Kevin Conroy has died, and most people will remember him for providing the voice of Batman in DC Comics.
A press release from the government says that Conroy died on November 10 at the age of 66. Conroy is best known for being the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman on Batman: The Animated Series, which was a groundbreaking animated show. He brought the hero to life in a total of sixty different projects, including fifteen films, fifteen animated series, and almost 400 episodes, which added up to more than 100 hours of television. He also played Bruce Wayne in the live-action version of the crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” which took place in the Arrowverse in 2019 and 2020. In the Arrowverse, this happened.
“Kevin was perfection,” said Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker opposite Conroy’s Batman. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”
Voice actor Diane Pershing, who is also known for doing the voice of Poison Ivy, had put the news that Conroy had died on her Facebook status. “He’s been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans,” Pershing wrote. “He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world.”
Conroy was born in 1955 in Westbury, New York. His birthday is November 30. In 1980, he finished the drama program at Juilliard and got his diploma. When he finished college in 1980, he moved to California and started acting seriously there. Before he started doing voice acting, he had already made a name for himself as a successful actor on stage, in movies, and on TV.
Conroy played Bruce Wayne/Batman for the first time in the animated show Batman: The Animated Series, which aired for the first time on Fox Kids between 1992 and 1995. After that, he played Batman in many DC Animated Universe (DCAU) shows, such as Batman Beyond (1999–2001), Justice League (2001–2004), Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006), and many more. In the movies Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998), Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2002), he also did the voice of the Dark Knight (2000). Conroy’s voice can also be heard as the character in the video games Batman: Arkham, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Injustice 2.
“Kevin was far more than an actor whom I had the pleasure of casting and directing – he was a dear friend for 30+ years whose kindness and generous spirit knew no boundaries,” said Emmy Award-winning casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano. “Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever.”
Not only was Conroy the first voice actor to give Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman two different voices, but he has also played the Dark Knight for longer than any other actor, both in live-action and animated versions of the character. This is true no matter if the character is being shown in real life or in animation.
“Kevin was a brilliant actor,” Hamill continued. “For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”
Conroy is survived by Vaughn C. Williams, his husband.
