Kevin Conroy On Voicing BATMAN For Over 20 Years

Kevin Conroy On Voicing BATMAN For Over 20 Years

Batman: The Animated Series debuted on prime time Fox back in 1992 (gulp) and Kevin Conroy has been lending his voice to the animated and video game adventures of Gotham's Caped Crusader ever since. "I had absolutely no expectation that this job would turn into what it became."

By MarkJulian - Feb 24, 2014 11:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Animated Features

DC Comics recently posted an interview with the legendary Kevin Conroy about a number of topics including his work on Batman: The Animated Series, working with Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano and originally wanting to audition for a different part on Batman: TAS. Here's a few quick hitters before we dive into some direct quotes:

  • Conroy originally wanted to audition for the Joker before Andrea Romano convinced him that he should be trying to land the role of Batman.

  • After numerous fake Twitter accounts, Conroy confirmed that @RealKevinConroy is indeed his actual account.

  • It was Conroy's idea that Batman and Bruce Wayne should have separate voices to further emphasize the separation between the false image Bruce Wayne projects while out in public and the grim, no-nonsense vigilante scrambling across Gotham City rooftops.


When asked to sum up his thoughts about landing the role and voicing Batman for all this time, Conroy stated, "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. Since then, there’s been the direct-to-video movies and now the Arkham games. He’s such an iconic character. He’s such a part of the American cultural landscape. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of and to have contributed to. Like all actors, you never know where your career is going to go. You plan for things and you train for things, but you never really know the direction you’re going to go. So I had no idea that I was going to end up doing voice acting for animation and that I’d be voicing Batman. But it wound up working really well. The show is just a really good marriage of what I brought to the character and what Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Andrea Romano and all the people putting the series together were looking for."



Kevin Conroy On Voicing BATMAN For 20 Years


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Darkhawk8
Darkhawk8 - 2/25/2014, 12:00 AM
Conroy is and always will be THE batman to me.
osideous
osideous - 2/25/2014, 12:01 AM
Conroy is Batman
Wallcrawler8020
Wallcrawler8020 - 2/25/2014, 12:03 AM
The only voice suited for batman.


In other news, hulk is fighting the hulk-buster iron man in Johannesburg. You will soon all find out. Thank you!
GetsugaTensho22
GetsugaTensho22 - 2/25/2014, 12:08 AM
I just wish he'd say NO to a couple of projects now and again.
I'm sick of too much Conroy these days.
JJJameson
JJJameson - 2/25/2014, 12:09 AM
Best Batman ever, regardless how much I loved Christian Bale in the role. Batman TAS is hands down my favorite Batman outside the comics, here is hoping Ben Affleck's Batman will be able to top that.
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 2/25/2014, 12:11 AM
Number one Batman but to me Bruce Greenwood is trying to make a run.
ChiliConCarney
ChiliConCarney - 2/25/2014, 12:21 AM
I loved this show and it is my favorite version of Batman on the screen... But does this mean that Kevin Conroy is to blame for that terrible Batman voice that Bale used? Or does it all fall on Bale?
NightBoyWonder
NightBoyWonder - 2/25/2014, 12:26 AM
It's about time he passes the torch, as much as I love Conroy it was really refreshing to hear Roger Craig Smith as the Bat in Arkham Origins.
RaxusPrime
RaxusPrime - 2/25/2014, 12:29 AM
@McGee, I completely agree. When I read a Batman comic or anything that is in print, I instantly think of Conroy's voice. Same goes for Joker and Hamill. Without these two icons, we wouldn't have anything remotely as great as there is. I just wish Conroy did Arkham Origins. Both new voices for it were good, but it just wasn't the same feel.
mgeoff88
mgeoff88 - 2/25/2014, 12:55 AM
Kevin Conroy is awesome! I loved watching B:TAS when I was a kid. I still even watch it today, and the show holds up.

No other voice actor comes close to his Batman.

@McGee I don't know if Gusto is going to be happy that you're posting up a pic of his girlfriend. We all know what a chubby chaser he is.
Milling
Milling - 2/25/2014, 1:01 AM
conroy is batman noone else!
THRILLHO
THRILLHO - 2/25/2014, 1:10 AM
KennyH
KennyH - 2/25/2014, 1:14 AM
Kevin Conroy is the best voice, Bale is the best Wayne
Tajin88
Tajin88 - 2/25/2014, 1:19 AM
I don't get it. How can Kevin Conroy be the best batman, when he only does the voice. The actors have a lot more to do.
MementoMori
MementoMori - 2/25/2014, 1:40 AM
The best voice of Batman for a whole generation. I know it's only voice acting, but Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill both really hit it out of the park with their interpretations of Batman and Joker. They are CBM royalty to me.
unknownfacts
unknownfacts - 2/25/2014, 1:42 AM
Batman the animated series good times.
113
113 - 2/25/2014, 2:23 AM
As many have said, Conroy IS Batman.
relentless1
relentless1 - 2/25/2014, 2:48 AM
love how supes gets pwned in that clip, a big middle finger to all you batman haters out there...this is a little window into why bruce wayne is the undisputed master of all things badass
marvel54
marvel54 - 2/25/2014, 3:07 AM
MementoMori amen bro
batmanvsuperman
batmanvsuperman - 2/25/2014, 3:07 AM
Forever and always will be batman..true
breakUbatman
breakUbatman - 2/25/2014, 3:26 AM
I've got my own voices for characters in my head when I read comics.
dckizzle
dckizzle - 2/25/2014, 4:00 AM
The best they should copy his voice for future
ScRipt69
ScRipt69 - 2/25/2014, 4:31 AM
As Kevin Smith says "When I read Batman, Conroys voice is the voice I hear in my head" never a truer word spoken.
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 2/25/2014, 4:45 AM
I swear if he was younger, he could definitely play him in Live Action. Amazing voice. Even better than Morgan Freeman- er... Maybe?
TheClemster
TheClemster - 2/25/2014, 5:24 AM
aaaaaah the voice of the sunday mornings of my childhood, followed by a religious ritual of playtime withe kenner batmobile, one of my favorite toys still to this day :)
Gamera623
Gamera623 - 2/25/2014, 5:46 AM
Kevin Conroy will always be the definative Batman. I cant image Hollywood ever making a better Batman than the one in The Animated Sries.

Its the voice of the character wen I read the comics.

I agree that Conroy is THE Batman
SADVIPER
SADVIPER - 2/25/2014, 6:02 AM
Conroy is Batman and Bruce.
That scene from batman vs superman movie was so epic. One of my fav best of da best animated movies ever.
BATMANx
BATMANx - 2/25/2014, 6:47 AM
Kevin Conroy Is the True BATMAN..
TheClemster
TheClemster - 2/25/2014, 6:48 AM
@ Nomis

ahaha
I would lie if I said I didn't think of that too
superotherside
superotherside - 2/25/2014, 7:04 AM
Wallcrawler8020 How do you know?
m0th3r
m0th3r - 2/25/2014, 7:09 AM
The Birth of the greatest cartoon series EVER...
HavocPrime
HavocPrime - 2/25/2014, 7:23 AM
Conroy is the definitive voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

It is always his voice I get when I read any Batman comic
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