Kevin Conroy Dies: Voice of Batman Was 66

Kevin Conroy, who was best known for voicing Batman, has died at the age of 66 after battling cancer.

“Kevin was perfection,” said Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker playing opposite Conroy’s Batman, in a statement. “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.”

He continued, “Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”

Conroy voiced Batman in multiple series and films, including Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: the Killing Joke, and Batman: Gotham Knight, as well as video games. He also appeared as the live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

“The biggest surprise was realizing that I’ve inhabited the character from within in the comfort of a sound booth, which can be like a cocoon. It’s very liberating to be in a sound booth because you’re in there just with your imagination,” Conroy told TV Insider of stepping into the role of the crossover.

“But when you’re on a set, surrounded by dozens and dozens and dozens of crew members and script people, sound people, boom people, makeup people, there’s a crowd and suddenly you’re allowing yourself to be vulnerable and you’re inhabiting the character in three dimensions that you only inhabited with your voice before. It’s much harder. It was very challenging,” he continued. “I’ve done a couple stage plays, but not camera work [in 25 years]. It’d been a long time since I performed in front of people like that. It’s different.”

Conroy’s numerous TV credits also included Cheers, Murphy Brown, Matlock, and Dynasty.

“Kevin brought a light with him everywhere,” Batman: The Animated Series producer Paul Dini said in a statement, “whether in the recording booth giving it his all, or feeding first responders during 9/11, or making sure every fan who ever waited for him had a moment with their Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. Eternal.”

Conroy is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.