# Of all the movie, TV & even animation version Batmans which actor had the best "Batman Voice"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 24, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790 "2015-01-24T21:32:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/1 "2015-01-24T21:32:57Z")
Just curious what you think. I kind of liked Michael Keaton.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/2 "2015-01-24T21:46:23Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> I kind of liked Michael Keaton.
Keaton was fine. Conroy was Batman.
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### Author:  [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/3 "2015-01-24T22:05:10Z")
Tough one, but Adam West for being the voice that puts dastardly evil doers in their place. You can tell from his voice that there is a handsome man under that mask.
Kevin Conroy owns the role now.
Diedrich Bader and Will Arnett deserve some mention.
And then there are, as they say on Gilligan’s Island, all the rest.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/4 "2015-01-25T01:04:03Z")
Kevin Conroy.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/5 "2015-01-25T01:10:57Z")
Anyone who doesn’t say Kevin Conroy clearly never watched Batman: The Animated Series.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/6 "2015-01-25T01:15:09Z")
Kevin Conroy is Batman’s voice to me.
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### Author:  [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/7 "2015-01-25T02:27:27Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> Anyone who doesn’t say Kevin Conroy clearly never watched Batman: The Animated Series.
And even some of us who never saw that series (well, except for the Christmas episode - it aired in the second half of CN’s old Justice League hour block with the half-hour JL Christmas episode) would agree - he’s also Batman in _Justice League_ and Bruce Wayne in _Batman Beyond_.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/8 "2015-01-25T02:56:45Z")
Conroy and West, both top notch. West performed the role more than just on his live action series, btw, some of the older cartoons use him as well.
Bader was no Conroy, but not a bad job.
Keaton’s voice was okay too.
Clooney just phoned it in.
Kilmer… I honestly don’t remember Kilmer’s Batman much at all.
Bale… no… just no… (but I think a lot there comes from choices made by others about the role, not just his performance)
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/9 "2015-01-25T03:00:18Z")
Kevin Conroy sounded just like I had alwys imagined Batman would sound. Nobody else was even close.
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### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/10 "2015-01-25T05:37:11Z")
Keaton.
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### Author:  [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/11 "2015-01-25T06:16:33Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#):
>
> And even some of us who never saw that series (well, except for the Christmas episode - it aired in the second half of CN’s old Justice League hour block with the half-hour JL Christmas episode) would agree - he’s also Batman in _Justice League_ and Bruce Wayne in _Batman Beyond_.
He does the voices in (most of) the Arkham series of video games as well. Agree he’s the most “iconic” voice.
That said, I seem to be alone in liking Bale’s Batman voice. If nothing else, its fun to imitate.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/12 "2015-01-25T06:41:15Z")
[I googled up his performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUBfbW2-vfQ) per the responses in this thread. Interesting… it was also interesting who plays the Joker.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/13 "2015-01-25T12:59:15Z")
It’s Bader in _The Brave and the Bold_, right? He gets my vote.
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### Author:  [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/14 "2015-01-25T15:31:02Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> [I googled up his performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUBfbW2-vfQ) per the responses in this thread. Interesting… it was also interesting who plays the Joker.
It’s pretty common consensus, I think, that Conroy and Hamill are the definitive Batman and Joker. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/15 "2015-01-25T15:51:46Z")
Is there an answer other than Kevin Conroy? Both the 90s Batman and Superman cartoons were perfectly voice cast.
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/16 "2015-01-25T16:14:11Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> That said, I seem to be alone in liking Bale’s Batman voice. If nothing else, its fun to imitate.
You’re not. Bale’s Batman voice is perfectly fine.
Conroy’s is awesome, but the way he distinguishes between Bruce Wayne and Batman is…well…something only a talented voice actor could pull off. And I’m OK with Bale’s Batman not having such a broad pool of talents.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/17 "2015-01-25T20:21:04Z")
The problem I have with Bale’s Batman voice is that it just sounds so comical, which does not do well for the image his Batman was supposed to be portraying.
I really hope the new Batman will just have some sort of device in his suit to change his voice.
As for Conroy, one thing he gets right (amongst several, of course) is that it is his Bruce Wayne voice that sounds affected. Bruce Wayne is the act, not Batman.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/18 "2015-01-25T20:27:39Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> I really hope the new Batman will just have some sort of device in his suit to change his voice.
Ben Affleck touches a small device on his throat, and out pops Kevin Conroy’s voice.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/19 "2015-01-25T21:30:19Z")
Keaton. It’s not really fair to compare real acting and cartoons.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/20 "2015-01-25T22:28:26Z")
I’d be happy if [Will Arnett](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5lUgBNBUC8)just kept on playing him.
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