If you're old enough, you probably remember a time when it was easy to rattle off the actors who had portrayed a given superhero in movies and TV. Not so much now!
Batman is the most difficult, I think, as he is probably the most-often portrayed. Here's my list, and I welcome additions. (Note: This is a list of live-action actors, not voice actors.)
Think you know 'em all? Name all 13 (yes, thirteen) before you get started!
1. Lewis Wilson
I can usually remember this guy's name, who played the Dark Knight in the 1943 Batman movie serial. One thing I remember from the serial itself is that his ears would occasionally flop! But what the heck, they'd keep filming anyway.
2. Robert Lowery
I sometimes forget that the second Batman serial, the 1949 Batman and Robin, replaced Wilson in the title role. I have nothing to say about this guy; I'm always distracted in this serial by what looks to be a 45-year-old Robin with a 5 o'clock shadow.
3. Adam West
When I was a kid, I took the 1966-1968 show seriously, and didn't understand why the adults would laugh at the death traps. As I got older, I understood that the show was supposed to be laughed at, and hated it as a young adult for how it reinforced in the public imagination that comic books were for children and mental deficients. Now I am old and mellow. I have come full circle, and appreciate West's clever performance and comic timing. The whole show (and 1966 Batman movie) has grown on me (like a fungus).
4. Michael Keaton
Like most comics fans, I was horrified when the announcement was made that Keaton — a comedian most noted for the movie Mr. Mom — would play the titular character in the 1989 Batman movie. "Here we go again," we all thought, "they're making Batman a clown again."
I was never so glad to be proven wrong in my life. Keaton was terrific in Batman and Batman Returns (1992), and will be terrific again in Flash (2023).
5. Val Kilmer
All I remember about Batman Forever (1995) is that I found Jim Carrey's Riddler to be screechingly annoying, and Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face to be a pale imitation of Jack Nicholson's Joker. I know Kilmer was in it, because the credits tell me so.
6. George Clooney
The too-loud bass beat and swirling pink and purple lights of Batman and Robin (1997) gave me a headache. Through the din and the throbbing I was able to perceive that Schwarzenegger's puns were poorly delivered, that director Joel Schumacher somehow made Uma Thurman and Alicia Silverstone look unattractive, and that Chris O'Donnell's Robin looked like a 30-year-old with a military buzzcut.
I don't remember much about Clooney in this movie, and I suspect he's grateful that most people don't.
7. Christian Bale
Batman Begins (1995) was the beginning of the best on-screen Bat-franchise yet, and a lot of that is due to Bale's intensity. Weirdly, the only thing I didn't like was his Batman growl, which didn't sound scary so much as it sounded like someone trying to be scary.
Bale continued in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and appears to be done with the role.
8. David Mazouz
Yes, I'm including Bruce Waynes here.
And Mazouz was a fine choice. He grew up before our eyes — both physically and as his character — and was convincing throughout Gotham's five-season run (2014-2019). Despite his slender frame, Mazouz's commitment made you believe his Bruce Wayne could have a scary, secret obsession.
9. Mikhail Mudrik
So Batman finally showed up (briefly) at the end of Gotham, but it wasn't David Mazouz behind the mask. It was this guy! Write this down as a trick trivia question.
10. Ben Affleck
I thought Affleck was a decent as the Caped Crusader in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016) and Justice League (2017). He looked the part, at least.
It's not the actor's fault that his character was thrust upon us without being established decently, that he was badly written and that the DCEU was a nihilist, repulsive, incoherent mess.
11. Iain Glen
I thought the actor too old and spindly to be convincing as the Dark Knight when he first appeared in Titans (2018-2023). But Glen convinced me with just plain old acting. Well done, Ser Jorah.
12. Kevin Conroy
Conroy is well celebrated for his many years of voice acting as Gotham's Guardian, especially in Batman: The Animated Series. He also got a chance to play the character in live action, albeit an evil, twisted, alternate-universe Bruce Wayne in The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover.
13. Robert Pattinson
Pattinson's tortured Bruce Wayne is a highlight of The Batman (2022), and it looks like they're heading for a more public and heroic Batman — something of a new take, at least since 1968.
14. ????
DCU co-boss James Gunn promises a new actor in the Bat-suit for the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold movie. That's fine, but do they have to jettison Keaton entirely? He could be the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne version!
Replies
At first, I was like, "Is Andrew asking if any of us has played Batman in live-action?"
Have you?
Never did a super-hero costume, not even those lame ones they did for little kids for Halloween.
Captain Comics said:
I did Batman (1989 movie version) one Halloween. Wasn't filmed, though.
The Baron said:
You know, those Ben Cooper costumes never made sense. Why would Batman wear a costume that said "Batman"? Why would the Hulk wear a shirt with a picture of the Hulk on it?
So the adults dispensing candy don't have to say, "And who are you supposed to be?"
I was an adult (30s), so it wasn't for trick or treating. My gf at the time (she dressed as Alfred) and I went to a thing called "Zoo Boo" where the zoo opened on Halloween night. No, it wasn't particularly scary, but it was a thing to do. Anyway, some teen boys (or maybe tween, who can tell) screwed up their courage, and one of 'em said, "You're not Batman." I growled "I'm ... Batman!" He wavered a bit, then said "Batman doesn't have a mustache!" I spun on him, cape flying, and roared "I'm in disguise!" And they ran away.
Did you look anything like this? :)
God, no. I looked GREAT.
(That's actually Rich Kozlowski.)
According to this video (12 minutes) there have been twenty live-action Supermans. (Some of them are kind of "iffy.")
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