Summary
Batman: The Animated Serieshad an incredible cast of dedicated voice performers back in its day,many of whom have done amazing things with their careers both before and since.Considered to be one of the greatest adaptations of Batman of all time, let alone amonganimated Batman TV shows,Batman: The Animated Seriesowes much of its success to its incredible voice cast. A huge part of the series' notoriety can be attributed to the prestigious cast.
Many of the voice actors involved withBatman: The Animated Seriesbecame famous for their work in the show, but that doesn’t mean their careers began and ended with the beloved 90s cartoon.Many have gone on to feature in worthy performances both live-action and animated,or have even pursued ventures beyond TV or movies, such as music. While tragic deaths like the still relatively-recentpassing of Kevin Conroyhave also made their way into the cast of the show 32 years later, there are so many performances branching out from the series to celebrate.
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10Kevin Conroy
Left behind a legacy as the definitive voice for Batman
By far the most famous cast member ofBatman: The Animated Seriesdue to his participation in the show,Kevin Conroy has become a legendary name in the DC fandom,and for good reason. When he was cast as the voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman, Kevin Conroy was a modestly successful theater and television actor with no clear breakout role, guest starring in well-known procedurals likeCheersandMatlock.Upon being cast inBatman: The Animated Series, however, Conroy soon became the most beloved of Batman’s many voice actors.
Long after the series had ended, Conroy went on to voice Batman in many other animated movies, TV shows, and video games, most notably the Rocksteady StudiosArkhamseries.Sadly, Conroy passed away in 2022 at the age of 66 due to intestinal cancer.He had recorded several Batman performances that were released posthumously, with the most recent and final being Batman’s appearance towards the end ofJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part 3.
9Bob Hastings
Provided a stalwart voice for Commissioner Gordon
While Robin and Batgirl might be more famous as Batman’s sidekick, the importance of Commissioner Gordon as Batman’s stalwart friend and champion on the Gotham Police Department was not lost inBatman: The Animated Series.Gordon was voiced by Bob Hastings, who had previously become a highly-decorated voice actor working primarily on Hanna Barbera cartoonsof the late 60s to mid 70s, includingSuper Friends.Hastings was also no stranger to live-action, garnering fame as Lt. Elroy Carpenter inMcHale’s Navy,as well as other classic early television shows and movies.
Hastings was also no stranger to live-action, garnering fame as Lt. Elroy Carpenter inMcHale’s Navy
After playing Commissioner Gordon inBatman: The Animated Series,Hastings would reprise the role in other DC animated projects, such asSuperman: The Animated SeriesandStatic Shock.Commissioner Gordon made up the majority of his post-Batman: The Animated Seriesroles, but he’d continue to find his way into other voice acting projects, including video games likeJak and Dexter: The Precursor Legacy.Bob Hastings passed away in 2014 at the age of 89, having left behind a beloved legacy of voice acting appearances.
8Mark Hamill
By far the most famous cast-member of the series
If there’s one cast member who sticks out for his fame among the cast ofBatman: The Animated Series, it’s Mark Hamill.Hamill is known far and wide as Luke Skywalker in the originalStar Warsmovies,making him a recognizable face in live-action media. But Hamill’s voice acting skill may have almost eclipsed even this famous character, as proven by his incredible giggling malice as The Joker inBatman: The Animated Series.To this day, Mark Hamill is a very active performer.
Hamill returned to the movies as Luke Skywalker inDisney’sStar Warssequel trilogy, but is perhaps more prolific these days as a solely vocal performer. Some of his most well-known characters outside the joker includethe evil Fire Lord Ozai inAvatar: The Last Airbenderand the wise,Sasquatch-like park worker Skips inRegular Show.While Hamill returned to voice the Joker opposite Conroy in a great many projects, following Conroy’s death, Hamill retired his Joker voice out of respect for his long-time friend and fellow performer.
7Loren Lester
An impressively prolific actor to this day
No good Batman is complete without a Robin, andLoren Lester faithfully provided life to the Boy Wonder throughoutthe entirety ofBatman: The Animated Seriesand the follow-up seriesThe New Batman Adventures,which gave his take on Dick Grayson more of the spotlight. Prior to this, Lester was best known in animated circles for his work on the originalG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.Beyond his vocal work, however, Loren Lester’s filmography expands to a massive library of other roles.
Lester is a highly-prolific character actor, having appeared in a myriad of minor roles in live-action TV showsand movies both before and sinceBatman: The Animated Series.In particular, his television accolades are quite impressive, appearing in series likeCurb Your Enthusiasm, NCIS,andStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.His most recent role was in the filmSenior Love Triangle, a romantic drama that was released in 2019.
6Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Essentially ended his career with Batman: The Animated Series
The DCU’sversion of Alfred Pennyworthbrought a sense of gravitas and old-world charm to the character that could’ve only been delivered by someone as experienced asEfrem Zimbalist Jr. Zimbalist was a Purple Heart-awarded veteran of World War II,giving his voice a real sense of experience to the famous British butler, himself a dedicated veteran as well. For Zimbalist,Batman: The Animated Serieswas the cherry on top of a long, laudable acting career.
