Kevin Conroy Biography
Kevin Conroy was an American actor who was born on November 30, 1955, and passed away on November 10, 2022. He was best known for providing the voice of the DC Comics superhero Batman in a variety of media, beginning with the television series Batman: The Animated Series, which Warner Bros. aired in the 1990s. He also provided his voice for a number of other television series and feature films that were part of the DC Animated Universe. As a result of the success of his turn as Batman, Conroy went on to provide the voice of the character in a number of animated films distributed by DC Universe Animated Original Movies as well as in the video games Batman: Arkham and Injustice, all of which received high praise from critics.
Early life
Conroy was born into an Irish Catholic household on November 30th, 1955, in the town of Westbury, New York, [1] in the United States. When he was around 11 years old, his family uprooted and moved to Westport, Connecticut.
In 1973, Conroy relocated to New York City after being awarded a full scholarship to join the theater division of the Juilliard School. There, he studied under the direction of actor John Houseman. While he was there, he shared a room with Robin Williams, who was also in the same group as Conroy and Kelsey Grammer. During that time, he was there. [4] After receiving his diploma from Juilliard in 1978, he went on tour with Houseman’s acting company, The Acting Company. The following year, he participated in the national tour of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap.
Career
Theatre
In 1980, Conroy made the decision to pursue a career in television and relocated to California to do so. He was cast in the part of another character in the daytime soap series Another World. After becoming involved with the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, where he participated in productions of Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Conroy went on to become affiliated with the theater. Between the years 1980 and 1985, he appeared as an actor in a wide range of classic and modern stage works, including the Broadway productions of Edward Albee’s adaption of Lolita and Eastern Standard. As a gay man who was residing in New York City during the height of the AIDS epidemic, he stated in an interview with The New York Times that he “went to so many funerals that I felt such a sense of obligation” to play the role of a TV producer in Eastern Standard who was covering up the fact that he was infected with AIDS.
Film and television
He made his return to the small screen in the 1985 television movie Covenant, and he also appeared in an episode of the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow. From 1985 to 1986, Conroy portrayed gay lawyer Bart Fallmont on the television show Dynasty. Before going on to act in a string of television movies, he had recurring roles in the television programs Ohara in 1987 and Tour of Duty from 1987 to 1988, where he played the company commander. His role on the program was decreased while it was being recorded in Hawaii, and he ended up spending the majority of his time painting pictures of visitors on the Honolulu promenade. Despite the fact that he was initially cast as one of the show’s key protagonists, this was not the case. In addition, Conroy has appeared as a guest on such shows as “Cheers,” “Search for Tomorrow,” “Matlock,” and “Murphy Brown.”
Voice acting
Kevin Conroy is most recognized for his work as a voice actor for his main role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the critically acclaimed animated series Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995). He proceeded to provide the voice of Batman in a wide variety of animated spin off productions, all of which took place within what is commonly referred to as the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). These spin-offs include the television shows The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001, in which he portrays an elderly Bruce Wayne retired from crimefighting), Justice League (2001–2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006), in addition to the theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), and the direct-to-video films Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998), Batman Beyond: Return of the (2003). Additionally, he provided the voice of Batman for the character’s cameos in episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and The Zeta Project, all produced by the DC Animated Universe (DCAU).
At the 2019 East Coast Comicon, held in Secaucus, New Jersey, Conroy may be seen participating in a table read among other members of the voice cast and crew of Batman: The Animated Series.
Conroy is notable for being the first voice actor to utilize two separate voices to play Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Keaton had previously done this in Tim Burton’s live-action Batman films, but Conroy is the first voice actor to accomplish this feat in a voice acting role.
Conroy has played the role of Batman for a longer period of time than any other actor, taking into account every single movie and television episode in which the character has been presented, both in live action and in animation. Olan Soule, who provided the voice of Batman in a variety of animated works from the late 1960s through the early 1980s (including Super Friends), was the previous holder of this record. Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014), Batman: The Killing Joke (2016), and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2017) are some of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies in which Conroy voiced the role of Batman. In addition to (2019).
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York City, Conroy took part in the relief operations by volunteering to cook for first responders in the city’s police and fire departments. During the course of the audio commentary that was included in Batman: Gotham Knight, Conroy revealed his shock at the response of the people who worked in the emergency services to his presence. Conroy cried out to the dining area in his restaurant’s patrons in his restaurant’s patron voice at the request of another cook “Speaking in his best “Batman voice,” he said the famous line “I am retribution!” I am the nocturnal hours! (Taken from the episode of Batman: The Animated Series titled “Nothing to Fear”) “I am Batman!” “[15]). This was met with cheers and applause by those working in emergency services, many of whom had seen Batman: The Animated Series when it first aired in the 1990s and had become fans over the course of that time. Conroy admitted that the reaction had made him feel both humbled and extremely flattered.
Conroy re-dubbed Christian Bale’s performance as Batman for an animated version of one of the trailers for the live-action picture The Dark Knight Rises, which was released in theaters in 2012, in anticipation for the film’s theatrical release.
As a result of Conroy’s announcement at the Dallas Comic Con in 2013 that he had been working on “the next Arkham,” widespread rumors began to circulate that he would be reprising his role as Batman in the video game Batman: Arkham Origins. However, in June of 2013, it was stated that Conroy will not be involved in Arkham Origins. This suggests that Conroy may have been talking to a Rocksteady Arkham game that has not yet been announced. On March 4, 2014, it was reported that Conroy would be returning to his role as Batman in the upcoming Arkham game called Batman: Arkham Knight.
It was announced by him on Twitter in October 2013 that he had shot a cameo for Tim Daly’s online series The Daly Show. In the role, Conroy mocked his role as Batman in a battle with Daly, who was parodying Superman (whom Daly had previously played in Superman: The Animated Series).
During the live-action portion of the Arrowverse crossover “Crisis on Infinite Earths” episode titled “Batwoman,” Conroy played the role of Bruce Wayne from Earth-99.
Mark Hamill, who frequently appeared alongside Conroy as the Joker in voice acting roles, had very complimentary things to say about their time spent working together. Hamill has stated the following regarding his desire to participate in a project that is tied to Batman: “I always ask, “Is Kevin doing it?” whenever they give me roles at this point… If Kevin is performing it, then I won’t even bother reading the script; I’ll just go ahead and perform it.”
Personal life
Conroy was a homosexual. Conroy penned the short story “Finding Batman” for the Pride anthology published by DC Comics in 2022. In the piece, he reflected on his life and the challenges he faced as a gay man. Upon its initial release, it was met with widespread praise from the media. At the time of his passing, he was bereaved by his spouse, Vaughn C. Williams.
On November 10, 2022, at the age of 66, Conroy passed away as a result of cancer.
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