When it comes to transforming Batman from the written page to live-action television or theatrical endeavors, Commissioner Gordon will typically be in tow, making the same transformation. Their histories are bound. In this tour, we will look at all the actors who have undertaken the role of Batman's longest partner in the fight against evil!
James W. "Jim" Gordon is the Police Commissioner of Gotham City, a metropolis rife with crime and corruption. He has a complicated yet endearing relationship with Batman, a masked vigilante whose raison d'etre is to avenge his murdered parents by eradicating Gotham's corrupt underbelly. Commissioner Gordon debuted, along with Batman, in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), making him Batman's longest supporting character.
Jim shares Batman's desire to rid Gotham of crime and mayhem, but he initially doesn't believe in Batman's methods to reach this end. Over the years, Commissioner Gordon has come to accept Batman not only as a necessary ally, but as a friend.
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The first actor given the opportunity to bring Commissioner James Gordon to life was Lyle Talbot. Talbot was a star of film, television, and stage. One of his most notable roles was his ten-year stint as Joe Randolph, neighbor to the Nelsons on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriott.
Talbot played Commissioner Gordon in the second Batman film serial, Batman and Robin, which consisted of 15 chapters that were shown weekly in theaters beginning in 1949. Though the role offered no real character development, Talbot made sure his Gordon was a dedicated and serious officer of the law. He was often used throughout the series to deliver exposition, helping movie patrons to fill in the gaps if they had missed a chapter.
In an interesting twist of fate, Lyle Talbot was also the first actor to portray the DC villain Lex Luthor!
It would take seventeen years before Commissioner Gordon would be reinvented in another live portrayal. In 1966, a campy television adaptation of Batman took Americans by storm! This series didn't air once a week... it aired twice a week! On Wednesday night, viewers discovered who the villain of the week would be, and then finding Batman and/or Robin in some insurmountable trap by the episode's end. Then, on Thursday night, they would tune in to see how the dynamic duo escape and eventually defeat their foe!
In this series, Police Commissioner Gordon was portrayed by Neil Hamilton. Hamilton started out as a model for magazine ads and parlayed that into an acting career that began in the silent film era... his first movie appearance was in 1918. He appeared in over 260 productions, but hands down, his most memorable role was that of Gotham's Chief of Police! He was 67 years old when he took the role, and he appeared in all 120 episodes as well as the feature film inspired by the show.
Hamilton's Commissioner Gordon is good-natured and all down to business. He's a staunch supporter of Batman and Robin and employs their assistance so often that there is a special "bat-phone" between his office and the Batcave. When Batman and Robin are present, Commissioner Gordon frequently affords them deference in crime scenes over his own officers.
The next live-action actor to play Commissioner Gordon was Pat Hingle. Hingle was cast in the 1989 feature film Batman. This film reignited interest in the Batman franchise, which had waned for many years. Non-comic book readers only saw Batman as a joke... thanks to the campy TV show, and comic book readers desperately wanted an updated portrayal that returned the character to being a "creature of the night"... someone to be feared rather than someone to laugh about. Quirky and prolific director Tim Burton set out to present a modern and more complex version of Batman (and Bruce Wayne) to the movie-viewing public with his blockbuster, Batman.
Hingle had a steady, if somewhat unexceptional, film and television acting career that began in 1954. He embodied the core values of Commissioner Gordon, specifically being a man dedicated to the law and justice. He's initially distrustful of Batman and his methods, but over time, he comes to appreciate the skills and assistance that the Caped Crusader can offer him.
Hingle reprised his role as Commissioner Gordon in Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Batman & Robin (1997). He is one of only two actors to appear in all four of this Batman franchise of films (the other is Michael Gough, who played Alfred Pennyworth).
As a new millennium rolled in, director Christopher Nolan took on the daunting task of updating the Batman legacy on film. His approach was to dig deep into the psychology and emotional trauma of both young and older Bruce (Batman) Wayne. These films were grounded firmly in truly making this character realistic and believable. The storytelling and acting were groundbreaking, with the second movie of this trilogy of films garnering Heath Ledger (as the Joker) an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. This was the first time in history that an actor in a superhero-themed role won an Oscar. And speaking of Oscars, spread over the three Nolan films are 10 Oscar-nominated (or winning) actors. Among them was Gary Oldman as Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon.
Gary Oldman is a revered and versatile English actor known for deftly transforming himself into the characters he inhabits. By the time he took the role of Commissioner Gordon, he had been appearing regularly in movies for 22 years. His take on Gordon is considered among the best, as his integrity is unwavering and his loyalty to Gotham and the rule of law is unquestionable. It's obvious that he was a cop, remembers his time as a cop, and uses that as his bedrock foundation to improve the city he's been assigned to protect. He's not oblivious to the corruption in the city, or even amongst his ranks, but he's not going to back down from doing the job he's taken on, no matter how difficult that is.
Oldman first appeared as Commissioner Gordon in Batman Begins (2005). He followed that up with The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He also appeared as Commissioner Gordon in the Comcast On Demand six-episode TV series, Gotham Tonight, in 2008.
In the fall of 2014, the Fox Television Network began airing a new television series called Gotham. The series was a sort of prequel to the Batman mythos. The central character is Detective James Gordon, a man driven to protect Gotham City and clean the police department of corruption. But his desires for justice are tested when he often feels pressured to utilize questionable methods, excessive force, and even breaking the law. The show is a character study in Gordon's calibration of his eventual moral compass. The actor bringing Detective Gordon to life was Ben McKenzie. McKenzie's career started when he was cast as the lead character in a popular teenage TV drama called The O.C., which aired from 2003 through 2007.
McKenzie played the role for 100 episodes, with the series reaching its conclusion in 2019. In the fifth and final season, Gordon is promoted to Police Commissioner.
J.K. Simmons is a highly acclaimed and versatile Oscar, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild-winning actor whose film and television career began in thirty years prior to Justice League. His portrayal of Gordon rides heavily on his belief in his own authority. He's tough, clear-headed, and keenly focused... but not afraid to call upon Batman if he believes it will lead to the swiftest end of evil and malicious forces.
J.K. Simmons is also featured as Commissioner Gordon in the eventual release of original Justice League director Zack Snyder's much better version of the original release. Zack Snyder's Justice League was released in 2021.
And finally, at the time of this blog's publication, we have the most recent actor to portray Commissioner Gordon. The Batman, released in 2022, featured Oscar-nominated and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Jeffrey Wright as Gotham City's head of law enforcement.
The Batman focuses much more on the psychological impact that it takes to be Batman, as well as the psychological toll Batman brings to Gotham City. This is a very gritty take on a young Batman embracing all of the skills and fighting techniques that he has honed during his formative years. This movie leans heavily on ensuring that Batman is treated as the moniker he has held for decades... the World's Greatest Detective.
Wright researched the criminality of Gotham City's real-life counterpart (New York City) as a place to start his transformation into James Gordon. He viewed Gotham City as a real place when inhabiting his character. His version of Gordon already has an established trust and admiration for Batman's abilities, but he doesn't see Batman as anything more than an ordinary man, albeit a highly driven one.
That concludes this tour. Your tour guide will take a little respite and return soon with another trip through the world of comic book characters!
Commissioner Gordon, Batman, and all related characters, names, and elements and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.
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