Best Batman Voice Actors Not Named Kevin Conroy
Of all the actors to play Batman, none are greater than "Batman: The Animated Series" star Kevin Conroy. For three decades, Conroy played the Caped Crusader in various animated series, films, video games, and he even cameoed as an alternate universe Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse's live-action "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mega-crossover. Sadly, Conroy died in 2022, and though he was one of the most memorable actors to play Batman, we're grateful that the character didn't die with him.
Since Batman's creation in 1939, there have been countless actors who have taken on the role of the Dark Knight and made the crimefighter their own. Be it in film or television, video games or animation, Batman has always had a commanding presence — and been a hero worth following. And although Kevin Conroy became synonymous with the role through his work on "Batman: The Animated Series," there are other voice actors who've made their mark on Batman over the years.
Though there are other versions of Batman such as Dick Grayson or the titular character from "Batman Beyond," our list of the best non-Conroy Batman voice actors is limited to those who have specifically played Bruce Wayne, the original and most iconic Dark Knight Detective. No doubt, Conroy will forever be the best, but these are a few of the most compelling runners-up.
Diedrich Bader
One of the most prolific voice actors of his day, Diedrich Bader is an animation legend who has made himself known for roles in "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy," "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," the live-action and animated "Napoleon Dynamite" projects, and numerous DC Comics projects, including the "Batman Beyond" spin-off series "The Zeta Project." Of course, none of these roles are as notable as his long-running tenure as the Dark Knight himself.
Though he had voiced characters in previous Batman series, Bader didn't find his big break as the Caped Crusader until 2008's "Batman: The Brave and the Bold." The series unites a Silver Age-inspired Batman with some of the most unlikely heroes throughout the DC Universe. The series ran for three seasons, with Bader reprising his role in the film "Scooby-Doo! and Batman: The Brave and the Bold," which returned to the art design of the original series.
In 2019, DC Universe launched their "Harley Quinn" adult animated series, which was quickly absorbed into HBO Max. Bader returned as a different version of the Caped Crusader for this series, playing an antagonistic counterpart to Harley and Poison Ivy. With an upbeat and daring cadence, Diedrich Bader — who also voiced Batman on "Mad," "Young Sheldon," and the animated feature "JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time" – has truly made the role of Batman his own, regardless of whether he's playing the traditional version of the Dark Knight or not.
Bruce Greenwood
Not traditionally known for his voice acting, Bruce Greenwood might be most recognizable for playing Commander Pike in the "Star Trek" reboot films or the President of the United States in "Thirteen Days," "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." But he's also a pretty amazing Batman. Having first played the role in the 2010 animated feature "Batman: Under the Red Hood," Greenwood quickly became a fan-favorite voice for the Dark Knight.
With his calm, dark presence and his intense tone, Greenwood's Batman commands a respect that sets his vocal performance apart. Evidently, others thought so as well, and Greenwood returned to play Batman in the animated series "Young Justice," which follows the sidekicks of the famous Justice League heroes. Naturally, Batman is a big part of the series, and often shares intel with the younger heroes. Originally, "Young Justice" ran for only two seasons before its cancellation at Cartoon Network, though HBO Max brought it back for more seasons since — with Greenwood returning to his role.
But that's not all — Bruce Greenwood also returned as the Caped Crusader for the interactive film "Batman: A Death in the Family," which sees the events of "Under the Red Hood" play out across differing timelines depending on the audience's choosing. Oh, and he also played a 19th-century Batman who fought against Jack the Ripper in "Batman: Gotham By Gaslight."
Rino Romano
Though he's made his rounds across the voice acting world — including as "the Narrator" in recent "Curious George" productions — Rino Romano is best known by Batman fans for playing a younger version of Gotham's protector in the underrated 2004 animated series, "The Batman." No, this has nothing to do with the 2022 film starring Robert Pattinson, other than the fact that Romano and Pattinson both make the Caped Crusader their own.
This younger Batman has embraced the technological age of the 21st century and uses modern equipment to fight crime. Over the course of 65 episodes, Romano's Batman learns to let others in, train his own sidekicks, and join a league of heroes who are all a bit stronger than himself. Battling a pretty iconic rogue's gallery, including villains who didn't originate in the classic DC Comics, this version of the Dark Knight is pretty resilient, and he gets most of that from Romano's cool demeanor.
