A Kevin Conroy Appreciation Post

RIP! You're a Legend!

I met Kevin Conroy at the Ottawa Comic Con in 2018. I was pretty nervous and shy to see the guy. He’s a legend! He voiced Batman for over 30 years! I shook his hand and took a photo with him. One of the things that really caught me off guard was his grip. The guy is strong! Even the voice actors for Batman are in tip-top shape!

I really regret not talking to him more. But futz what was I going to say? At the time, I was just a young statistician coming out of university. I’m not nearly as interesting as the guy who voices Batman. I always wanted to go back to a future comic con and chat with him more. He seemed like he truly appreciated the fans! I got the sense that he enjoyed his time at comic conventions. Sadly, I can’t do that anymore. Kevin Conroy passed away in November 2022 from colon cancer.

After he passed away, I looked into his story and I was blown away! The guy had it rough. He had it rough, yet despite the difficulties, he went out of his way to make people happy. If Kevin Conroy’s life is a story, it’s a story about the triumph of the human spirit!

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It’s amazing to see how much Kevin accomplished despite his rough upbringing. Kevin was born on November 30^th, 1955, in Westbury, New York. Kevin’s home life as a child was tough to say the least. Alcoholism ran in the family. His Father once attempted suicide while Kevin was in high school. Home life was so hectic that he had to live with a family friend during his last year of high school.

To make things even harder, Kevin had to conceal parts of himself to get through life at the time.

Kevin talked about how concealing parts of himself growing up helped him perform as Batman in his autobiographical comic Finding Batman.

“I often marvelled at how appropriate it was that I should land this role. As a gay boy growing up in the 1950’s & 60’s in a devout Catholic family, I’d grown adept to concealing part of myself. Of putting aspects of myself in a separate box and locking it away.”

-Kevin Conroy, from Finding Batman.

After all of that hardship, Kevin got a full scholarship to the Juilliard School’s drama division. That’s amazing! I had a pretty decent childhood and even I couldn’t land a scholarship that big!

After graduating, he went on to star in several productions such as Hamlet, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Lolita and Eastern Standard. In the mid 1980’s, Kevin turned to television having roles in Covenant, Search for Tomorrow and Dynasty. He also had guest appearances on shows such as Cheers, Matlock and Murphy Brown.

In an interview with Michael Rosenbaum (who’s best known for portraying Lex Luthor in Smallville), Kevin talked about his life experiences. He knew that alcoholism ran in his family. As a young man, he took control of his own health and did a routine where he ran 6 miles a day! No wonder why the guy could easily crush my hand!

In other interviews, he talked about landing the role of Batman in the Batman: The Animated Series. Kevin did not think he would land the part. It was his first audition for a voice acting gig. The creative team went through hundreds of voice actors to find the right voice for Batman. On Kevin’s first audition, he got the gig!

Despite his impressive acting career and kicking alcoholism’s ass, Kevin had some hurdles thrown his way.

He revealed in the Finding Batman autobiographical comic the discrimination he faced. He lost acting and other creative jobs after employers found out about his homosexuality. If that wasn’t enough, he went to many funerals during the AIDS pandemic.

What I love about Kevin is that despite the hardship, he still got up to work every day, showed appreciation for people and chose to be a decent person.

Kevin did not have the best relationship with his Father in his adult years. He put all of that turmoil aside and forgave his Dad. He was by his side when he passed away.

And he kept on being a decent person. At every comic con and fan convention he went to, he showed his appreciated and love to the fans. When he would say Batman’s famous line:

“I am vengeance. I am the night. I AM BATMAN!”

grown men would cry!

He came to realize how important fandom is to people. For the kids growing up in dysfunctional families like his, Batman was not only an escape, but a story of inspiration that anyone can rise above hardship.

Kevin Conroy, you are awesome and forever an inspiration!

RIP