Kevin Conroy

2022 - 11 - 12

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Rolling Stone"

Kevin Conroy, Who Gave Batman a Definitive Voice in Animated ... (Rolling Stone)

Kevin Conroy, the celebrated actor responsible for voicing Batman and Bruce Wayne in an array of animated projects for three decades has died.

At first, his Bruce Wayne was a little too wry and charming, and the producers asked him to go back and re-record a couple of episodes so there wouldn’t be such a significant gap with his much grittier Batman voice. What helped Conroy earn the role — and what later made his portrayal so definitive — was the rather simple choice to use different voices for Batman and Bruce Wayne. Then in the early Nineties, Conroy was asked to audition for Batman: The Animated Series, which arrived in the wake of Tim Buton’s two successful Batman flicks in 1989 and 1992. I thought, Wait a minute, he is the Bill Gates of Gotham. As he told Conroy was so accomplished he not only graduated high school early but earned a scholarship to Juilliard, where he enrolled when he was just 17.

Kevin Conroy, longtime voice of animated "Batman," dead at 66 (CBS News)

The actor made his live-action Batman debut in 2019 after voicing the character in the 90s.

"A hero in every sense of the word." "We send our warmest thoughts to his loved ones and join fans around the world in honoring his legacy." Tributes to the actor poured after news of his death was made public. [appearing on the CW's television event](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/the-cw-announces-dates-and-featured-appearances-on-the-crisis-on-infinite-earths-epic-crossover/) "Crisis on Infinite Earths" as a future version of Bruce Wayne. Conroy was the first and only openly gay actor to play Batman. In total, he brought the character to life in more than 60 projects.

Kevin Conroy, longtime voice of animated Batman, dies at 66 (CNN)

Kevin Conroy, the man behind the gravelly bass voice of Batman and who popularized that unmistakable growl that separated Bruce Wayne from the Caped ...

For many fans of Batman, Conroy was the first iteration of the Dark Knight they ever knew and loved. I think I gave passion to the character,” he said in the 2014 interview. A bittersweet reflection on lost loved ones and time passed, it ends on a hopeful note, all of which Conroy conveyed in his 45-second, off-the-cuff clip. He appeared on [Broadway](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kevin-conroy-36088), too, in “Lolita” and “Eastern Standard.” To find the character, he turned to his Shakespearean training, saying he saw a bit of Hamlet in Bruce Wayne. Batman brought joy to others in times of need, too: A native New Yorker, Conroy felt called after the events of September 11 to work at a food relief station for first responders. In all, he would play the Bat and Bruce in over 15 different animated series (totaling nearly 400 episodes) and 15 films, including “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.” Many famous men have taken up Batman’s mantle – Bale, Pattinson, Ben Affleck, George Clooney among them – but few have gotten to explore all of the superhero’s emotions and traumas over several decades. His first and most enduring addition to the Batman canon is “Batman: The Animated Series,” which ran from 1992-1996, “For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. “Kevin was perfection,” Hamill said in a statement to DC. Conroy’s work in the role is the basis for every iteration of Batman popular culture has seen since.

Actor Kevin Conroy, best known as the voice of Batman, died Friday ... (NPR)

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Pop Culture Happy Hour host Glen Weldon about the death of actor Kevin Conroy, best known as the voice of Batman in the 1990s ...

That's the face he shows to the world. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. CHANG: Conroy was the voice of the caped crusader on "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1996. He was a fixture in the Comic-Con circuit. But it seems like Kevin Conroy never shied away from the role that would end up defining him, right? He just reads the lines. They see Batman as a role to play, a big one. So, I mean, there have been so many actors who've depicted Batman over the decades. He was the quintessential Batman to several generations of fans, including NPR's very own Glen Weldon of Pop Culture Happy Hour. And it's so simple, but it's so fundamental. Conroy died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 66. I am the knight.

The 9 Best Kevin Conroy Batman Performances (Collider.com)