Movies

Batman Voice Actor was 66 – The Hollywood Reporter

November 11, 2022

Kevin Conroy, the prolific voice actor who defined Batman for generations of viewers, has died. He was 66 years old. The actor died on Thursday, Warner Bros. announced.

Conroy’s voice starred in the famous Batman: The Animated Series from 1992 to 1996, and continued with the role through nearly 60 different productions spanning 15 films and 400 television episodes as well as video games. In recent years, he’s been a fixture on the comic book convention circuit.

“Kevin was so much more than an actor I had the pleasure of casting and directing – he was a dear friend for over 30 years whose kindness and generous spirit knew no bounds,” said Andrea Romano, casting and dialogue director. “Kevin’s warm heart, deliciously deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever.”

Mark Hamill, who played Conroy’s on-screen film The Joker, mourned his collaborator in a statement.

“Kevin was perfection,” Hamill recalled. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet and I loved him like a brother. He really cared about the people around him – his decency shone through in everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke to him, my morale rose.

Conroy was born November 30, 1955 in Westbury, New York, and grew up in Westport, Connecticut. He studied acting at Julliard alongside notable actors such as Christopher Reeve and was roommates with Robin Williams. He continued to work on stage before landing roles in the 1980s in television series such as Dynasty, duty tower and Ohara. He also appeared on soaps search tomorrow and Another world and had guest places on Cheers, Murphy Brown, Spenser: for rent and Matlock.

In 1992, the trajectory of his life and career changed forever when Batman: The Animated Series debuted on September 5.

“I remember Mark and I were at the WB sound studio doing some ADR work and we got to watch the opening credits,” Conroy said. The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “You hear the opening theme with the lush strings and colors. It was incredibly dramatic. And I looked at Mark and said, ‘Do you have any idea what we were doing?’ He said, “No, I’m blown away!” We both felt like we were part of something really special.

The series still resonated 30 years later, with JJ Abrams and The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves teams up with Batman: The Animated Series‘ Bruce Timm for a new take titled The capped crusaderalthough it is unclear if Conroy was to be involved.

Although Conroy is known for animation, he entered the live-action DC Universe in 2019 to play Bruce Wayne in The CW’s crossover story “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” He recently voiced Batman in the video game MultiVersus.

Several actors have put their stamp on Batman’s voice over the decades, with Michael Keaton, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck in particular earning both praise and parody for their live-action takes. For Conroy, finding the voice was both a challenge and a choice that defined his legacy.

“At first I said, ‘He’s the most famous and powerful guy in Gotham. Are you telling me he’s just putting on a mask and no one knows it’s him? Seriously? There has to be more to the disguise,” Conroy said. THR in 2017. “My model for the two voices was the 1930s film Scarlet Pimpernel. I played Bruce Wayne as a sort of humorous playboy to counter Batman’s brooding nature.

The 1993 animated feature was the crowning achievement of his career as Batman. mask of fantasy, which he considered his favorite. It dealt with Bruce Wayne’s unresolved feelings for his late parents, something Conroy would later say he could relate to given his own tumultuous relationship with his father.

“Andrea came in after check-in and hugged me,” Conroy said. THR in 2018 to express a particularly heartbreaking scene. “Andrea said, ‘I don’t know where you’ve been [emotionally], but it was a great performance. She knew I was drawing on something.