British actor Michael Gough, best known to international audiences as Batman's butler Alfred in the movie franchise, has died, the BBC reports.

The broadcaster quoted Gough's agent as saying that the actor, who was 94, had been unwell for some time and passed away at home surrounded by family.

He appeared in more than 150 films and television shows during a career that began in the 1940s.

Gough starred in the popular British sci-fi series Doctor Who, including as the Celestial Toymaker, and was something of a cult figure among horror film fans for roles in movies including Horror of Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera.

But it was US director Tim Burton who thrust him into the international limelight, casting him as Alfred Pennyworth in Batman in 1989 alongside Michael Keaton in the title role.

He would reprise the part of Bruce Wayne's butler in three more instalments, worked with Burton on Sleepy Hollow and also provided voices for the director's Alice in Wonderland and Corpse Bride.

Gough is survived by his fourth wife, Henrietta, daughter Emma and sons Simon and Jasper.

- Reuters