Sean Carl Roland Pertwee (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer. His credits include Chancer (1990), Leon the Pig Farmer (1992), Cadfael (1994), Bodyguards (1997), Event Horizon (1997), Stiff Upper Lips (1998), Soldier (1998), Cleopatra (1999), Love, Honour and Obey (2000), Dog Soldiers (2002), Julius Caesar (2003), Ancient Rome: The Rise And Fall of an Empire – Caesar (2006), Doomsday (2008), Honest (2008), Devil's Playground (2010), Four (2011), Wild Bill (2011), Elementary (2013–2014), Howl (2015), Gotham (2014–2019), Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse (2020), You (2023), Silent Witness (2024), and The Night Caller (2024).
Early life
Pertwee was born on 4 June 1964 in Hammersmith, London He later studied acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 1986.
Career
Theatre
Pertwee joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and toured with them for three years. During this time, he appeared in Titus Andronicus at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (1987),
In 1994, he appeared as Hugh Beringar alongside Derek Jacobi in the first series of the television series Cadfael. In 1997, he starred alongside Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs in the space based science fiction horror film Event Horizon (1997). In 1998, he starred alongside Kurt Russell in the science fiction action film Soldier (1998). and starred alongside them in Love, Honour and Obey (2000). Pertwee became known for his portrayal of grimacing death, particularly in the Neil Marshall Werewolf film Dog Soldiers (2002), a skill which led to him being awarded 'Best Death Face' at Bristol Old Vic.
He appeared in the film Devil's Playground (2010), a horror film directed by Mark McQueen, starring alongside Danny Dyer, Jaime Murray, and Craig Fairbrass. Pertwee appeared in the Nazi zombie film The 4th Reich which he filmed in 2010, directed by Shaun Smith.
In 2014, he was cast in Fox's TV series Gotham, a series presenting an origin for the characters of the Batman franchise. Pertwee portrays Alfred Pennyworth, an ex-special forces soldier from London who works as the Wayne family's loyal butler. After Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered, he becomes guardian and mentor to the future Batman.
In 2024, he played Detective Inspector John Flynn in Silent Witness in the episodes "Death by a Thousand Hits" Part 1 and 2. He played a late night disc jockey in Channel 5's four part mini-series The Night Caller, broadcast in 2024. He starred alongside John Hurt as Brother Proteus in the animated film Ultramarines: The Movie (2010) a Warhammer 40,000 Movie.
Pertwee has been in several dramatic works for BBC Radio 4, including playing the actor Oliver Reed in the play Burning Both Ends by Matthew Broughton in 2011.
Personal life
Pertwee married Jacqueline Jane "Jacqui" Hamilton-Smith, a make-up artist, daughter of Anthony Hamilton-Smith, on 12 June 1999 at the House of Lords. His wife gave birth to twins, in 2001. They were born prematurely; one died four days later.
Politics
Pertwee presented a television party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party in the 2010 UK general election.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="width:50;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes/
|-
| scope="row" | 1991
| scope="row" | Coping with Cupid
| scope="row" | Peter
| scope="row" | Short
|-
| scope="row" | 1992
| Leon the Pig Farmer
| scope="row" | Keith Chadwick
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | 1995
| scope="row" | Blue Juice
| scope="row" | J.C.
