Mr.Cobblepot has had many faces! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most diabolical depictions of Batman’s most foul foe.
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00:00As always, gentlemen, it was a pleasure doing business.
00:03See that they find their way out.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:08looking at the most diabolical depictions
00:10of Batman's most foul foe.
00:13Performances across film, TV, and games will all be considered.
00:18Great speech, Oswald.
00:21My name is not Oswald!
00:23It's Penguin!
00:25Number 10, Ted Knight, The Adventures of Batman.
00:28Before landing his career-defining role
00:30as Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show,
00:33Ted Knight regularly worked as a radio announcer
00:35and voiceover artist.
00:36He most notably worked with Filmation,
00:39helping the company secure a license to DC characters.
00:42Now, my sporting birds, stand ready for the big game.
00:50Sure, you can pay me.
00:53Sorry, Penguin, the game has been called.
00:55When Filmation produced The Adventures of Batman,
00:57Knight lent his voice to multiple characters,
01:00including the narrator and Commissioner Gordon.
01:02His most memorable contribution was voicing the Penguin,
01:05becoming the first actor to portray
01:07the villain in animation.
01:10We've got the dynamic duo hooked now.
01:13And unless I miss my guests, they will soon pay me a visit.
01:18While the show's animation was admittedly stiff,
01:21Knight's puckish performance was full of life,
01:23setting a tone for many voice artists who followed.
01:26Hanna-Barbera brought Knight back
01:28to play the Penguin in the new Scooby-Doo movies,
01:31making him the go-to voice for a period.
01:34I'll make them enter.
01:35They're about to learn this is not a toll bridge.
01:38It's a troll bridge.
01:41Number nine, Wayne Knight, Harley Quinn.
01:44From Ted Knight to Wayne Knight in another show featuring
01:47the Dark Knight, Wayne Knight has one of the most infectious
01:51voices in comedy.
01:52Are you one of the dancers for my nephew's bar mitzvah?
01:55Jesus, Harley.
01:58Rock bottom came first since the Joker dumped you.
02:02She dumped him.
02:03While you can sense a bit of Newman and Nedry
02:05in his Penguin voice, Knight otherwise
02:08escapes into the role, delivering
02:09one of his most unrecognizable performances,
02:12as is the case with most of the characters
02:14in the satirical spin on Batman.
02:16Knight's Penguin stands out from his predecessors in a few ways.
02:21Hey, it's going to take more than a souped-up parasol
02:23to keep me from kicking your ass, you fat, flightless bird.
02:26The mouth on her.
02:28What better way to become a man than they?
02:30Ooh, than touching your umbrella?
02:31Woo!
02:32Yes, I've been waiting for this.
02:34For starters, he's Jewish and a very involved uncle.
02:38He isn't involved for too long, however.
02:40Let's just say someone else does the nose-biting here.
02:43While his time on the show might have been short-lived,
02:46Knight's larger-than-life performance
02:48struck the ideal balance between sophisticated and slimy.
02:52Harley.
02:53I always thought you were a sidekick, a goon with a name.
02:57But I was wrong.
02:58Ah!
03:01Number eight, Steven Root, Batman, the Brave and the Bold.
03:04The Brave and the Bold revisited Batman's campier 60s era,
03:08but with an affectionate self-awareness.
03:10Every actor understood the assignment, including
03:13Steven Root as the Penguin.
03:15Eat lead, bat creep.
03:19It almost sounds like Root is trying
03:22to do a British accent, although he isn't fooling anybody.
03:25In a way, that's fitting for a character like the Penguin,
03:28who tries to present himself as a refined member
03:31of high society.
03:32In reality, though, the Penguin is nothing but a criminal
03:35who's always hatching a scheme.
03:37With one touch of this button, thousands of my umbrella
03:42rockets will launch from these tubes
03:44on parabolic trajectories over every corner.
03:47It's my fault we're in this mess.
03:49Keeping in tune with the rest of the show,
03:51Root has fun in the role without going too over the top.
03:54While Root's portrayal harkens back to past versions,
03:57he avoids impersonating his predecessors,
04:00making the part his own.
04:01Now isn't exactly the best time for reminiscing, Batgirl.
04:08Mwah!
04:09Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
04:11Sorry, death traps make me nostalgic.
04:13Number seven, Robin Lord Taylor, Gotham.
04:17Gotham not only explored the rise of a young Bruce Wayne,
04:20but many of the villains that Batman will one day face.
04:23Sorry.
04:24If you let this head go frizzy, you will be.
04:26While the show had its highs and lows,
04:29Robin Lord Taylor's take on Oswald Cobblepot
04:32was the most consistent bright spot.
