Batman: The Animated Series Mastered The Art Of The Special Guest Star

One reason that "Batman: The Animated Series" was and remains so beloved was how it embraced case-of-the-week storytelling. This was perfect for showcasing all the different corners and characters that make up the wild world of Gotham City. Such a large cast of characters meant that the series brought in a lot of actors; voice director Andrea Romano sought actors of all stripes for parts big and small. On the Popcorn & Shield podcast, the late Kevin Conroy (the voice of Batman) described the casting process as thus:

"They were really looking for actors, rather than just voice people. They cast a really wide net. So there were TV people, film people, stage people. Every week going in it was like going to summer camp, the people I got to work with."

Series co-creator Bruce Timm, also being interviewed, agreed with Conroy's sentiment. "Every week there was always some special, you know, some special guest star," he said. "You'd walk in the booth and it's like 'Oh my god it's Ed Asner!' You know?"

To Conroy's point, Asner was primarily a live-action performer. He was most famous for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. On "Batman," he voiced Roland Daggett, a corrupt industrialist who inadvertently creates Clayface (Ron Perlman). Asner reprised the role a few times whenever the series needed a businessman-type villain.

From there, Conroy and Timm both rattled off some of the series' other guest stars, not even getting close to the full list.

As the interview continued, Timm name-dropped two actors. One was Bob Hastings, who voiced Commissioner Gordon — Timm recalled Hastings' time voicing Archie Andrews on NBC radio during the 1950s. That meant he was no stranger to voice acting or comic books. The other was René Auberjonois, a character actor who'd been in everything from "Super Friends" to Robert Altman movies. After "Batman," he found renewed fame as Odo in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Auberjonois was one of the series' first special guest stars: in the pilot, "On Leather Wings," he voiced Dr. March, a red herring for the true identity of Man-Bat. The true Man-Bat was March's son-in-law, Kirk Langstrom, played by "Beastmaster" star Marc Singer. Herein lies the importance of guest stars; the right actor can give a role personality that, on paper, it doesn't have, and that's what Auberjonois did for March.

Conroy name-dropped some of the voice specialists the show brought out. One was Rob Paulsen, who voiced one of the Penguin's henchmen in "I've Got Batman in My Basement." While "Batman" was airing, Paulsen was also working at Warner Bros. Animation on "The Animaniacs" and "Pinky and the Brain." Conroy also mentions Frank Welker, the most prolific American voice actor whose roles run the gamut from Fred Jones to Megatron. Welker is a skilled animal impressionist and sure enough, he voiced Catwoman's cat, Isis. On "Batman: The Animated Series," no role was too small to bring out big guns for.

Timm also noted Tara Strong, the third and final voice of Batgirl. Since her work on "Batman," Strong has become even more prolific. She's even become the go-to voice for Bruce Timm's crowing creation, Harley Quinn, since Arleen Sorkin's retirement.

Kevin Conroy and Bruce Timm obviously had too little time to name all the guest stars on "Batman: The Animated Series," but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of my favorites. Roddy McDowall, most famous for "Planet of the Apes," voiced the Mad Hatter. Thanks to "Apes," where he was heavily made-up, MacDowall had experience with using his voice as his main acting tool. His stuffy British accent also fit nicely with the Hatter's energy.

The excellent villain casting doesn't stop there: John Glover voiced the Riddler, Paul Williams the Penguin, and the legendary David Warner played Ra's Al Ghul, the first actor to do so. All were primarily film actors (and in Williams' case, a singer), not cartoon actors. However, their skill set was vital in giving the series cinematic gravitas. That brings us to the most famous villain voice of all: Mark Hamill as the Joker, where he finally broke out of the pigeonhole that Luke Skywalker had trapped him in. Amazingly, Hamill was initially only brought on as a guest star (Ferris Boyle in "Heart of Ice") and was recast as the Joker both through luck and determination.

When casting directors fill a set with all sorts of skilled actors, they're bound to hit a gold vein sooner or later.