Kevin Conroy, best known for voicing Bruce Wayne (and his masked alter ego) in decades of Batman projects, has died. He was 66.
“It is with profound sadness that I send this to you today: Kevin Conroy, the quintessential voice of Batman, and a dear friend to so many of us, has passed away,” Conroy’s rep confirmed to TVLine in a statement.
Conroy made his debut as the voice of Batman in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series, a role he would later reprise in a handful of other movies and shows, including Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and The Killing Joke (pictured above).
Mark Hamill, who voiced The Joker opposite Conroy’s Batman in many of the projects mentioned above, had this to say about his co-star and friend: “Kevin was perfection. 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.”
Adds Warner Bros. Animation: “[We are] saddened by the loss of our dear friend Kevin Conroy. His iconic performance of Batman will forever stand among the greatest portrayals of the Dark Knight in any medium. We send our warmest thoughts to his loved ones and join fans around the world in honoring his legacy.”
The actor made his first and only appearance as live-action Bruce Wayne in 2019 during the Batwoman portion of The Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.
Conroy’s TV resume also included plenty of non-Batman credits, including roles on Another World, Search for Tomorrow, Dynasty, Matlock and Murphy Brown.
How will you remember Conroy? Drop a comment with your favorite work(s) below.
This is so very sad. You just had to hear a word or two and you immediately knew that voice. Deepest sympathies to his family.
This really hurts my heart. Hands down my favorite Batman. And such a nice, gracious man too.
RIP
“I’am Vengeance! I’am The Night! I’am Batman!” Aw man this 100% sucks! I was 10 years old when Batman: The Animated Series premiered 30 years ago this past September. Kevin Conroy and Michael Keaton will always be My Batman(men) His voice was so distinguished and that scene in Mask of The Phantasm, when Bruce is visiting his parents grave and pleading with them to let him break his vow to avenge them is heartbreaking everytime. R.I.P. Kevin Conroy, THE Voice of Batman.
For years I’ve said that as long as Kevin was around, every other actor playing Batman/Bruce Wayne needed to take lessons from him on how to do the voices. I didn’t think he’d be gone THIS soon.
Heartbreaking. He was one of my favorite voice actors. RIP.
Devastating news
This is really sad. He was Batman. R.l.P
OMG, not Kevin. I’m absolutely gutted. This man was THE voice of my childhood. He was the best Batman that there ever was. The book should now officially be closed on the DCAU(TimmVerse). It will never be the same without him.
Rest in peace and my condolences to his family!
I worked with Kevin in 1982. He played a young Kennedy brother in the Kennedy miniseries.
There were many factors that contributed to “Batman: The Animated Series” being the best iteration of Batman outside of the comics themselves, but Kevin Conroy was one of the most important ones. Such sad news.
So sad to hear he died. Loved him as Batman. He was a great actor and voice actor. He will be missed so much. RIP.
The ultimate Batman. So sad. RIP.
Rest well, sir. Thank you for a truly iconic Batman. Conroy was also the “Control Voice” in a revival of “The Outer Limits”.
As much as I loved Adam West, Kevin and Mark were my Batman and joker growing up. Of all the iconic Batman lines this incredible man quoted over the years, my favorite will always be when he told Superman to do him a favor and “cry me a river!” Totally lost it when he said that! Now it’s my turn to cry…
Heart = broken
Oh no. I remember him as an actor before he became the ultimate voice of Batman in the animated world. I was so stoked he had a part in Arrowverse’s COIE, but thought he looked older than his age and wondered if there was a health issue. R.I.P. He will be remembered for generations to come.
Unlike other commenters here I never heard Kevin Conroy voice Batman… instead, I fondly remember his stints on Search for Tomorrow and Another World. He was heavier back then and had alot of thick, untamed reddish brown hair. I also recall some of his nighttime episodic tv roles. Mr. Conroy was a very good actor. R.I.P. Sir 🙏
This is gutting. Whenever anyone asks who the best Batman is, any answer but “Kevin Conroy” is wrong. But he was more than that, he could have been really bitter that he was just know for being a “voice actor” on a “cartoon” but he was always a gentleman, and treated his fans nicely. It was a mistake any time DC animated did a movie and didn’t use him. (It’s still costing them in things like The Dark Knight Returns not being able to hit greatness without him). Way way way too young. Cancer sucks. RIP.
He also voiced Batman in Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham games, which he did phenomenally. Such said news.
*sad
I just recently rewatched Batman: The Animated Series on HBO Max. He was “Batman” to a generation that grew up in the ‘90s. This is so heartbreaking. RIP!!!🪦🕊
This one hurts. He was Batman.
RIP Thank you for providing us with years of entertainment. I feel so terrible hearing this news. Cancer takes away too many people.
Yeah and now i’m beginning to wonder if this was the real reason that zavlav passed on Batman:the caped crusader was not for tax write-off reasons but he knew Kevin had cancer and that it might only get the one season
Forever our Dark Knight. Rest in peace, sir. :(
rest in peace kevin/batman
it especially sucks cause I thought he could have been a version of red death for arrowverse or the upcoming flash movie
Another piece of my childhood has left this world, forever. Goodbye Kevin Conroy. Thank you for all those wonderful Saturday mornings.
Do not go gently into that good night.
BE the Night!