04:34This version of Cobblepot is introduced
04:36as a bottom-of-the-barrel criminal who's
04:38given the demeaning nickname of, you guessed it, Penguin.
04:42Throughout the series, Cobblepot changes the Penguin moniker
04:45from a source of ridicule to one of Gotham's most feared names.
04:50I'm the King of Gotham.
04:57I'm the King of Gotham!
05:00Climbing the criminal food chain,
05:02Oswald proves more cunning than his former bosses
05:05or the authorities imagined.
05:07Every interpretation of the Penguin has style,
05:09but few possess more flair than Taylor.
05:12Plus, Paul Reubens returning as the Penguin's father?
05:16She never told me.
05:18Told you what?
05:21That I had a son.
05:22Perfection.
05:24Number six, Nolan North, Batman Arkham series.
05:27One of the most prolific voices in gaming,
05:30Nolan North is best known for the Uncharted franchise.
05:33OK, wait, wait.
05:39Hey, Nadine.
05:40Great to see you again.
05:41OK, mango, mango.
05:43What are you on about?
05:45It's my safe word.
05:47Are you always this clever?
05:49You'd never guess Nathan Drake was
05:51the voice behind the Penguin in the Batman Arkham games.
05:55Easter eggs aside, Oswald Cobblepot
05:57was absent from Arkham Asylum.
05:59His anticipated debut in Arkham City
06:02didn't disappoint, thanks to North's
06:04cold-blooded performance.
06:06So, Batman, you here for the cops, the Iceman, or me?
06:13A testament to his versatility, North's Penguin
06:16could be mistaken for Bob Hoskins
06:18with that Cockney accent.
06:20North's voice is so gruff that you can practically
06:23smell the cigar smoke emanating from the Penguin's
06:26grotesque mouth.
06:27While physically no match for Batman,
06:30this Penguin talks a big game.
06:32Also, say what you will about Suicide Squad
06:35killed the Justice League, but how many actors
06:38have voiced Penguin in Superman?
06:40Well, hi there, kids.
06:41Welcome to the Hall of Justice.
06:43We've opened it up just for you today.
06:45Number five, Tom Kenny, the Batman.
06:48Tom Kenny has voiced the Penguin in TV games and even
06:51films like Batman versus Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
06:55This is a big score, gentlemen.
06:57There's a new player in Gotham.
06:59Yet, his most notable tenure was on the Batman animated series.
07:04Kenny's Penguin leans more into the character's
07:06animalistic traits, with every laugh sounding like a growl.
07:10The Penguin nonetheless puts himself on a pedestal,
07:12entering every room as if he owns it with zero shame.
07:16Is that so?
07:19Here's my contribution, Jeeves.
07:24Oh, dear.
07:27Best teach the help some manners, Brucie.
07:30Although the Cobblepot name has fallen from grace,
07:33Oswald refuses to live anything less than the highlight,
07:37going straight to crime.
07:38Kenny's voice here finds a middle ground
07:40between whiny and greedy.
07:42Epitomizing every Nepo baby who thinks they're
07:45the center of the universe.
07:47At the same time, this Penguin has claws,
07:50proving surprisingly formidable in a fight.
07:52Bring it on, rugged boy.
07:55Number four, Colin Farrell, the Batman.
07:57Of all the actors who have played
07:59the Penguin in live action, Colin Farrell
08:02perhaps went through the most drastic transformation.
08:05Whoa, whoa, whoa.
08:06Take it easy, sweetheart.
08:08You looking for me?
08:10We picture the Penguin as someone short, stout,
08:12and not Irish.
08:14Farrell is none of the above.
08:16But any traces of the actor are lost behind the Oscar
08:19nominated makeup effects.
08:21Beyond the physical aspects, Farrell
08:23creates a Penguin who's menacing, humorous,
08:26and a ton of fun to watch.
08:28Tell you one thing, whoever she is, she's one hot chick.
08:36Or Jess Mitchell's wife.
08:38Maybe she knows.
08:42What, too soon?
08:43When we're introduced to Oswald,
08:45he isn't starting from ground zero.
08:48But he hasn't achieved kingpin status.
08:50Despite his distinct appearance, nobody pays much attention
08:54to Cobblepot.
08:54Like Fredo Corleone, he poses a greater threat
08:58than many assume.
08:59This Penguin is just getting started
09:02with his ascension taking center stage
09:04in an HBO limited series.
09:05The city is meant to be yours, sweetheart.
09:08What are you going to do to get it?
09:12Number three, Burgess Meredith, Batman.
09:15Other than Mickey in the Rocky movies,
09:17the Penguin may be Burgess Meredith's most iconic role.
