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Batman, a character with a rich history in comics, has been portrayed by numerous actors across various mediums, from live-action films to animated projects. Some actors have had brief appearances as the Caped Crusader, while others have portrayed him for years.

Now, DC fans have taken it upon themselves to rank these actors, setting aside box office and critical success. This fan-made list, compiled on Ranker, is for fans by fans.

24. Anthony Ruivivar

Anthony Ruivivar voiced Batman in the animated series “Beware the Batman” for 26 episodes, although he never portrayed the Dark Knight in live-action.

23. Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel provided the voice of Batman in ‘Teen Titans Go!’. He reportedly took on roles in movies primarily because his children were fans of the source material.

22. Robert Lowery

Robert Lowery played Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 1949 film serial ‘Batman and Robin.’ As a result, his portrayal featured a more modest costume...

In most cases, for most actors, typecasting can be a curse, a trap to be avoided. This is understandable, especially for actors who have either been trained on stage or have a natural affinity for character parts and don't wish to keep playing the same type of role over and over again.

Yet typecasting can also be a boon for an actor in many ways. For one thing, it can be a sort of job security, particularly within television or franchise filmmaking, as the "sell" of the actor in a role is more or less already done for them by their successful past work. For another, it allows the actor a sort of safety net, a proven track record that they can fall back on. Thus, they can feel free to take risks, knowing they already have an established screen persona.

Mark Hamill discovered the latter scenario when he auditioned...

"Batman: The Animated Series" is one of the crowning achievements of American animation. To this day, it's remembered for its atmospheric art design (homaging Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons) and mature storytelling — even if it never forgot its young target audience along the way. The series' star, the late, legendary Kevin Conroy, is the definitive voice of the Dark Knight for a generation, while Harley Quinn, who was created for the series, has become the most successful DC Comics character who didn't originate in the comics.

The series' success meant its creative team shaped Batman in animation for the next decade. In 1993, the series led to the theatrical film, "Mask of the Phantasm," which took everything great about the series and pushed it further. While "Batman: The Animated Series" ended in 1995, it became only the first installment in the DC Animated Universe, which culminated wiith "Justice League Unlimited," which ran from...

If it weren't for his role as Luke Skywalker in a little franchise called "Star Wars," Mark Hamill would easily be better-known for the many, many famous characters he's brought to life as a voice actor than a live-action performer. Moreover, Hamill knew he wanted to do voice acting as a job at a very young age, well before he picked up a lightsaber and piloted an X-Wing fighter for the first time.

Hamill's voice acting career dates back to the early 1970s, starting with his guest roles on "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" (which, despite what its name suggests, is really a TV show...

The post The Moment Mark Hamill Knew He Wanted to Be a Voice Actor appeared first on /Film.

Arlene Golonka, a veteran character actor best known for playing Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.,” died Monday in West Hollywood, Calif. She was 85.

Her niece Stephanie Morton, said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.

“She lived and breathed being an artist, being an actress was who she was born to be,” said her niece, “She was a very wise woman who I was lucky to call my aunt.”

“She loved to teach,” said Morton, who said her acting students over the years included Halle Berry.

With a career spanning over 45 years, Golonka played recurring roles on “The Doctors,” “Joe & Valerie” and “1st & 10” and appeared in episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “M*A*S*H” and “The King of Queens.” On “The Andy Griffith Show,” Golonka played Millie Hutchins, the girlfriend of Sam Jones (Ken Berry) on two episodes, and she reprised the role as Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.” across 34 episodes.

Fred Neal, the basketball legend and actor better known by his nickname “Curly,” whose entertaining and highly skilled playing made him a star over 22 seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters, died Thursday from undisclosed causes. He was 77

“We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” Globetrotters General Manager Jeff Munn said in a statement. “Curly’s basketball skill was unrivaled by most, and his warm heart and huge smile brought joy to families worldwide.”

Born in 1942 in Greensboro, North Carolina, Neal played basketball for Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. After college, he was recruited by the Globetrotters.

Also Read: Mark Blum Remembered by Co-Stars Madonna, Rosanna Arquette: 'A Remarkable Human'

As an early showcase for black players when the NBA was segregated, and then as a proving ground for players who would become some of the greatest NBA stars in history,...

After the initial run of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ended in 1970, the mystery loving gang and their ever-hungry Great Dane reunited on the small screen for The New Scooby-Doo Movies in the early ’70s. Joining them each episode this time around were celebrities and pop culture icons ranging from The Three Stooges to the Harlem Globetrotters to Batman and Robin. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Scooby-Doo and his sleuth solving pals, Warner Bros. is releasing The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The (Almost) Complete Collection on Blu-ray/DVD and The Best of The New Scooby-Doo Movies - The Lost Episodes on DVD this June.

