Vale, Kevin Conroy

On 10 November, actor Kevin Conroy passed away. He was 66.

Mr Conroy was famed for his portrayal of Batman in cartoons and videogames through multiple decades.

He first portrayed the character in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series. He earned praise for his ability to voice the character differently, depending on whether he was playing Batman or Bruce Wayne. He was in the role longer than any other actor.

Prior to taking the role, Mr Conroy worked in Shakespearian theatre and Broadway.

Mark Hamill was one of Conroy’s voice actor co-stars, in his role as the Joker. Mr Hamill spoke highly of Conroy, saying,  “When they offer me roles now, I say, ‘Is Kevin doing it?’ … I don’t even have to read the script, if Kevin’s doing it I’ll do it.”

Mr Conroy was battling intestinal cancer, and did not publicly disclose his illness.

In 2016, he came out as gay during an interview with the New York Times. He later wrote ‘Finding Batman’ about his experiences as part of DC’s Pride Anthology. The story recounted his career, including times he missed out on roles because of his sexuality.

In the Times interview, he said that he, “went to so many funerals that I felt such a sense of obligation” to portray the character of a TV producer secretly living with AIDS in Eastern Standard.