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Kevin Conroy was born on November 30, 1955, in Westbury, Long Island, and moved to Westport, Connecticut, when he was about eleven. In 1973, at the age of seventeen, he moved to New York when he earned a full scholarship to attend Julliard's famous drama divison, where he studied under actor John Houseman. In 1978, after graduating from Julliard, he toured with "The Acting Company," Houseman's acting group, and, in 1979, he went on the national tour of "Deathtrap."
In 1980, he decided to try his hand in television, and moved out to California. He landed a role in the daytime soap opera Another World. However, he soon missed the theatre, and so he became associated with the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, where he performed in "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." From 1980 to 1985, he acted in a variety of contemporary and classic theatre pieces, including the Broadway production of "Eastern Standard" and "Lolita." He is very respected in theatre circles for his interpretation of Shakespearean characters, and, in 1984, he played the title role in "Hamlet" in the New York Shakespeare Festival. Kevin returned to television in the 1985 TV movie Covenant and had a role on another daytime soap drama, Search For Tomorrow. He was a series regular on O'Hara in 1987, and on Tour of Duty from 1987 to 1988, before starring in a series of television movies. Obviously, he is best known for Batman: The Animated Series, which began airing in 1992 and, through The Adventures of Batman & Robin, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, and Batman Beyond, ran for a combined total of nine years. Kevin continued the role on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which ran for a combined five seasons on Cartoon Network.
On Batman "People fantasize about being a hero and helping someone in trouble. Batman is that fantasy realized--not just for Bruce Wayne, but for the audience. Inwardly, Bruce Wayne is still an adolescent watching his parents being murdered. That will never leave him. And people really relate to that."
"I love doing the voice of Batman because of the quality of the animation. The music is particularly incredible. Another bonus is getting the opportunity to work with some very respected actors who do not usually do voice work." "To me, Batman is definately Bruce Wayne's darker side. The challenge is playing it as two separate aspects of the same person. I have to create the illusion of a Dark Knight, who's mysterious and strong." "He [Bruce Wayne] is Batman. He became Batman the instant his parents were murdered. Batman needs Bruce, however hollow that identity feels to him from time to time. Bruce keeps Batman human."
"His absorbed, psychoanalytic approach to Bruce Wayne was fantastic, and the way he did a 180 degree role reversal in portraying a strong, silent force as Batman was even better. These movies are truly the highlight of Keaton's acting career."
"To be fair, I must give credit where credit is due. Although Kilmer is clearly no Michael Keaton - except for a few corny lines, which are mainly the writers' fault, and a slight lacking when it comes to the portrayal of a dark side - he did a much better job than I expected."
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