From Warner Bros.: "For the first time ever, nearly all episodes from The New Scooby-Doo Movies, the series that the lovable Great Dane and Mystery Inc. gang encounter some of pop culture’s most legendary names, including Johnathan Winters, Dick Van Dyke, The Three Stooges,...

The creepiest, kookiest, and altogether ookiest cinematic family will return to the big screen in a new Addams Family animated movie next year, and MGM has now confirmed the voice cast for the gothic collection of beloved characters.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed the core voice cast of The Addams Family animated movie, including:

Charlize Theron as Morticia Oscar Isaac as Gomez Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester Bette Midler as Grandmama Allison Janney as the antagonist Margaux Needler

According to THR, the new film will "follow the creepy and kooky family as they face off against a crafty reality-tv host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration, Addams-style."

Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, the co-directors behind the R-rated animated comedy Sausage Party, are directing The Addams Family animated movie from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman.

The...

Her voice brought one of the most iconic characters in animation to life every week in people's living rooms, forever cementing her place in TV history and making it all the more difficult to share the news that Heather North, the voice of Daphne in several Scooby-Doo TV series and movies, has passed away.

Numerous outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, have reported the news of North's passing at the age of 71. According to Jodie Mann, a close friend of the North family, Heather passed away on November 30th at her home in Studio City after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.

Heather North began her journey to voice acting immortality when she took the vocal reins of Daphne in the second season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1970. A key member of the cartoon mystery-solving team (and their vocal Great Dane) created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Daphne would continue to...

The creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky family is set to return to the big screen in 2019, and it looks like a very popular actor from the new Star Wars movies could be the one to voice Gomez Addams.

According to The Tracking Board, Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), who is currently enjoying time on the big screen as X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is in discussions to join the cast of the animated The Addams Family movie to voice Gomez Addams, the patriarch of the gothic family that first appeared on TV in the 1960s ABC series (John Astin played the first on-screen version of the iconic comic strip character created by Charles Addams).

On the heels of Isaac's potential casting, Variety reports that MGM has scheduled The Addams Family animated film for an October 11th, 2019 release—the same day that Paramount's Are You Afraid of the Dark?...

Mystery Inc. & The Dark Knight Unite Aswarner Bros. Home Entertainmentand DC Entertainment Release

Scooby-doo! & Batman: The Brave And The Bold

On DVD And Digital Starting January 9, 2018

Together Again After 45 Years In An All-new Animated Film

Burbank, CA (November 1, 2017) – The ultimate crime-solving combination reunites when Batman joins the Mystery Inc. gang to catch a gaggle of villains wreaking havoc in Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the all-new original film will be distributed January 9, 2018 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on DVD ($19.98 Srp) and Digital.

Super sleuths Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma join forces with the world’s greatest detective, Batman, when they discover that villains from both of their respective rogues’ galleries have also combined efforts to terrorize the city. With Scooby snacks in tow, the crime-fighting teams encounter classic Batman foes (Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) and allies (The Question,...

One creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky family is heading back to the big screen. Following the news this past summer that The Munsters TV series reboot is in the works at NBC, the other gothic family from the ’60s TV era is looking to stake a new claim in the modern age with an animated Addams Family movie that now has a director.

According to THR, Conrad Vernon, the co-director behind the unforgettable R-rated animated comedy (or horror film, depending on how you look at it) Sausage Party, is now set to direct The Addams Family animated film for MGM.

Vernon will work from a screenplay by Pamela Pettler (Corpse Bride, Monster House) with additional work by Matt Lieberman (based on Charles Addams' iconic single-panel comics that first introduced readers to the frightening and fun family that would go on to include husband and wife Gomez and Morticia, their children Wednesday and Pugsley,...

Chris Cummins Jan 24, 2017

A look-back at the previous attempts to bring Archie to TV before they got it right with Riverdale...

When Riverdale premieres on the CW on January 26th, it will mark a milestone for Archie Comics - the first time in the company's 75-year history that its characters will truly shine on television. A mix of gleefully ridiculous kitsch with standout performances and some truly smart writing, the series is poised to be 2017's breakout TV hit.

See related Shane Black: a career retrospective Zack Snyder interview: Batman V Superman

That said, it took a while for Archie to get to this point. There have been many attempts to bring Archie and his friends to TV before, but these all suffered for either being shoddily animated (the various 1960s cartoons), misguided (1990's Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again), or just plain, um, weird (the X-Files cash-in Archie's Weird Mysteries...