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | ID
| scope="row" | Martin
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | 1997
| scope="row" | Event Horizon
| scope="row" | Pilot Smith
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" rowspan="3" | 1998
| scope="row" | Soldier
| scope="row" | Mace
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | 1999
| scope="row" | Cleopatra
| scope="row" | Brutus
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" rowspan="3" | 2000
| scope="row" | Five Seconds to Spare
| scope="row" | Piers
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | Love, Honour and Obey
| scope="row" | Sean
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | 2002
| scope="row" | Equilibrium
| scope="row" | Father
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | The Magnificent Eleven
| scope="row" | Pete
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
| scope="row" | SFO Steve Stubbs
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | 2015
| scope="row" | Howl
| scope="row" | Train Driver Tony
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | 2020
| scope="row" | The Reckoning
| scope="row" | Moorcroft
| scope="row" |
|-
| scope="row" | 2022
| scope="row" | The Invitation
| scope="row" | Mr. Fields
| scope="row" |
|-
|-
| scope="row" | 2024
| scope="row" | Duchess
| scope="row" | Danny Oswald
| scope="row" |
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes/
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1989
|Poirot: The King of Clubs
| Ronnie Oglander
|
|-
| Casualty
| Nick
| "Chain Reaction"
|-
| Hard Cases
| Dominic Lutovski
| 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
|Chancer
| Jamie Douglas
| Recurring – 8 episodes
|-
|Cluedo
| Richard Forrest
| Episode: "Christmas Past, Christmas Present"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991
|The Chief
| Det. Sgt. Kevin Powers
| "Episode 2"
|-
|Clarissa
| John Belford
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1992
|Virtual Murder
| Matt Andries
| Episode: "Dreams Imagic"
|-
|The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
| Captain Heinz
| Episode: "Trenches of Hell, Part 2"
|-
|Boon
| David Kennedy
| Episode: "Whispering Grass"
|-
|The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
| Det Sgt Barry Vine
| 4 episodes
|-
|A Touch of Frost
| Dazza Scott
| S3 Episode 2: "Quarry"
|-
| 1993
|Peak Practice
| Francis Barrat
| Episode: "Hope to Die"
|-
| 1994
|Cadfael
|Sheriff Hugh Beringar
| Series 1
|-
| 1996
|Deadly Voyage
| Ion Plesin
| <!--US-UK-->TV film directed by John Mackenzie and written by Stuart Urban
|-
| 1997
|Bodyguards
| Ian Worell
| Main cast
|-
| 1998
|Macbeth
|Macbeth
| UK TV
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
|Operation Good Guys
| The Leader
| Episode: "The Leader"
|-
|In the Beginning
|Isaac
| Two-part biblical TV Mini-series directed by Kevin Connor
|-
| 2001
|Cold Feet (2001)
| Mark Cubitt
| Guest star; Series 4 – 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2003
|Cold Feet (2003)
| Mark Cubitt
| Guest star; Series 5 – 2 episodes
|-
|Waking The Dead
| Carl Mackenzie
| Episodes:
|-
|Julius Caesar
|Titus Labienus
| Two-part Miniseries directed by Uli Edel
|-
| 2004
|Bo' Selecta!
| Himself
| "Episode Five"
|-
| 2004–2005
|A Bear's Tail
| Richard Head
| Series 4 – 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
|Agatha Christie's Marple
| Dr. Owen Griffith
| Episode: "The Moving Finger"
|-
|Ancient Rome–The Rise And Fall of an Empire: Caesar
|Julius Caesar
| S1 E2 – "Caesar"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2007
|Nuclear Secrets
| Narrator
| 5 episodes
|-
|The Tudors
| English ambassador in the Italian Duchy of Urbino
| Episode: "In Cold Blood"
|-
|When Evil Calls
| The Janitor
| Miniseries – 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2008
|Honest
| DS. Ed Bain
| 6 episodes
|-
|The Wrong Door
|
| 4 episodes
|-
|Skins
|Soldier on the Train and Simon the Lecturer
| Episode: "Tony"
|-
|Journey to the Edge of the Universe
|Narrator
|Documentary
|-
| 2009
|Law & Order: UK
| Josh Pritchard
| Episode: "Vice"
|-
| 2010
|Luther
| Terry Lynch
|"Episode 2"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
|National Geographic: Islands Series
| Narrator
| Cyprus
|-
|Camelot
| Sir Ector
| Recurring; Series 1 – 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2013
|Jo
| Charlie
| 8 episodes
|-
|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
| Himself
| TV film
|-
|Agatha Christie's Poirot
| Sir George Stubbs
| Episode: "Dead Man's Folly"
|-
|Death in Paradise
| Malcolm Powell
| Episode: "A Deadly Party"
|-
| 2013–2014
|Elementary
|Inspector Lestrade
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2014–2019
|Gotham
|Alfred Pennyworth
| Main cast – 99 episodes
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
!
|-
|1997
|Tom Jones
|Captain Fitzpatrick
|A BBC adaptation for the stage by playwright Joan Macalpine.
|
|}
Radio
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
!
|-
| 2011
| Burning Both Ends
| Oliver Reed
|
|-
| 2008
| Fable II
| Additional Voices