As Batman fans the world over grieve the loss of voice actor Kevin Conroy, they are also paying tribute to his team-up with another actor who helped to define the caped crusader. Many are remembering Adam West, who famously played Gotham’s guardian in the camp 1960s Batman TV series, and his appearance alongside Conroy in the classic Batman: The Animated Series episode “Beware the Gray Ghost.”
The episode which originally aired in 1992 is one of the best-regarded of the critically acclaimed animated series. In it, Batman finds a clue that leads him to investigate Simon Trent, a now unemployed and typecast actor who, many years ago, played Batman’s childhood hero, the masked adventurer known as The Gray Ghost. West, who was similarly typecast following his own portrayal of Batman in the 1960s played Trent in a performance that not only paid homage to West himself but became a favorite of fans of the series.
While West’s career as a movie and TV actor languished after playing his signature role, he soon found another career as a voice actor, lending his distinctive voice to advertisements and voice-over and even reprising his role as batman in animated series such as The New Adventures of Batman and Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show after his appearance on Batman: The Animated Series West leaned into his notoriety as a pop culture icon and went on to appear as himself in multiple TV series most notably playing an alternate version of himself in Family Guy.
As fans pay tribute following Conroy’s passing many are recalling their classic team-up and also paying remembrance to West’s own performance as Batman, easily one of the most memorable of all time and the first actor to play the character on television.
I grew up watching a lot of Adam West Batman, Hanna-Barbera Superfriends, and eventually BTAS. He and West defined different eras of the character in ways that no one else has done.
— ✪ The Thirteen Ghosts of Jonathan H. Gray ✪ (@jongraywb) November 11, 2022
Not to mention that his story as a gay actor in general was filled w/ kindness & realness.
All episodes of Batman: The Animated Series including Season One Episode 18 “Beware the Gray Ghost” are currently available to stream on HBO Max.
