Kevin Conroy, who passed away on November 10, 2022, after a private battle with intestinal cancer, was widely known for voicing the DC superhero Batman in multiple animated series. Conroy started with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, which was highly appreciated by the audience and the critics.
The actor, as a part of DC Comics’ 2022 Pride anthology, wrote Finding Batman, which was made free for the audience at the time of his unfortunate demise. The beloved actor’s short story won the 2023 Eisner Award for Best Short Story. Before his passing, Kevin Conroy had spoken about the unexpected success and fame that voicing Batman brought him.
Kevin Conroy calls Batman an ‘iconic character’ and a part of the American cultural landscape
In an interview with DC with Tim Beedle back in 2014, Kevin Conroy, who had very well established himself as the voice of Batman in the animated series, was asked about his expectations of the character when he joined. He said,
“I had absolutely no expectation that this job would turn into what it became. I started recording it in 1991, and it went on the air on Fox in 1992 as a prime time series. Then, over 23 years, it just evolved from Batman: The Animated Series to The Adventures of Batman and Robin to Justice League and then Batman Beyond.”
The actor went on to describe the DC Comics superhero as an iconic character, adding that he is such an essential part of the American cultural landscape. He mentioned that he feels amazing to be a part of it and has contributed something to it. In his interview, Conroy confessed that he had no idea that he was going to end up doing voice acting for animation or being Batman’s voice.
The audience and the critics have always appreciated Conroy’s work as Batman for Batman: The Animated Series and the following projects. It brought him immense love from the people, along with a net worth of about $10 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) at the time of his passing. The unfortunate demise of the actor saddened the fans, but the celebration of his talent and versatility will continue to persist for years to come.
Kevin Conroy initially went to read for The Joker
During his interview with Beedle, the actor revealed that he wanted to read for The Joker, Bullock, and Commissioner Gordon, adding that he went in to read for all the characters until Andrea Romano said,
“Don’t you get it? It’s called Batman. You would be in every episode. This is the role you should want.”
The actor had explained to the audition team that it did not make sense to him that Batman is the most powerful, wealthiest, and most eligible bachelor in Gotham City but hides his identity. So he suggested an alternate voice to play Batman to bring some character into it for him, which made it fun to voice. Kevin Conroy shared that Bruce Timm and Paul Dini are incredible writers, as they got into the psychology of Batman. Talking about Batman, he said,
“He’s a complicated guy, and that voice can’t be just a quirky voice that you as an actor put on. It’s a state of mind that you have to get into because that voice comes from such a deep well of pain. If you don’t really do it genuinely, it sounds artificial. It sounds like you’re just putting on a funny voice.”
Kevin Conroy acknowledged the love his fans showed him on social media, saying it was very heartfelt. He noted that people still talk about how the show affected them 20 years ago when they were growing up and how they are now introducing it to their kids. Conroy said people talk about Batman on such an intimate, adult level, which makes him feel that it’s not a cartoon character, it’s a character people have grown close to.
Batman: The Animated Series is available to watch on HBO Max.
