Posted in: HBO, streaming, TV | Tagged: Batman, batman tas, Kevin Conroy, mark hamill, paul dini

Mark Hamill, Paul Dini on Batman: TAS Icon Kevin Conroy's Passing

Earlier today, we learned the heartbreaking news that veteran television, film & stage actor Kevin Conroy, considered by millions through his voice work on animated series such as Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, and Batman Beyond to be the ultimate voice of The Dark Knight, had passed away at the age of 66 after a brief battle with cancer. Now, his Batman: The Animated Series co-star Mark Hamill (Joker) and Paul Dini, Batman: TAS producer, are sharing their thoughts on the late actor.

"Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated," Hamill said in a statement issued at the time Conroy's passing was confirmed. "Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones, and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn't have done it without him. He will always be my Batman." Dini added, "Kevin brought a light with him everywhere, whether in the recording booth giving it his all, or feeding first responders during 9/11, or making sure every fan who ever waited for him had a moment with their Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. Eternal."

Conroy is survived by his husband, Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy. Memorial services are pending. Here's a look back at veteran voice actor Diane Pershing's Facebook post confirming Conroy's passing. Pershing co-starred with Conroy on both Batman: TAS and The New Batman Adventures:

"It threw me at first," Conroy shared during an interview with EW when discussing what it was like to play the physical version of Bruce Wayne in the Batwoman chapter of the Arrowverse's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover. "I never approached this character from that physicalized aspect. I always just inhabited him with my voice. When you do that in a recording studio, it's a very intimate experience, and you're sort of living in your own imagination. You do it with your eyes clothes and you're in this other world, and you have Mark Hamill feeding you all the energy you [need], and the other actors (because we always recorded together in the booths). To actually be on the set, in the physical world, and to be walking as the character and inhabiting the character in three dimensions, it was a real transition for me. It did take a while to get used to, I have to admit. I was surprised because I know the character so well."

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