At age 66, we have lost one of the most iconic performers to ever don the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight.
After a brief battle with illness, Kevin Conroy, best known for his role as Batman's voice on Warner Bros.' groundbreaking animated series "Batman: The Animated Series," has passed away. He was 66.
Fox Kids initially broadcast all 85 episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995. Critics and comic book enthusiasts alike praised Conroy as the quintessential Caped Crusader because of his deep, gravelly voice as Batman. Mark Hamill had a standout performance as the Joker in this series.
"Kevin was fantastic," Hamill stated in a statement. I considered him to be a brother from another mother. Every action he took was infused with his genuine concern for the individuals he interacted with. My spirits were always lifted whenever I was around him.
Due to the high regard in which he was held for his vocal work as Batman, Conroy proceeded to portray the character in a number of DC works, such as the "Batman: Arkham" and "Injustice" video game series. Many other DC Universe Animated Original Movies included him as well, such as "Batman: Gotham Knight" (2008), "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" (2009), "Justice League: Doom" (2012), "Batman: The Killing Joke" (2016), and "Justice League vs. the Fatal Five" (2019). Conroy's last feature film credit as Batman was for Warner Bros.' 2019 animated "Justice League" film, while his most recent video game credit as Batman was for this year's "MultiVersus" by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros.
"He's such a legendary figure," Conroy told DC in an interview in 2014. "He is so embedded in the fabric of American culture. An incredible feat to have helped create.
Conroy's first major film role was in Temstocles López's romantic drama "Chain of Desire," released in 1992. He also had recurrent roles on legendary shows including "Dallas," "Murphy Brown," and "Cheers," and he starred in the NBC serial opera "Another World."
Even though Conroy is most known for his voice work as Batman, he has done other voice work. His voice was used in the 2019 animated series "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" He also provided his services to the "Masters of the Universe" and "Scooby-Doo" franchises. Later, he guest starred as Mer-Man in episodes of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" and "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" on Netflix in 2021. (playing Hordak earlier this year).
With great sadness, we learn of the passing of our dear friend Kevin Conroy," WB Animation stated in a statement. His depiction of Batman is so legendary that it will go down in history as one of the best of all time. The thoughts of his many followers all around the globe are with his family and friends at this time.
Most recently, Conroy presented his work on "Finding Batman" at DC Pride 2022. The first out homosexual actor to play Batman, Conroy was the first and only. While portraying Batman in "Finding Batman," the actor also struggled with his sexuality and came to grips with it.
Conroy, who was born in November 1955 in Westbury, New York, attended The Julliard School to study acting under John Houseman, where his classmates included Christopher Reeve, Frances Conroy, and Robin Williams, among others. His spouse, Vaughn C. Williams, as well as his siblings Trisha and Tom Conroy, will miss him dearly.
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