The actor Jacques Ciron, particularly known in the field of French dubbing, interpreter of the butler Alfred in the series “Batman”, of the clown Grippe-Sou in “Ça” and of the Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland”, died at the age of 94.
Born in Paris in 1928, Jacques Ciron began his career as an actor at the start of the 1950s. On the stage of the theatre, he chained plays and prestigious works, but we can also see him on television and in the cinema.
On the big screen, he notably appeared in feature films such as And God… created the wife of Roger Vadim, Le Cerveau by Gérard Oury, Les Ripoux by Claude Zidi or even, more recently, Ensemble, c’est tout by Claude Berri.
Very quickly, he puts his suave and ceremonious voice at the service of dubbing. His refined and slightly dressed tone, very similar to that of a butler, fits perfectly with the character of Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s butler, whom he will play as Michael Gough (in the films by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher), as well as in the animated series of the 90s.
In addition to this mythical character, Jacques Ciron lends his voice to many unforgettable figures from the big and small screen. We can thus hear him doubling Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Lord Ludd in Barry Lyndon or the horrible clown Pennywise (Tim Curry in It – He’s Back).
Warner Bros. / Walt Disney Animation Studios
But it’s probably on the animation side that he’ll find his most iconic roles. Aside from Alfred in the Batman series, Jacques Ciron indeed embodies the hilarious Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. He also voiced Lord Pélimore in Merlin the Enchanter, Pompadour in the Babar series, as well as Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes for several decades.
As for Disneyland Paris fans, they will certainly have recognized his voice in the queue for the sinister Tower of Terror.
After stopping his dubbing career in 2018, Jacques Ciron died in 2022, at the age of 94.
(Re)discover the trailer for “Alice in Wonderland”…