodyguards" (1996-97). In 1997, Pertwee expanded his influence behind the scenes, founding the Natural Nylon production company with friends and colleagues McGregor, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller, and others.

The 2000s saw a persistence of Pertwee's relationship with science fiction, including the Kurt Wimmer movie "Equilibrium" (2002), in which the actor co-starred alongside Christian Bale, Sean Bean, and Emma Watson, as well as the Neil Marshall film "Doomsday" (2008). This era also gave Pertwee new glory on the small screen, allowing him roles on procedural dramas including "Luther" (BBC 2010-13) and "Elementary" (CBS 2012- ), as well as a prolific side career as the narrator of various documentary and reality TV series in Great Britain.

In 2014, Pertwee accepted the iconic role of Alfred Pennyworth, faithful butler and father figure to Bruce Wayne/Batman, in Fox's origin story series "Gotham." Pertwee shared most of his screen time with young David Mazouz, the young actor portraying his surrogate son and future savior of Gotham.