Val Kilmer was once proclaimed the best Batman actor, but it's hard to take that as seriously as it probably deserved, because it was proclaimed by Joel Schumacher, who diluted his own judgement considerably while in charge of the Bat-franchise. The actual best Batman was Michael Keaton, the actor who fans notoriously didn't want anywhere near the film when he was first announced. He might not have the best credits on his CV, and his star may have waned massively after he left Batman, but his work under the cowl was breath-takingly unexpected and beautifully, atypically understated. In contrast to Christian Bale's Batman, who started off gruff in Batman Begins and ended up growling comically without any sense of restraint in The Dark Knight Rises, Keaton's Batman was never a pantomime figure. Yes, Nolan was all about the symbolism, and used Bale's physical performance to imply difference and supernaturality, but it went so far that the voice became a point for criticism, and it really wasn't necessary.
