Senator Patrick Leahy, a self-confessed Batman fan, has filmed five cameo appearances in Batman movies, and voiced one for an animated episode. He has also written multiple introductions for DC Comic anthologies.
Leahy has served as a United States Senator from Vermont since 1975, is a President pro tempore emeritus, and has more seniority than any other Senator.
Overview[]
His first Batman-related work was the written foreword to Batman: The Dark Knight Archives: Volume 1 (1992), a hardcover anthology of the first four issues of the Batman comic book. Three years later, Leahy had an uncredited cameo in Batman Forever,[1][2], and voiced a Territorial Governor in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series set in the American southwest of 1883.
Leahy’s Dark Knight cameo was notable for his interaction with the Joker, in which he tells the Joker “We’re not intimidated by thugs”, to which the Joker replies, “You know, you remind me of my father. I hated my father.” In The Dark Knight Rises, Leahy’s character defends the Wayne family against John Daggett’s attempt to usurp control of Wayne Enterprises. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that "Gentleman at Party" and "Board Member #2" are the same character.
All royalties and fees from Leahy’s roles have been given, as charitable donations, to the Kellogg-Hubbard library in Vermont where he read comic books as a child.[2]
Batman work listing[]
Comics[]
- Batman: The Dark Knight Archives: Volume 1 (1992 comic book anthology) “Forward”
- Batman: Death of Innocents (1996 graphic novel) “The Innocent Victims of Landmines” (preface)
- Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest (2003 comic book anthology) “Introduction”
Movies & television[]
- Batman Forever (1995) uncredited cameo
- Batman: The Animated Series: “Showdown” (1995) credited as Governor[3]
- Batman & Robin (1997) as Bidder[4]
- The Dark Knight (2008) as Gentleman at Party
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012) as Board Member #2
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as Senator Purrington[5]
References[]
- ↑ Cooper, Matthew (March 1996). "Hollywood, D.C.", Los Angeles, (via Google Books), p. 70. "Patrick Leahy filmed a cameo appearance in Batman Forever"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Heintz, Paul (July 11, 2012). "Holy Cash, Batman!", Seven Days. "Warner Bros has cast the caped crusader aficionado in four films — from 1995’s Batman Forever to the brand-new The Dark Knight Rises. According to a Leahy staffer, Warner Bros. paid the senator $10,000 in royalties over the years, all of which he’s donated to Kellogg-Hubbard, his boyhood library. A 2008 Montpelier screening of The Dark Knight raised nearly $100,000 for the library, which named a wing after Leahy."
- ↑ “Governor” in the credits, “Territorial Governor” in dialog. Despite some claims online, Utah is neither stated, nor implied, by the episode.
- ↑ Senator Leahy is next to bidders in the crowd during the infamous “GothCard” scene.
- ↑ Affleck, Ben (March 26, 2015). "Opening Statement", Diplomacy and Foreign Aid Fiscal Year 2016 Budget hearing, C-SPAN (via YouTube).