Legendary Batman voice Kevin Conroy dies aged 66
Kevin Conroy, who was best known for portraying Batman in the long-running Warner Bros. television series 'Batman: The Animated Series' passed away on Friday.He was 66.
Conroy passed away on November 10 after "a brief battle with cancer," as revealed on Facebook by co-star Diane Pershing (who played Poison Ivy in the animated series) and confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery.
"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," said Pershing in the post. "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."
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From 1992 to 1995, Fox Kids broadcast 'Batman: The Animated Series' for a total of 85 episodes. Many comic book fans and critics praised Conroy's deep, gravelly Batman voice, with many hailing the actor as the ideal Caped Crusader.
He also voiced the superhero in the video games Arkham Knight and Arkham City and also appeared in a 2019 episode of Batwoman.
Conroy also portrayed Batman in The Killing Joke animated special and the video game Multiversus. He also portrayed Thomas Wayne in the upcoming series Batman: Caped Crusader, though it's unclear if he will still feature in the role following his death.
Conroy did voice work for other video games besides Batman. Additionally, he contributed his skills to franchises like 'Masters of the Universe' and 'Scooby-Doo' (he had a voice role in the 2019 series 'Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'). He appeared in episodes of 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' and 'Masters of the Universe: Revelation' on Netflix as Mer-Man in the latter franchise (playing Hordak earlier this year).
'Finding Batman', Conroy's most recent publication, was featured as part of DC Pride 2022 earlier this year. Conroy was the only openly gay actor to play Batman because he was himself. The actor's experiences portraying the Caped Crusader and coming to terms with his sexuality were detailed in 'Finding Batman'.
Conroy, who was born in Westbury, New York, in November 1955, studied acting at The Julliard School under John Houseman with people like Christopher Reeve, Frances Conroy, and Robin Williams. He is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy and brother Tom Conroy.
