Kevin Conroy, Longtime Voice of Animated Batman Across Film, TV and Video Games, Dead at 66

Kevin Conroy, the voice actor known for playing Bruce Wayne in animated Batman projects across film, television and video games for decades, died on Thursday. He was 66.

Warner Bros. confirmed the news in a press release Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, adding that he had a brief cancer battle.

Conroy took on the iconic role in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series plus critically acclaimed animated movies like 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. He continued to voice the comic book character on TV’s Batman Beyond, popular video game franchises like Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, the 2016 movie Batman: The Killing Joke and countless other iterations.

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Kevin Conroy in 2014. Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. via Getty Images

Star Wars alum Mark Hamill, who has voiced Batman villain the Joker across animated projects alongside Conroy, remembered his late costar in a statement, per THR.

“Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother,” said Hamill, 71. “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.”

Kevin Conroy in 2017. Tara Ziemba/Getty Images

Andrea Romano, casting and dialogue director, added in the WB release, “Kevin was far more than an actor whom I had the pleasure of casting and directing — he was a dear friend for 30-plus years whose kindness and generous spirit knew no boundaries. Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever.”

Diane Pershing, who has voiced Poison Ivy in animated Batman projects, wrote on Facebook Friday that Conroy had “been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the [conventions], to the joy of all of his fans.” She added, “He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world. … RIP, friend.”