09:21Who is that guy anyway?
09:23That's what I'd like to know.
09:25I've seen him someplace before.
09:28Being the first actor to play the comic book villain,
09:30many still view Meredith as the definitive Penguin.
09:33Sure, there have been more intimidating versions.
09:36But few brought more class to the top hat, monocle,
09:40and cigarette holder.
09:41Speaking of which, the smoke made
09:43it difficult for Meredith to get through takes without coughing.
09:46Plug in the Penguin magnet and wait
09:49till I give it the signal.
09:50To cover the coughs, he conceived a quack sound,
09:53which became a staple for his interpretation.
09:55Meredith acknowledged that he sounded more like a duck.
09:58But the writers grasped onto it.
10:00And children often asked him to quack in public.
10:02A favorite of the show's creators and viewers,
10:0560s Batman wouldn't be the same without him.
10:08Good.
10:09Once and for all, I'll settle matters with that masked moron.
10:13Number two, Danny DeVito, Batman Returns.
10:16As far as live action casting goes,
10:19Danny DeVito already had most of the attributes
10:22we look for in the Penguin.
10:23Odd as it may seem, Max, you and I have something in common.
10:29We're both perceived as monsters.
10:32Tim Burton could have just dressed him in a tuxedo
10:34and caught it a day.
10:35The filmmakers went the extra mile,
10:37though, turning DeVito into the most vicious Penguin
10:39we've seen yet.
10:41All I want in return is a chance to find my mom and dad,
10:48a chance to find out who they are.
10:52This Oswald Cobblepot is truly more animal than man.
10:55Being abandoned by his parents
10:57and raised by penguins in Gotham sewers.
10:59This is the kind of madness you just have to give in to,
11:02and DeVito fully commits.
11:05He's funny, frightening, and occasionally sympathetic,
11:08although even his minions begin to question
11:10his biblical methods of revenge.
11:12These are the names of the firstborn sons of Gotham City,
11:16just like I was.
11:19And like me, a terrible fate waits for them.
11:23A terrible fate waits for them.
11:26In what's arguably the most twisted Batman film,
11:29DeVito took the depravity up to 11.
11:32Happy meals be damned.
11:34Before we unveil our top pick,
11:36here are a few honorable mentions.
11:38Minnie Driver, Batman Caped Crusader.
11:41This penguin is a mother who won't hesitate
11:44to crack her own eggs.
11:45But I'll tell you what made tonight truly unforgettable.
11:49It was learning that one of my sweet,
11:51precious little angels sold me out.
11:57Wait, what?
11:58No, mama, we never.
11:59John Vinson, The Lego Batman Movie.
12:01One of the film's editors is also Lego penguin.
12:05Everybody, run!
12:07William Salyers, Various.
12:09The voice of Rigby becomes a regal bird.
12:12The unmasking of the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin.
12:18Oh, rapturous day.
12:22Steve Bloom, Various.
12:24Voicing Lego penguin in Bane,
12:26Bloom is no stranger to bat baddies.
12:28It's the dynamic thunderhead.
12:32Dana Snyder, Justice League Action.
12:34And we thought Master Shake was cold.
12:37Two-Face took the cash, a half million.
12:41No one makes a patsy out of penguin
12:44unless they like the view from a pair of cement boots.
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13:03Number one, Paul Williams, DC Animated Universe.
13:07Yes, we know that Luke Skywalker voices the Joker,
13:11but can we talk about how the guy
13:12who co-wrote Rainbow Connection is the penguin?
13:15Batman, get that cape on Crusader.
13:19Known for his music background,
13:21Paul Williams seemed like an odd choice
13:23to voice a character who's better at squawking than singing.
13:26Yet, Williams hit all the right notes
13:28with a mix of empathy, gentlemanly charm,
13:31and something fiendish underneath.
13:34The DCAU's penguin is portrayed
13:36as a cultivated criminal who wants acceptance.
13:39Aviary of what?
13:41Yeesh pengers, how corny can you get?
13:44Ha, just because you mundane miscreants
13:48have no drama in your souls.
13:50Between society's natural cruelty
13:52and his own worst instincts though,
13:54he struggles to be an outstanding bird.
13:56Even upon going quote unquote legit, he's still a crook.
14:01Although David Ogden Stiers took over the role
14:03in Mystery of the Batwoman,
14:05Williams' voice has become inseparable from the penguin.
14:08I'll clip your wings, you flying rodent.
14:14Which penguin do you think soar the highest?
14:17Let us know in the comments down below.
14:19Oswald Cobblepot.
14:21I prefer the penguin.
14:25You have my belt, bird brain.
14:27My, my, he said you were an obnoxious little brat.
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