Among the big names to have played James “Jim” Gordon in live-action are Gary Oldman and J.K. Simmons. Most recently, Jeffrey Wright has also impressed as the Caped Crusader’s most trusted law enforcement ally in The Batman. However, these aren’t the only stars to bring the Gotham City police officer to life.
A couple of big names from both the TV and movie industries have also voiced Gordon in animated projects over the years. And even though the versions of Gordon that have appeared in animation don’t get talked about as much as the live-action ones, they are just as interesting, with some very unique arcs.
Bryan Cranston
Cranston is best known as one of Breaking Bad’s fan-favorite characters, the antihero,Walter White. Batman: Year One is in his vast filmography too, and in it, his version of Gordon gets transferred to Gotham from Chicago after exposing corruption there.
Cranston’s Gordon is depicted as way tougher than the rest. He isn’t afraid to get physical, even beating up Flass at one point. And in an extreme show of badassness, he resolves a hostage situation all by himself. Gordon is courageous too, not afraid to eradicate the rot in the GCPD despite threats from fellow officers.
Scott Patterson
Fans mostly recognize Patterson as Special Agent Peter Strahm from the Saw horror franchise. He voices Jim Gordon in one of the darkest and detective-centric Batman animated movies, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight too.
With the movie being set in the Victorian-era Gotham City, fans are presented an unusual version of Gordon. He is said to have served in the American Civil War and unlike other versions, he is villainous. He is depicted as a chauvinist, and in one of the biggest twists in DC comics, Gordon is revealed to be the mysterious serial killer known as Jack The Ripper.
Christopher Meloni
Meloni’s most recognizable role is that of the lawman Elliot Stabler in Law & Order: SVU. He also voices Jim Gordon in the popular DC animated series, Harley Quinn.
Meloni’s Gordon happens to be extremely flawed. He drinks excessively and takes advantage of Bruce Wayne’s generosity by pushing him to fund the entire police budget as well as his personal expenses. He is extremely skeptical about dealing with other heroes too and as such, crimes take time to get resolved.
Gary Cole
Cole has appeared in numerous TV shows, with his most recent one being that of Kurt McVeigh in The Good Fight. Additionally, he voices Gordon in Batman: Under The Red Hood.
Cole’s Gordon is much more like the one fans are used to. Since Jason Todd is proving to be a nuisance, Gordon is more than glad to give Batman any help he needs. Unfortunately, his appearances are quite limited, and as such fans of the character might not like this specific animated movie as much as the rest.
Hector Elizondo
Elizondo has a large resume but his most notable role is that of Carlos Torres in Grey’s Anatomy. In The Lego Batman Movie, he voices Jim Gordon.
Traditionally, Gordon prefers his trench coats but since such a fashion choice could be hard to pull off in a Lego movie, Gordon prefers to wear normal coats or blue police coats with a GCPD symbol on them. And since the movie is populated with so many DC characters, Gordon doesn’t get much time to shine either.
Kurtwood Larson Smith
Smith is always remembered as the phenomenal villain Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop. He enjoys voice work too and has brought Gordon to life in Beware The Batman.
Most Dark Knight tales rush to pair up Gordon with Batman but Beware The Batman does well by delaying that friendship and making the lieutenant hunt down Batman for a few episodes first. There is thus a smooth transition from foe-to-ally, which ends up being very satisfying to the viewer.
Tom Kenny
Kenny is best known as Uncle Hawse in The Haunting Hour and as the voice of SpongeBob in SpongeBob Squarepants. He is also Commissioner Gordon in DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year.
Unlike in other DC media, Kenny’s Gordon doesn’t interact with Batman at all. He only briefly interacts with his daughter Barabara, aka, Batgirl after her, Supergirl, and Wonderwoman team up to stop Eclipso. And since it’s a PG-13 animated movie, Commissioner Gordon is only portrayed as a loving father.
Ray Wise
With over 150 movie and TV credits, Wise is truly a veteran in the industry. The character he has played the longest is Ian Ward in the celebrated soap opera, The Young & The Restless. He also provides his voice for Batman: The Killing Joke as Jim Gordon.
The GCPD officer mostly finds himself chasing after baddies but in this case, he is the victim. Joker shoots his daughter, captures him, and tortures him just to prove that he can make anyone go crazy. However, Gordon demonstrates his high level of endurance and refuses to fold. He is eventually saved by Batman.
David Selby
The soap opera legend is best remembered as Richard Channing from Falcon Crest. Additionally, he is Commissioner Gordon in the two-part animated movie, The Dark Knight Returns.
Selby’s Gordon is also very different from the rest because he is 70-years-old and planning to retire. Moreover, he handles one of the biggest crises in the history of the city when a nuclear bomb hits and destroys most of the buildings, including his own house. Selby’s Gordon is also the only one that witnesses Bruce Wayne’s death and gets to give him a proper sendoff.
Mitch Pileggi
Pileggi received plenty of his praise for his performance as arguably one of Sons of Anarchy‘s best villains, Ernest Darby, He voices the nicer Gordon in the animated series, The Batman.
Since the series was created for WB kids, Gordon is more cartoonish compared to other versions. He is rarely in conflict with anyone either and is often depicted as the perfect father figure to most of the younger characters. Gordon doesn’t oppose Grayson’s decision to become batman’s sidekick either. In other media, he strongly opposes the move, labeling him too young to fight crime.