Adding some living dead humor to April Fools' Day, Skybound has revealed a mock cartoon series, The Walking Dead Kids!, which is "teased" in a new promo featuring familiar characters from Robert Kirkman's comic book series, including Carl, Rick, Michonne, and Andrea, as well as Clementine from Telltale's The Walking Dead video games and a zombified twist on Krypto the Superdog: Zed the Undead Canine.

Revealed by our friends over at TheWalkingDead.com and featuring subtitle narration that offers insights into the April Fools' Day joke, The Walking Dead Kids! was created for the (once again, mock) AMChildren Saturday morning schedule, a "new initiative" from AMC. Cartoonist Howie Noel drew the character of The Walking Dead Kids!, giving us an awesome retro take on the zombie-slaying characters, as they look like they could follow in the footsteps of the Harlem Globetrotters and guest star on an installment of The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

In the past, we’ve seen artist Travis Falligant pit Scooby-Doo and the gang against horror icons like Leatherface and Freddy Krueger. And though the legendary Great Dane and his sleuthing pals run into some malevolent monsters in the latest batch of vintage image art, they also team up with some friendly figures like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and the members of the Monster Squad from the cult 1987 film.

In addition to the 28 previously released pieces, these five new “Scooby-Doo Lost Mysteries” images were created by Travis Falligant, an artist who specializes in depicting iconic film and television characters, particularly from the 1970′s, ’80′s, and ’90′s.

From Teen Wolf (1985) to the Scream series, Travis pays homage to the horror genre through posters, T-shirts and comic book panels that put new twists on old favorites. If you like his Scooby-Doo artwork and want to see what else Travis has crafted,...

On June 15th one of the most recognizable voices in radio and television died, succumbing to lingering complications of Lewy Body Dementia. At 82 years of age the legendary Casey Kasem passed on to the next level of existence.

For America it was a sad day. Despite the fact that hordes of the younger generations couldn’t speak on the man’s accomplishments, they know his voice when they hear it. And we know it too. The longtime, hardcore, deeply rooted genre fans know Kasem for his prolific run as the eventual pop-culture standout character Shaggy Rogers, of the timeless “Scooby-Doo” series.

Shaggy was one of (if not the) first animated stoners to hit commercial television. Hanna-Barbera Productions – to my knowledge, which is creepily thorough in all honesty – never stepped out of the shadows to make it known that Shaggy was a major weed-head (totally expected and for quite obvious reasons...

Casey Kasem, the iconic radio host and voice actor, passed away Sunday at the age of 82. For a certain generation, Kasem was the inimitably raspy voice of the American Top 40 countdown. However, Kasem had a long career as an actor, particularly as a voice actor. Here are seven memorable characters you may not have realized that Kasem was behind. Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, Scooby-Doo Kasem voiced Norville "Shaggy" Rogers from 1969-1997 and again from 2002-2009. A strict vegetarian, Kasem suggested that Rogers be one on the show as well. Robin, SuperFriends One of Kasem's first voice-acting roles was Robin in The...

When news broke earlier this week that five young up-and-coming actors were in line for the lead Jedi role in Star Wars Episode VII, Google search bars will likely have been working overtime as film fans tried to match faces to names.

Ed Speleers, John Boyega, Jesse Plemons, Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher may not be household names, but Star Wars has a history of turning unknowns into big stars.

With the casting cogs turning for Star Wars: Episode VII, we take a look at what Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were up to before they met George Lucas.

Harrison Ford

Now a bona fide movie icon, it's common knowledge that Ford struggled early on in his career and starting working as a carpenter to support his family between acting gigs. Sometimes Ford didn't even get an acting credit at all, and on one occasion he was...

It looks like Scooby-Doo and the gang will be back to the small screen, this time invading the world of professional wrestling. They’ll be joining forces with the WWE Superstars and Divas in a new video that’s set for a 2014 release. WWE Studios will team up with Warner Bros. and co-produce the animated feature, ready for worldwide distribution on Blu-Ray, DVD, VOD and digital download.

This isn’t the first time the Scooby Gang has teamed up with real life celebrities either, The New Scooby-Doo Movies featured mysteries solved with the help of the Three Stooges, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Phyllis Diller. C’mon, who can forget their iconic team ups with Batman and Robin?

Some of the WWE personalities set to do voice work include; Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, Triple H, John Cena, Kane, Santino Marella, Sin Cara, A.J. Lee (pictured above with Scoob), The Miz,...