Following the war, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. got his start acting on Broadway before being poached by Hollywood to star in numerous TV and film productions.Among the most noteworthy is his position as Inspector Lewis Erskine inThe F.B.I.,which ran from 1965 to 1974. Following his work as Alfred Pennyworth, Zimbalist primarily played himself in a handful of docuseries on the Golden Age of Hollywood before passing away at the age of 95.
5Melissa Gilbert
Became more famous as an advocate for actors
Melissa Gilbert is yet another of the prestige actorsBatman: The Animated Seriesmanaged to nab for its main cast, including Melissa Gilbert as Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl.Gilbert first became famous as an actress at a tender age,playing Laura Ingalls inLittle House on the Prairie.While this role in particular would go on to give her national fame, Gilbert continued to experience success as an actress in other projects, includingBatman: The Animated Series.
Gilbert didn’t return to the role forThe New Batman Adventures,passing the torch of Batgirl on to the omnipresent voice actress Tara Strong. Gilbert went on to star in serialized and feature dramas, includingthe 2019 filmGuest Artistmost recently.These days, Gilbert is more famous for her role as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from from 2001 to 2005.
4Adrienne Barbeau
WhileCatwoman has had plenty of live-action appearances, she was also something of a staple inBatman: The Animated Series.Luckily,Adrienne Barbeau was there to provide a sufficiently sultry voice to the infamous anti-hero cat burglar.Prior to the cartoon, Barbeau had been an incredibly prolific actress, particularly well-known for her appearances in science fiction and horror films such asEscape from New York, Creepshow,andSwamp Thing.
Barbeau’s accolades as an actress both on and off-screen didn’t end there, however.In the early 2000s, Barbeau gained further acclaim for her character Ruthie on HBO’sCarnivàle.More recently, the 79-year-old actress has continued to subsist in horror, mystery, science fiction and drama projects, such as Netflix’sCowboy Bebop, American Horror Stories,Harlan Corben’s Shelter,and 2022’sHellblazer,not to mention continued voice acting in video games such asStarfieldandSpider-Man 2.
3Robert Costanzo
A character actor typecast in similar roles
Commissioner Gordon may be the more well-known figurehead of the Gotham City Police Department for his favorable views on Batman, butBatman: The Aniamted Seriesput near-equal emphasis on the less popular cynic Detective.Bullock was voiced in the series by Robert Costanzo, a seldom-recognized yet highly-acclaimed characteractor behind a horde of smaller, but memorable roles. Costanzo is typically typecast as a salt-of-the-earth New York City crook, police officer, or blue-collar worker.
Commissioner Gordon may be the more well-known figurehead of the Gotham City Police Department for his favorable views on Batman
Detective Harvey Bullock was the perfect role to emphasize such a skill set, andCostanzo’s career has gone on to include a litany of other similar characters.His most recent appearances include comedy series likeTacoma FDand crime dramas like 2021’sDutch.Notably, Costanzo also tends to fill-in for Danny DeVito in certain voice acting roles, such as Hercules' trainer Philoctetes in the spin-off television series and video games of Disney’sHercules.
2Arleen Sorkin
Bookended her iconic career with Harley Quinn’s creation
Thecreation of Harley Quinnwas one of the most notable achievements ofBatman: The Animated Series, spawninga Batman character popular enough to be incorporated into the comics and star in her own moviesand TV shows. This couldn’t have been possible without the hilarious and poignant vocal performances of Arleen Sorkin, who gave Harley Quinn her original trademark New York accent. This choice can solely be attributed to Sorkin’s own vocal inflections, which inspired the character in the first place.
Before playing Harley Quinn,Arleen Sorkin was best-known as Calliope Jones on the NBC soap operaDays of Our Lives,which has released episodes from 1965 all the way to the present day, now having a streaming home onPeacock.After coming back multiple times as Harley Quinn in the DC animated universe, Arleen Sorkin appeared again in live-action in an episode ofFraiser.Following this, Sorkin tragically passed away at the age of 67 due to complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis.
Arleen Sorkin also voiced Harley Quinn inBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker(2000) and appeared inBatman: Mask of the Phantasm(1993).
1Paul Williams
Better known for his musical talents than his acting
A varied performer in multiple mediums,Paul Williams is a true renaissance man behind the voice of The Penguin inBatman: The Animated Series.Rising to fame as a music producer behind 70s hits such asAn Old Fashioned Love SongandRainy Days and Mondays, Williams quickly became acquainted with the film industry thanks to his work producing original soundtracks, which allowed him to sneak into acting in a variety of cameo appearances. This eventually led to him being cast as Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin.
Most recently, Williams has continued to appear in a handful of acting roles in films both live-action and animated, includingBaby DriverandSuperman: Red Son.Williams has also returned to the world of children’s cartoons with roles inAdventure TimeandTwelve Forever.It seems clear thatBatman: The Animated Serieshad a surprisingly profound effect on the music producer/songwriter’s varied career.
Batman: The Animated Series
Cast
Batman: The Animated Series follows Bruce Wayne as he assumes the role of the masked vigilante Batman to combat crime in Gotham City. This acclaimed 1992 series explores his dual identity and features an array of iconic villains, while Bruce vows to avenge the murder of his parents.
