Authorities questioned Pope Benedict’s butler Paolo Gabriele Wednesday in connection to the “Vatileaks” scandal, in which top-level Vatican documents were leaked to the Italian press. Police arrested Gabriele on May 23 after the alleged discovery of papal documents at his home at the Vatican.
In light of the so-called "Vatileaks" scandal, let’s take a look at six famous butlers who bring dignity, and most importantly, discretion to their profession.
1. Alfred Pennyworth
DC Comics universe favorite Alfred Pennyworth serves as Batman’s trusted valet and surrogate father following the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Intellectual, kindly and with an inexplicably firm grasp of the latest medical procedures, Alfred acts as Bruce Wayne’s confidante and right-hand man. In his various incarnations, Alfred is a skilled swordsman, master rose breeder, Special Air Service veteran of Myanmar and tech geek. Michael Caine portrayed Alfred in the most recent film adaptation.
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2. Geoffrey
Tuxedo-clad, snarky Geoffrey starred on Will Smith's “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” which aired from 1990 to 1996. Played by Joseph Marcell, the very British Geoffrey looks after the Banks family with dignified condescension.
3. Mr. Belvedere
“Mr. Belvedere,” which graced American televisions from 1985 to 1990, starred Christopher Hewett as the eponymous British butler who takes care of a middle-class American family in a suburb of Pittsburgh. Posh and sarcastic, Mr. Belvedere often finds himself at odds with with the family’s odd, Yankee ways.
4. Carson
Downton Abbey’s Crawley family can always rely on the tight-necked Charles Carlson to aerate the merlot and to look hopelessly overwhelmed in the face of the latest household technologies. Carson never fails to dispense fatherly advice to his boss, Lord Grantham and his favorite Crawley daughter Lady Mary.
5. Lurch
Tall as a beanpole and dark as a dungeon, Addams Family butler Lurch often communicates in a series of grunts. He is extremely loyal to the Addams family, who are able to call for him by pulling on a bell-rope shaped like a hangman’s noose. Lurch is Wednesday Addams’ best friend.
6. Agador Spartacus
Agador Spartacus, played by Hank Azaria, is the flamboyantly gay Guatemalan housekeeper of the 1996 Robin Williams-Nathan Lane film “The Birdcage.” Agador wears cutoff jean shorts and loves Gloria Estefan.