Once upon a time, Saturday mornings consisted of getting up early and watching four-hour blocks of cartoons. With the entertainment ranging from superheroes to "Smurfs," a favorite of many children was a cowardly "Great Dane" and his four teenage human friends solving supernatural mysteries. Premiering September 13, 1969, Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang are still having adventures to this day. However, it's the iconic original shows - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and The Scooby-Doo Show - that produced a slew of fear inducing monsters and g-g-g-ghosts that remain prominent in many of those children's now adults minds. Each episode of the program took the teens - Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers along with Scooby to a location abandoned amusement parks, concert halls, ski slopes and set up exactly what they were good at solving: a mystery. On occasion, Scooby's cousin Scooby Dum...

[1] We've got quite a mix of comic book bits for you today, and unless you have something against crime-solving Great Danes, I'd say it's all happy news. Guess the ides of March aren't so scary after all. After the jump, check out Slither director James Gunn's comments on Joss Whedon's The Avengers script, take a look at Scooby-Doo and company guest-starring on Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold, read about January Jones' possible future with the X-Men franchise, and find out exactly which comic book issue is special enough to be worth $150,000. Nerd Bastards [2] quoted Gunn, who was at South by Southwest this weekend promoting his new superhero flick Super, expressing his excitement about The Avengers. Although Gunn himself hasn't read the script, he said he'd heard nothing but good things about it: Everybody I know who’s read it says it’s by...

The Harlem Globetrotters will make their way down the court to a new animated TV series with the help of Cookie Jar Group, which has been tapped as the exclusive global licensing agent and kids TV program development partner for the Harlem Globetrotters. Cookie Jar Entertainment develops animated programming for the brand, while Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (Cplg), Cookie Jar's licensing arm, will create a licensing program for the Globetrotters targeting those of us that grew up watching the group with a range of products (vintage apparel, collectibles) as well as a line for young fans (sporting goods, trading cards, interactive games). For those of you trying to figure this out, it has been 39 years since Hanna-Barbera's animated series, The Harlem Globetrotters, premiered on CBS, where it ran from 1970-72. Animated versions of The Harlem Globetrotters also appeared in the 1970s on The New Scooby-Doo Movies and another Hanna-Barbera series called The Super Globetrotters.

What is this, 1977? The Harlem Globetrotters? Does anyone under 35 even know who or what the Harlem Globetrotters are? Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang score big thrills when they team up with the legendary Harlem Globetrotters in two hilarious action-packed mystery adventures. On a visit to a quaint New England town, the gang is spooked by close encounters with the ghost of Paul Revere and a fire-spouting sea serpent! But it’s a whole new ballgame when the kids get a mystery-soling assist from their new pals” the Fabulous Harlem Globetrotters! Then, the Globetrotters and the Mystery, Inc. crew are ship-napped to a creepy island fill of ghostly frights -- where Scooby-Doo and the gang again join forces with the wisecracking hoopsters for some slam-dunk crook-busting fun! Yup, nothing says “spooky” like Paul Revere being taken down by basketball clowns.

Ever forget to turn off your Monday-Friday alarm on the weekend’s eve? Beep beep…Beep Beep…Beep Beep…“Oh man. Work.” You exhale a long sigh and as you start to sit up, a suspicious feeling comes over you. Your brow furrows as your sleepy fog cloaks clear thinking—ahh yes. It’s Saturday. Two choices: either go back to sleep or get your day started off any way you want. When you’re a kid, the choice here is easy: flip on the morning’s cartoons. As an adult, the decision becomes tougher. Unless of course you were a child of the 1970s and have recently acquired the new box set, Saturday Morning Cartoons:1970s Volume 1. If so, the nostalgia will beckon you from catching a few more Z's and you’ll probably end up in the kitchen pouring a bowl of cereal to eat in front of the television.

As the 1970s dawned, I was 12 and no longer as interested in Saturday morning fare. There was Little League which was either in the morning or afternoon and I found myself drifting more towards the Bowery Boys shorts that ran on channel 5 after the cartoons wore themselves out. My younger siblings watched, but not with the same passion I had shown just a few years earlier.

For me, the Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 1 , coming tomorrow from Warner Home Video, was more introductory than revisiting my childhood. Having just finished the 1960s volume, it was startling to see how rapidly things had changed. Spies and super-heroes were rapidly supplanted by large gaggles of people either playing music or solving mysteries or both. The disc opens with a cheat, an episode of The Jetsons, which may have run in the 1970s for the umpteenth time, but was emblematic of an earlier era,...