Kevin Conroy The Voice of Batman
Kevin Conroy was an American actor who lived from November 30, 1955 until November 10, 2022. He is best known as the voice of the DC Comics superhero Batman in different mediums, beginning with the 1990s Warner Bros. television series Batman: The Animated Programs and continuing with additional DC Animated Universe TV series and feature films. Conroy went on to voice the character for many films under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies brand, as well as the highly acclaimed video games Batman: Arkham and Injustice.
Early years
Conroy was born in Westbury, New York, on November 30, 1955, into an Irish Catholic family. When he was approximately 11 years old, he relocated to Westport, Connecticut.
Conroy relocated to New York City in 1973 after receiving a full scholarship to the Juilliard School's theater section, where he studied under actor John Houseman. While at Juilliard, he shared a room with Robin Williams, who was in the same acting group as Conroy and Kelsey Grammer. After graduating in 1978, he toured with Houseman's acting group The Acting Company, and the following year he went on the national tour of Ira Levin's Deathtrap.
Career
Theatre
Conroy decided to try his hand at television in 1980 and relocated to California. He was cast in the daytime drama Another World. Conroy became linked with the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, where he appeared in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream performances. From 1980 through 1985, he appeared in a number of modern and historic theatrical works, including Broadway versions of Edward Albee's Lolita and Eastern Standard. He told The New York Times that as a gay man living in New York during the AIDS epidemic, he "went to so many funerals that I felt such a sense of obligation" to play the character of an AIDS-infected TV producer in Eastern Standard.
Television and Film
Conroy returned to television in the 1985 television film Covenant, as well as in another daytime serial opera, Search for Tomorrow. Conroy was a series regular on Ohara in 1987 and as the company commander on Tour of Duty from 1987 to 1988, before acting in a series of television movies. Though he was originally cast as one of the show's main characters, his role was reduced while filming in Hawaii, and he ended up spending most of his time doing portraits of tourists on the Honolulu boardwalk. Conroy has also appeared in episodes of Cheers, Search for Tomorrow, Matlock, and Murphy Brown.
Voice Acting
Conroy is best known as a voice actor for his leading role as Bruce Wayne / Batman in the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995). He proceeded to voice Batman in other animated spin-off productions that took place in what is known as the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). The TV shows The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999), Batman Beyond (1999-2001, in which he portrays an elderly Bruce Wayne retired from crimefighting), Justice League (2001-2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006) are among these spin-offs, as are the theatrical films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), and the direct-to-video films Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998), Batman Beyond: Return of the (2003). He also provided the voice of Batman in the DCAU's Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and The Zeta Project.
Conroy is best known as a voice actor for his leading role as Bruce Wayne / Batman in the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995). He proceeded to voice Batman in other animated spin-off productions that took place in what is known as the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). The TV shows The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999), Batman Beyond (1999-2001, in which he portrays an elderly Bruce Wayne retired from crimefighting), Justice League (2001-2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006) are among these spin-offs, as are the theatrical films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), and the direct-to-video films Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998), Batman Beyond: Return of the (2003). He also provided the voice of Batman in the DCAU's Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and The Zeta Project.
Conroy is notable for being the first voice actor to use two distinct voices to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman, which Michael Keaton had previously done in Tim Burton's live-action Batman films. In a tally of that actor's performances, which included his every episode and movie portrayal of Batman in live-action and animation, Conroy portrayed the character for the longest time. Olan Soule, who voiced Batman in several animated works between the late 1960s and the early 1980s, held the previous record (including Super Friends). Aside from the DCAU, Conroy portrayed Batman in the following direct-to-video DC Universe Animated Original Movies: Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014), Batman: The Killing Joke (2016), and Justice League vs. the Fatal
Conroy helped in relief efforts after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City by volunteering to cook for police officers and firemen. Conroy mentioned his amazement at the reaction of emergency personnel to his appearance during an audio commentary for Batman: Gotham Knight. Conroy yelled out from the kitchen to the dining area in his "Batman voice," uttering the classic phrase, "I am vengeance! I am the darkness! I am Batman!" at the request of another cook (from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Nothing to Fear"). This was met with shouts and acclaim by emergency workers, many of whom were fans of Batman: The Animated Series when it first aired in the 1990s. Conroy admitted to being humbled and flattered by the response .
Conroy re-dubbed Christian Bale's Batman lines for an animated version of one of the film's trailers in preparation for the theatrical release of the 2012 live-action picture The Dark Knight Rises .
Conroy said at the 2013 Dallas Comic-Con that he was working on "the next Arkham," fueling anticipation that he might reprise his role as Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins. Conroy's involvement in Arkham Origins was revealed in June 2013, implying that Conroy was referring to an undisclosed game in the Rocksteady Arkham series. On March 4, 2014, a new Arkham game named Batman: Arkham Knight was announced, with Conroy repeating.
In October 2013, he stated on Twitter that he had shot a cameo on Tim Daly's online series The Daly Show in which Conroy mocked his role as Batman in a battle with Daly parodying Superman (whom Daly had portrayed in Superman: The Animated Series) .
Conroy portrayed Earth-99's Bruce Wayne in the live-action Batwoman episode of the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths" .
Conroy's frequent voice actor co-star as the Joker, Mark Hamill, spoke highly of their collaboration with Conroy. "When they offer me roles now, I say, 'Is Kevin doing it?'... I don't even have to read the script, if Kevin's doing it, I'll do it," Hamill says of his willingness to be involved in a Batman-related project.
Private Life
Conroy was a homosexual man. Conroy created "Finding Batman," a tale on his life and experiences as a homosexual man, for DC Comics' 2022 Pride anthology. When it was released, it gained critical acclaim. He was married to Vaughn C. Williams at the time of his death.
Conroy died on November 10, 2022, at the age of 66, from intestinal cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Among others who paid homage to him were Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Andrea Romano, Paul Dini, and James Gunn .
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