MOVIE NEWS – Kevin Conroy, best known as the voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series and the Arkham video game trilogy, has died after a short battle with cancer. The man was 66 years old. Conroy has been celebrated as the voice of Batman in several animated series and video games.

News of Conroy’s death was first reported by several sources, including Diane Pershing, who voiced Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series. “Very sad news: The beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, passed away yesterday,” Pershing wrote on Facebook. “He had been ill for some time, but he really spent a lot of time at events, to the delight of all his fans. He will be greatly missed not only by the cast of the series, but also by his legion of fans around the world.”

Warner Bros. later confirmed his death, which described him in a press release as “the most beloved voice of Batman in the character’s animated history.”

“Kevin was perfect,” Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker opposite Conroy’s Batman, said in a statement provided by Warner Bros. “He was one of my favorite people in the world and I loved him as if he were my brother. He genuinely cared about the people around him – his fair demeanor radiated from everything he did. Every time I saw him or talked to him, it lifted my spirits.”

“He was the defining Batman for several generations,” Hamill continued. “It was one of those perfect scenarios where you got exactly the right person for the right role and the world became a better place. Its rhythm and subtleties, its timbre and performance – all this helped me in my performance as well. 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.”

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

Conroy was born in 1955 and has had many stage, television and film roles. His breakthrough came in 1992 when he debuted as the voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series, a role that quickly became iconic and inseparable from the character. He continued the role for two decades, until his death, in several animated series, as well as the Arkham and Injustice video game series, the DC Universe Online MMO, and Warner’s multiplayer fighting game MultiVersus. He has also appeared in several non-Batman video games, including Crusaders of Might and Magic, Max Payne 2, Lords of Everquest, and most recently Hard West 2.

“Kevin was much more than an actor I had the pleasure of casting and directing – he was a dear friend for more than 30 years, whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds,” said casting and dialogue director Andrea Romano. who worked with Conroy on several Batman projects. “Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will stay with me forever.”

Conroy’s death added to an already devastating year for the comics community, especially DC followers. Artists George Pérez, Tim Sale, Neal Adams, Carlos Pacheco, Kim Jung Gi, writer Alan Grant, and 2000 AD artist Kevin O’Neill died in 2022.

Conroy also technically played Batman—Bruce Wayne, in a live-action performance in the 2019 Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths. Conroy told Entertainment Weekly that after years of voicing Batman, he “jumped” at the chance to play an aging Bruce Wayne on camera. “The loyal fans of [Batman: The Animated Series] wanted to see him in front of the camera,” Conroy said.

Rest in peace!

Source: PC Gamer