Kevin Conroy, voice of Batman, dies at age 66

Voice actor Kevin Conroy, the definitive voice of Batman, died Thursday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 66 years old.

Conroy was best known for voicing the Dark Knight in the legendary 90s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series. His interpretation of both the playboy Bruce Wayne and the tragic Batman has carried into new generations of fans through his work on movies, video games and spin-offs like Batman Beyond, where a retired Wayne mentors a new young Batman.

Among the first to report his passing was Diane Pershing, who played Poison Ivy in the original series. Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed his death in a statement to Batman News.

“A noted stage, film and television performer, Conroy rose to unparalleled voice acting fame as the title character of the landmark Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1996),” read the statement.

“He would establish never-to-be-broken records as the quintessential voice of Batman, bringing the super hero to animated life in nearly 60 different productions, including 15 films – highlighted by the acclaimed Batman: Mask of the Phantasm; 15 animated series, spanning nearly 400 episodes and more than 100 hours of television; as well as two dozen video games.”

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

Conroy began as a TV and stage actor and a gay man, his career coincided with the rise of AIDS epidemic, a subject he wrote about in this year’s DC Comics Pride issue.

“A mask of confidence to the world, and a private one racked by conflict and wounds.” Conroy wrote of the duality of Batman and his identity as an out gay man.  

“Could I relate to that, they asked? Was I my public face, or my private face? Had I made too many compromises? My heart pulsed, I felt my face flush, my breath grew deeper, I began to speak, and a voice I didn’t recognize came out. It was a throaty, husky, rumbling sound that shook my body.”