# Of all the movie, TV & even animation version Batmans which actor had the best "Batman Voice"? **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/21 "2015-01-26T12:00:41Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > 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. Check out BatDad on Youtube, who corrects his kids using the mask and a Bale-style voice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/22 "2015-01-26T13:31:01Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Keaton. It’s not really fair to compare real acting and cartoons. I pretty much agree; however, having heard clips of Mr. Conroy on Youtube, I’ll admit that I’m impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/23 "2015-01-26T14:13:03Z")
To those who have never watched the cartoon, at the very least seek out the movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It is the best movie adaptation of Batman ever (including the Nolan movies) and does a better Batman Begins story than Batman Begins did. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/24 "2015-01-26T14:28:40Z")
Conroy. I can’t fathom any other answer. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/25 "2015-01-26T14:33:44Z")
Adam West. Too many of the other Batmans sound like chain smokers. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/26 "2015-01-26T14:33:52Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Keaton. It’s not really fair to compare real acting and cartoons. Voice acting is real acting. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/27 "2015-01-26T16:34:07Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’d be happy if [Will Arnett](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5lUgBNBUC8)just kept on playing him. My city police department is replacing black and white cruisers with all black Tahoes with very very dark grey lettering. I can’t help but hear Lego Batman every time I see one 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/28 "2015-01-26T16:36:00Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Anyone who doesn’t say Kevin Conroy clearly never watched Batman: The Animated Series. I watched _Batman: The Animated Series_ from the first episode, and I say Keaton. What’s-his-name from the last few movies had the worst one, though. Christian Bale. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/29 "2015-01-26T18:35:30Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Ben Affleck touches a small device on his throat, and out pops Kevin Conroy’s voice. No, they want to keep these movies grounded in reality. The device on his voice box will translate everything he says into ultrasonic squeaks, like a real bat. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/30 "2015-01-26T18:43:11Z")
[Comparisons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHuRuLnKIk) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/31 "2015-01-27T10:47:39Z")
I’m rather partial to whoever is doing Batman in [Batman in Classic Movie Scenes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ghVpNCVe4). Especially the _Home Alone_ bit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/32 "2015-01-27T12:44:07Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Check out BatDad on Youtube, who corrects his kids using the mask and a Bale-style voice. 🙂 Or CollegeHumor’s [Batman Chooses His Voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOg3ZE3hNQc). ETA: Contains some NSFW language. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/33 "2015-01-27T12:51:16Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > What’s-his-name from the last few movies had the worst one, though. Christian Bale. You’re only saying that because Clooney didn’t actually have a Batman voice; he just delivered the same Clooney voice, and Leno head-bob, in and out of costume. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/34 "2015-01-27T13:43:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You’re only saying that because Clooney didn’t actually have a Batman voice; he just delivered the same Clooney voice, and Leno head-bob, in and out of costume. Just like Adam West - which makes sense, seeing as Clooney was essentially in a big-budget version of the 1960s TV show ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/35 "2015-01-27T13:58:07Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Just like Adam West - which makes sense, seeing as Clooney was essentially in a big-budget version of the 1960s TV show Pretty much. And Clooney’s non-differentiaton was less distracting than Bale’s version, which, um, insisted upon itself. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/36 "2015-01-27T15:36:49Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > 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. I remember an episode where he was taking a phone call as Bruce Wayne from (IIRC) Lucius Fox while in the Batsuit. The dissonance really highlighted the distinction. The gravelly old-Bruce voice he used in _Batman Beyond_ was also nicely distinct from both of the above. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/37 "2015-01-27T22:11:07Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Voice acting is real acting. True enough, and I didn’t mean to denigrate Kevin Conroy’s performance with my agreement with **Blank Slate** , above, though I do think that it’s not really fair to compare a full-on live actor’s performance with a voice actor’s. A live actor gets the chance to interject body language, facial expression, timing, etc., that a voice actor often does not. Michael Keaton’s Batman is still my favorite, and I also think Val Kilmer’s turn as The Bat is underrated (Clooney, IMO, “phoned it in,” and Bale’s voice was just too distracting for me; I kept thinking [“There Can Be Only One!”](http://basementrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/highlander-kurgan.jpg) Which, if you think about it, just emphasizes how awesome Kevin Conroy’s Batman is; _he’s_ doing _all_ the work with _just_ his voice. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/38 "2015-01-28T01:37:59Z")
Got to be Adam West. There is no other Batman. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/39 "2015-01-28T02:53:22Z")
Conroy. Now and forever. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790/40 "2015-01-28T04:08:21Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > [Comparisons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHuRuLnKIk) That’s a neat video, and there are some decent voices in there…except for Ron Perleman, who sounds like Ron Perleman. It really does not work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-all-the-movie-tv-even-animation-version-batmans-which-actor-had-the-best-batman-voice/710790.md?page=1)