Burgess Meredith

About Burgess Meredith

Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was a versatile two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor. He was known for portraying Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman. Contemporary fans recall him as "Grandpa Gustavson" (Jack Lemmon's father) in the films Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men.

Meredith was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ida Beth (née Burgess) and Canadian-born William George Meredith, M.D. 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). Interestingly, the comic strip on which the latter film was based later begat a range of action figures which themselves became popular and in the 1980s featured in their own movie, the animated GI Joe: The Movie in which Meredith also starred as the voice of villain Golobulus.

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. 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.