Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy passed away last week at 66 years old, causing fans to mourn the death of the best version of Batman. Even filmmaker Kevin Smith admits this as he talked about the passing of Kevin Conroy on his Clerks III ‘In Convenience Tour’ and calls the Batman actor the “best incarnation” of the character.
Kevin Conroy died after battling cancer. Despite years after the last time he had voiced Bruce Wayne, Conroy still attended numerous geek conventions and fanmeets across the globe. Tributes from fans and people he worked with have been pouring in and one of them is from Batman: The Widening Gyre and Batman: Cacophony writer and creator Kevin Smith. You can watch his eulogy below:
Smith admits that the moment he met Conroy at a comic-con, he knew he would be perfect to record Batman's voice. He calls Conroy’s voice talent as “a voice of justice and comfort” because of the actor’s range when it comes to ‘shaping’ what would be perfectly fit for his character on screen.
“That voice, the voice of Batman as portrayed by Kevin Conroy — and, of course, Bruce Wayne, he does Bruce Wayne as well — became the voice, very quickly, within a year, became the voice that I heard whenever I read a comic book, because he became the definitive Batman.”
Smith continues his story on how devastating it is to lose someone ‘exceptional at their job’, recalling how Conroy comforted Smith by using a Batman voice, ‘saying everything I needed to hear.’
“It sucks losing anybody that’s exceptional at their job. It sucks when you lose the ones that are beautiful human beings. That guy was such a good guy… so, yeah, I’ll miss him.”
Kevin Conroy also worked on TV shows like Ben 10: Alien Force, The Venture Bros., Turbo Fast, Masters of the Universe: Revelations, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Also Read: DC Fans Mourn Shocking Passing of Batman Voice Actor Kevin Conroy