Kevin Conroy

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.

Conroy died Thursday after a battle with cancer, series producer Warner Bros. announced Friday. Conroy was the voice of Batman on the acclaimed animated series ...

”A hero in every sense of the word.” The 1980s production of “Eastern Standard,” in which Conroy played a TV producer secretly living with AIDS, had particular meaning to him. “I’ve often marveled as how appropriate it was that I should land this role,” he wrote. At the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, he performed in “Hamlet.” “Andrea said, ‘I don’t know where you went, but it was a beautiful performance.’ She knew I was drawing on something.” He performed in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Public Theater and in “Eastern Standard” on Broadway. Conroy described his own father as an alcoholic and said his family disintegrated while he was in high school. “For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman,” Hamill in a statement. He was there on a friend’s recommendation — and cast immediately. Animation said Conroy’s performance “will forever stand among the greatest portrayals of the Dark Knight in any medium.” Conroy was the voice of Batman on the acclaimed animated series that ran from 1992-1996, often acting opposite Mark Hamill’s Joker. In a statement, Warner Bros.

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.