Though Romano hasn't returned to play the Caped Crusader again except for the epic animated film "The Batman vs Dracula" — which is exactly as fun as you'd expect and more — he certainly left big shoes to fill. His Batman might not be the most well-known version, but he is definitely one of the coolest. Here's hoping that Rino Romano might one day return to Gotham, and maybe even convince his old "The Batman" castmates to do the same.
Jason O'Mara
After the DC Animated Movie Universe was instantly rebooted with its first feature film, "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox," all our favorite voice actors who had returned to the microphone to play characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash, were exchanged for new ones in this "New 52"-inspired world that had been created. Though Kevin Conroy played Bruce Wayne/Batman in "The Flashpoint Paradox," he was replaced by Jason O'Mara in the next film, "Justice League: War."
Playing Batman in 12 of the 16 different DC Animated Movie Universe films — with Batman not appearing in the other four — Jason O'Mara worked through the thankless task of replacing a legend like Kevin Conroy. Admittedly, O'Mara was a bit too different for some, with a lighter cadence and more contemplative inflections than Conroy, but he grew on audiences with performances in films like "Son of Batman," "Batman: Bad Blood," "Justice League Dark," and even "The Death and Return of Superman." During O'Mara's tenure as Batman, he even got to adapt some of the most iconic Batman stories of the 21st century, including "Hush" and "The Court of Owls."
By the time the DC Animated Movie Universe ended with "Justice League Dark: Apokalips War," Jason O'Mara had been solidified as the Dark Knight in the minds of many. After having played the character in a dozen different animated films — and for the better part of a decade — it's easy to see why.
Olan Soule
An acting legend during his time, Olan Soule is not necessarily a name you'd automatically associate with Gotham's dark protector, but you probably should. Soule provided the voice work for Batman for over 15 years beginning in 1968, though his history with the Dark Knight goes back even further. Not just a voice performer, Soule also worked in front of the camera on shows like "Captain Midnight," "Gunsmoke," and the original "Battlestar Galactica." He also played a newscaster in an episode of the 1960s "Batman" series that starred Adam West.
Soule played Batman in the animated "The Batman/Superman Hour," which led to further performances as the Dark Knight on "Sesame Street," "The New Scooby-Doo Movies," and the first five incarnations of the classic "Super Friends" cartoon series. That's right: Olan Soule was the classic Batman that everybody remembers from the 1970s, but he didn't remain the Caped Crusader forever. Due to Adam West's popularity as the live-action Batman, the actor took over voice duties from Soule beginning in 1984 with the sixth incarnation "Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show."
Soule continued on with "Super Friends" as Professor Martin Stein, the secondary host of the superhero Firestorm. He isn't the most famous of all the Batman voice actors, but his status as the hero is worth noting. His 15-year tenure as the Caped Crusader — usually alongside Casey Kasem's Robin — is extraordinary.
Troy Baker
Not many voice actors have such extraordinary careers that they're well-known for playing both Batman and the Joker, but that's exactly what Troy Baker did. Most notable for his work on "The Last of Us," "BioShock Infinite," and the "Uncharted" video games, Troy Baker first entered the Batman universe in the video game "Batman: Arkham City," where he played both Robin and Two-Face. It wouldn't be long before he'd play Batman in the game "Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes," and the Joker in the prequel game "Batman: Arkham Origins," taking over the role from Mark Hamill.
As Baker continued to work in DC Comics-related mediums, he voiced Batman in the direct-to-video animated feature "Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite." From there, he continued to voice the Lego version of Batman — no, not the Will Arnett version from "The Lego Movie" and "The Lego Batman Movie" — in various "Lego DC Comics Super Heroes" videos before graduating to a more mature version of the Dark Knight in the 2016 "Batman: The Telltale Series" games, which revealed the massive talent behind Baker's interpretation of Bruce Wayne.
Troy Baker would eventually take on starring roles voicing Batman in the "Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons" animated films, all while still playing the Joker in other projects. If someone like Troy Baker can voice both Batman and Joker to perfection, then they definitely belong on this list.
Jensen Ackles
Best known for his role as Dean Winchester on "Supernatural," Jensen Ackles is no stranger to the DC Comics universe. Having played Jason Teague opposite Tom Welling's Clark Kent in the Superman prequel series "Smallville" and Jason Todd aka the Red Hood opposite Bruce Greenwood's Batman in the animated feature "Batman: Under the Red Hood," Ackles has often been associated with the DCU, and for good reason. After "Supernatural" ended, Ackles's schedule opened up a bit to play the Dark Knight himself.
