Television series have depicted families of all kinds, from the poor to the middle class to the obscenely wealthy. When it comes to the latter type, typically the family includes members beyond the typical parents, children, and grandchildren to include staff as well.
Heading up that staff is, in many cases, a butler or head of the household. This person is tasked with keeping everything in order, from the kitchen staff and gardeners to managing parties, events, guests, and special occasions. If the butler works solo, and sometimes even if they don't, they might be responsible for helping clean and tending to the children, as well. They are essentially the manager of the house. So who have been the best butler characters on television? Here's a look.
Alfred Pennyworth: Batman (1966-1968)
This live-action Batman series aired for three seasons and starred Adam West as the title character, a wealthy businessman named Bruce Wayne who was secretly also the superhero Batman, taking it upon himself to protect Gotham City from evil villains.
Alan Napier played Alfred, Wayne's loyal and long-time butler who had a key role in raising the young man. And while technically his "job" was to be there to serve Wayne's needs, he was also an important confidante and the only person who knew Wayne's true identity as well as that of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.
Lynn Belvedere: Mr. Belvedere (1985-1990)
Based on the character at the heart of Gwen Davenport's 1947 novel Belvedere, Mr. Belvedere was the British butler for a wealthy American family, the Owens. The series centered around Mr. Belvedere, played by Christopher Hewett, and his relationship with the youngest Owens child, Wesley. While Wesley loved to antagonize Mr. Belvedere, he also respected him deep down and viewed him as a mentor of sorts.
Mr. Belvedere was very cultured and had plenty of skills beyond being a butler. Every episode ended with Mr. Belvedere recalling the events of the day in his journal before heading to bed and pondering the lesson learned.
Benson DuBois: Benson (1979-1986)
This dutiful butler first appeared in Soap until getting his own spin-off series. He was a wise-cracking butler who worked for the dysfunctional Tate family in Soap, then moved on to work for the widowed governor and his daughter in this series. Played by Robert Guillaume, the actor earned an Emmy for the role.
The sitcom followed Benson's daily life, including his interactions with the German cook and the governor's chief of staff. Interestingly, through the series, Benson was promoted from head of the household to state budget director and eventually lieutenant governor.
Max: Hart to Hart (1979-1984)
Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers starred as a wealthy couple who would jet around the world and try to solve crimes that they somehow got caught up in. Max was the loyal butler tasked with taking care of them, which often also meant helping them with their investigations.
Played by Lionel Stander, Max managed the household, including the couple's odd hobby, as well as cooked and drove them around.
Geoffrey Butler: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996)
Cultured, uppity, and often frustrated and annoyed by the laziness of the Banks' children, Geoffrey was clearly irritated when Will, the nephew from Philadelphia, joined the family in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Will was an uncultured, brash fish out of water who would constantly torment Geoffrey and try to get him to break character. But the two eventually grew to become friends.
Geoffrey was the stereotypical butler in a three-piece suit, white gloves, and British accent. But he wasn't afraid to deliver insults or comments under his breath, ironically while still maintaining his professional demeanor. His signature move involved walking into the room to announce which guest had arrived before they walked in.
Charles Carson: Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
The British historical drama was set in the early 20th century and told the story of the aristocratic Crawley family in a fictional Yorkshire country estate. Carson was the long-time butler who began working with the family from an early age when he was just 19.
He was strict, witty, and took his job very seriously on Downton Abbey, including acting as a sort of fatherly figure to all of his co-workers.
Joseph Anders: Dynasty (1981-1989, 2017-present)
Portrayed by Alan Dale for The CW remake of Dynasty, Anders has been with the Carringtons since he was a young man, brought in to help turn his life around. He's the house manager more so than just butler and, in the reboot, he runs the house like it's a Fortune 500 business. A trusted friend of the family, he essentially raised the Carrington children (and grandchildren) himself.
The Carringtons never have to worry about a thing with Anders in charge. He has a slight edge thanks to his past and while he always keeps a level head, he isn't a stranger to being involved in scandals of his own as well. In the original series, Anders was played by Lee Bergere and, like the new version, also knew every secret that Carringtons ever had.
Niles: The Nanny (1993-1999)
While the star of this show was the nanny, played by Fran Drescher, the British Broadway producer for whom she worked, Maxwell Sheffield, also had a butler in his employ named Niles. Played by Daniel Davis, Niles' job was to manage the household, though he also got to enjoy watching Fran try and care of the kids once she came on board.
Niles, in fact, was the one who saw how good Fran was for the family and tried to undermine Maxwell's business partner and her attempts to woo him romantically.
Duckworth: DuckTales (1987-1990)
This animated series from the '80s followed the misadventures of Scrooge McDuck and his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Scrooge was, of course, quite wealthy, a descendent from Castle McDuck. So, he is able to afford a butler to care for his needs and those of the kids.
Duckworth was the butler at McDuck Manor, a jack-of-all-trades who, despite having a name that includes the word "duck," is actually an anthropomorphic dog. The character was voiced by Chuck McCann in the series as well as the movie and remastered series from 2017.
Waylon Smithers, Jr.: The Simpsons (1989-present)
Since The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom and the long-running American scripted primetime TV series in history, that makes Smithers the longest-running TV butler as well.
Technically, he is the personal assistant of the wealthy Mr. Burns. But he seemingly does everything a butler would do, and then some, going above and beyond his work duties to help the man any way he can. It seems odd that Smithers would put up with how Mr. Burns treats him, not to mention the rich man's evil ways. But it is revealed at one point that Smithers actually has a crush on his boss, which explains his steadfast dedication.