Beloved Batman actor Kevin Conroy dies at 66 after battling cancer

Batman actor Kevin Conroy has died at 66 after a “brief battle with cancer,” his representatives confirmed Friday. He is famous for voicing the famous superhero in the capital Batman: The Animated Series and the Arkham video games.

After starting his career on stage (playing Hamlet in 1984) and appearing in TV shows such as Dynasty and Another World and Cheers, Conroy was cast in a career-defining role as Batman, the animated series starting in 1992.

“Kevin’s warm heart, joyful deep laughter, and the pure love of life will be with me forever,” Andrea Romano, the director who played Conroy, said in a statement.

He also played the superhero in the DC follow-up shows Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited, as well as several animated films, such as the amazing Mask of the Phantasm. He filmed a live version of the character in Arrowverse’s 2019 Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover event.

Earlier this year, Conroy wrote a deeply personal story to DC Pride 2022 Comedy Anthology On how coming out as gay helped him find his voice Bruce Waynewhose crusade against crime was driven by the pain of witnessing the murder of his parents.

He wrote in the story, “He seemed to roar from thirty years of frustration, confusion, denial, love and nostalgia…a yearning for what? An anchor, a port, a sense of security, a sense of identity.” Find Batman. “Yes, I can talk. This is the terrain I know so well. I felt Batman rise from the depths.”

Fellow actor Mark Hamill, who played the Joker in the 1990s animated series and the Arkham Games, praised Conroy as a “brilliant actor.”

“For generations, Batman has been the ultimate,” he said in a statement. “It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got exactly the right guy for exactly the right part, and the world was better for him.” “for him Rhythms, accuracy, tones and delivery All of which also helped me determine my performance. He was the perfect partner – it was a complete creative experience. I couldn’t do it without him. It will always be my Batman.”

Conroy was also a regular member of the convention circuit, Warmly greet the fans. Diane Pershing, who played Poison Ivy on the animated series, Noticed in a Facebook post He “will be sorely missed not only by the show’s cast but by his legion of fans around the world.”

Paul Dini, one of the producers of the animated series, paid tribute to the late actor with Official Tweet Picture For Batman overlooking the skyline of Gotham City.

“Kevin shone the spotlight with him everywhere,” Denny said in a statement. “Whether in the registration booth giving his all, or Feeding First Responders During 9/11Or making sure every fan you’ve been waiting for had a moment with Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. everlasting.”