After starting his career on stage (he played Hamlet in 1984) and appearing in TV shows such as Dynasty, Another World and Cheers, Conroy took on a pivotal role in Batman’s career, with the animated series starting in 1992.
“Kevin’s warm heart, delightful deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever,” Andrea Romano, the director who cast Conroy in the role, said in a statement.
He also played the superhero in subsequent DC series Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, in addition to several animated films such as the incredible Mask of the Phantasm. He portrayed a live-action version of the character in the 2019 Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Earlier this year, Conroy wrote a deeply personal story for the DC Pride 2022 comic anthology about how coming out as gay helped him find his voice as Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego.
Fellow actor Mark Hamill, who played the Joker in the 90s animated series and Arkham games, hailed Conroy as a “brilliant actor”.
“For many generations, he was the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the right guy for the right place and the world was better for it,” he said in a statement. “His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — all of which also helped inform my performance. He was the perfect partner — it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. I would he’s always my Batman.”
Conroy was also a regular on the convention floor, warmly greeting fans. Diane Pershing, who played Poison Ivy in the animated series, noted in a Facebook post that she will be “greatly missed not only by the show’s cast but by her legion of fans around the world.”
Paul Dini, one of the producers of the animated series, paid tribute to the late actor with an official Twitter image of Batman looking out over the Gotham City skyline.
“Kevin carried a light with him everywhere,” Dini said in a statement. “Whether he’s in the recording booth giving it his all, feeding the first responders during 9/11, or making sure every fan who’s ever waited for him has a moment with their Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. Eternal.”
In the documentary I Know That Voice, Kevin Conroy tells this unforgettable story about working at a food relief station in Manhattan in the days after 9/11. It’s one of my favorite stories he told about the power of his talents. Rest in Peace Mr. Conroy pic.twitter.com/CVb6vLQlEb
— Henry Gilbert (@hEnereyG) November 11, 2022
