Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907
– September 9, 1997), known professionally as
Burgess Meredith, was an
American actor. He was best-known for portraying Rocky Balboa's trainer
Mickey Goldmill in the
Rocky films and
The Penguin in the television series
Batman. He was one of only two people to star in four episodes of
The Twilight Zone.
Early life and career
Meredith was born in
Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ida Beth (
née Burgess) and
Canadian-born William George Meredith, M.D.
[Burgess Meredith, 89, Who Was at Ease Playing Good Guys and Villains, Dies - New York Times][[1]][[2]] He graduated from
Hoosac School in 1926. He then attended
Amherst College as a member of the Class of 1931. In 1933, he became a member of
Eva Le Gallienne's theatre company in
New York. He attracted favorable attention for playing George in a 1939 adaptation of
John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men and as war correspondent
Ernie Pyle in
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945).
Meredith was featured in many 1940s films, including three (
Second Chorus (1940),
Diary of a Chambermaid (1946) and
On Our Merry Way (1948)) co-starring then-wife
Paulette Goddard. He also played alongside
Lana Turner in
Madame X. Among later roles, he became known for playing
The Penguin on the
television series Batman. His role as the Penguin was so well-received that the show's writers always had a script featuring the Penguin ready whenever Meredith was available. He appeared on the show more times during its run than any other villain.
