Actor Kevin Conroy, known for voicing Batman in various animated TV shows, feature films and video games, has reportedly died aged 66. (Read More Here).
Conroy first played Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter-ego in Batman: The Animated Series which aired from 1992-5. His performance, and the series, proved so popular with fans that he returned many times in various animated TV shows and movies over the years, as well as video games including Arkham Knight and Arkham City. He most recently appeared in his classic part for a 2019 episode of Batwoman. (Read More Here).
While the news has yet to be confirmed by Conroy’s estate, earlier today Diane Pershing, who played DC villain Poison Ivy alongside Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series among other titles, announced the death on her personal Facebook page.
She wrote: “Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday. He’s been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans. He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world… RIP, friend.”
Conroy is widely known for lending his voice to the Caped Crusader in the 1990s hit animated series Batman: The Animated Series, along with other projects from Warner Bros. Animation. The actor quickly became the definitive voice for the Dark Knight, while also making a live-action appearance in The CW crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” portraying an older Bruce Wayne from Earth-99. Some of his other live-action roles came in Dynasty, Matlock, Murphy Brown, and Cheers. Kevin Conroy was a fixture on the convention scene as well, taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with fans and the press to discuss his numerous projects. (Read More Here).
Conroy previously spoke about fans being upset at his “angry Bruce Wayne” from his Batwoman appearance in “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” “The fans were not happy about that. They didn’t like seeing that version of Bruce Wayne,” Conroy said on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast. “But for me it was fun, it was a lot of fun to sort of stretch my acting chops a little bit.”
Conroy told his former Justice League and Justice League Unlimited co-star he knew nothing about this Batman except that he was older, only learning later that this Bruce Wayne was left mangled after killing his world’s Superman. (Read More Here).
“They didn’t tell me anything about the Batman. They just said he was the Batman in the future, an old Bruce Wayne,” Conroy said. “I said, ‘You mean like in Batman Beyond old Bruce Wayne?’ They said, ‘No, he’s not 80. But he’s older and he’s in bad shape.'”
One of Kevin Conroy’s recent contributions to DC was writing a story in this year’s Pride anthology. He thanked fans for the heartfelt response in a social media video: “Hi, this is Kevin Conroy. I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you for the reactions that I’ve been getting to the story that I wrote for DC Pride,” Conroy said. “It’s been overwhelming, and it is so appreciated. You know, whenever you share something that personal, you risk, and you all made that risk so worthwhile because the support and the appreciation has been extraordinary. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. I also wanted to take a second to thank the people at DC who worked with me on this. J. Bone, Arianna Turturro, Jessica Chen, and Aditya Bikar. They were so supportive and helpful. But again, never underestimate how much I appreciate each and every one of you and what you give me back for my performances. It means the world to me. Take care”
ComicBook.com sends our condolences to Kevin Conroy’s family, friends, and fans around the world. Diana Pershing, who voiced Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series, shared a heartfelt tribute to Conroy on Facebook:
“Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday. He’s been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans. He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world. Below are pictures of Kevin with Loren Lester who plays Robin another with me and Tara Strong who is in the later episodes of Batman cartoons. And then finally, one of Kevin and me in front of the huge audiences we used to get when we did our panels. RIP, friend.”
Conroy served as the voice of the Dark Knight in various media, such as Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League. The actor also portrayed a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
Conroy also voiced Batman in a number of video games including the Arkham series, LEGO DC Super-Villains, and Injustice: Gods Among Us.
The legendary voice actor also published a heartfelt story in DC Comics’ 2022 Pride Anthology, talking about his experiences as the only openly gay actor to play the Dark Night. The story, “Finding Batman,” discusses his struggles to find work in the film industry as a gay man, and how becoming Batman was a turning point in his life and for his identity.
Aside from his voice acting career, Conroy had a stellar run in films and TV, with iconic roles in Search for Tomorrow, Dynasty, Ohara, and Tour of Duty. The actor also served as a guest star on shows, such as Cheers, Search for Tomorrow, Matlock, and Murphy Brown.
In the 1980s, Conroy also acted in a plethora of theatre plays, including the Broadway productions of Lolita and Eastern Standard.
Conroy’s final performance as Batman was for DC’s MultiVersus video game.
For many, Conroy is the definitive Batman since his incredible portrayal perfectly showcased the DC hero’s attributes. This is on top of the fact that the actor portrayed the Dark Knight
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