Adapting one of the greatest Batman comic books ever written, the two-part "Batman: The Long Halloween" kicked off Batman's introduction into a new universe of DC Animated Movies, this time with Ackles behind the cowl — err, microphone — as he battles his most formidable foes while tracking down the elusive Holiday Killer. The original "Long Halloween" comic book inspired "The Dark Knight" and countless other Batman productions previously, and its adaptation here is powerful. Plus, Ackles's Batman gets to take on Troy Baker's Joker.
Jensen Ackles's deep voice lends a gravelly tone to his version of the Caped Crusader, and his ability to brood — which he perfected on "Supernatural" — helps get into the mind of this version of Bruce Wayne. Naturally, there are more features in development with Ackles in the Batman role, and we couldn't be happier about it.
Peter Weller
That's right, the Peter Weller known for the titular role in "RoboCop" and his work on "Sons of Anarchy," "The Last Ship," and "Longmire," has also played Batman. Or, more specifically, an aging, recently out-of-retirement Batman back to kick Gotham City back into shape. Based on the epic Frank Miller comic book, "The Dark Knight Returns," the two-part feature film of the same name cements why it's one of the very best Batman stories ever told.
Of course, only someone with the vocal talents of Weller could make an older Batman work, and though Michael Ironside played this version of Batman to nigh-perfection in "Legends of the Dark Knight" — an episode of "Batman: The Animated Series" that celebrates the various eras of the character — Weller's performance during this two and a half hour epic is a huge part of what makes the films so good.
Peter Weller's Batman goes up against the likes of the vile Mutant gang, a returned Two-Face, a Joker with nothing to lose, and the Man of Steel himself. Even after all that, this Batman still can't be put down. Though we're unlikely to see Weller reprise his role again, there's no doubt that his tenure as the Dark Knight is one of the best there is.
Ben McKenzie
Speaking of actors who made their way to Batman-inspired television, Ben McKenzie might be most well known for playing the famous Detective James "Jim" Gordon on the Fox series "Gotham." But before he took on that GCPD badge, he played the Dark Knight in an animated adaptation of the classic Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli comic book "Batman: Year One." Originally published in 1987, "Year One" reimagined Batman's origin story and would eventually inspire many of the plotlines from the fourth season of "Gotham."
McKenzie's Batman is a bit unorthodox, and there's no doubt that he generally makes a better Jim Gordon, but his work is still a solid take on the character in his earliest stages. Ironically, "Batman: Year One" is only half a Batman story, with much of the original comic book and animated film shown from Jim Gordon's perspective. Nevertheless, McKenzie's portrayal of the Dark Knight still very much feels like Batman. His monologue to Carmine Falcone and his cronies is still one of the best Batman scenes in recent memory. McKenzie's version could easily grow into the Peter Weller version from "The Dark Knight Returns" one day.
Like Adam West's Batman, Ben McKenzie's might be most notable because of his connection to another Batman television incarnation, but that doesn't make his work in the animated "Batman: Year One" any less impressive. No doubt, his time as Batman helped shape his view of Gotham, and prepared him to tackle it once more.
Adam West
The only actor on this list to play the character in animation and live-action, Adam West is best known for his role as Batman in the original 1960s "Batman" series and the film that spun out of it. He even reprised his live-action role in the "Legends of the Superheroes" TV special in 1979. West took on the role of the animated Batman from Olan Soule in 1984's "Super Friends," but he also had his own short-lived "The New Adventures of Batman" animated series in 1977 — though it only lasted 16 episodes.
West played Batman in the final two "Super Friends" series, including "The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians" in 1985. After that, West appeared in various Bat-mediums in a guest capacity, such as "Batman: The Animated Series," "The Batman," and "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" as Batman's father Thomas Wayne. After some quick appearances as Batman on "The Simpsons," West returned to play an animated adaptation of his original 1960s character in 2016's "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders," and again in 2017's "Batman vs. Two-Face," this time opposite William Shatner as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.
With the most amount of time between his animated appearances as the Dark Knight — a total of 31 years between "Galactic Guardians" and "Return of the Caped Crusaders" — Adam West has truly immortalized himself in the Batman mythos. His perky Batman is certainly "old school," and unlike any other.