Val Kilmer

Val Edward Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025) was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he later found fame as a leading man in films in a wide variety of genres, including comedies, dramas, action adventures, westerns, historical films, crime dramas, science fiction films, and fantasy films. Films in which Kilmer appeared grossed more than $3.85 billion worldwide. In 1992, the film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".

Kilmer started his film career in the comedies Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), then shifted to dramatic roles. He rose to prominence for playing Iceman in Top Gun (1986), Madmartigan in Willow (1988), Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995), and Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995), Kilmer made his final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), reprising his role from the original film.

Kilmer also appeared on stage, making his Broadway debut in the John Byrne working-class play The Slab Boys (1983). He also acted in productions of William Shakespeare's history play Henry IV, Part 1 (1981) and in the John Ford tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1992), both at The Public Theater. He wrote Citizen Twain, a one-man show about Mark Twain, and played the role in a 2012 production in Los Angeles.

In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. A tracheal procedure damaged his vocal cords, leaving him unable to speak easily, and he also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. He released a memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, in 2020 and a documentary titled Val the following year, both about his career and health struggles. He died of pneumonia on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65.

Early life, family and education

Val Edward Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, California, the second of three sons to Gladys Swanette (née Ekstadt; 1928–2019) and industrialist and to a developer, Eugene Dorris Kilmer (1921–1993). His mother was of Swedish descent, and his father's ancestry included Irish, German, and Cherokee roots. His parents divorced in 1968 when he was 8 years old and in 1970, his mother married William Bernard Leach.

Kilmer was raised with Christian Science beliefs, which he maintained for most of his life. In 1977, Kilmer's younger brother Wesley (1961–1977), who had epilepsy, drowned in a hot tub at age 16.

Kilmer attended Chatsworth High School where he was friends with actors Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham, whom Kilmer dated. He became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the Juilliard School's Drama Division, where he was a member of Group 10. At Juilliard, Kilmer and Spacey's friendship ended over a financial matter.

Career

Early roles and comedy films

Kilmer declined a role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film The Outsiders because he had prior theater commitments. In 1983, he appeared off Broadway in The Slab Boys with Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, and Jackie Earle Haley. That same year, his first off-stage acting role (excluding television commercials) came in the form of an episode of ABC Afterschool Special called One Too Many, although it did not air until 1985. It was an educational drama on drinking and driving, and co-starred a young Michelle Pfeiffer. Also in 1983, Kilmer self-published a collection of his own poetry entitled My Edens After Burns, that included poems inspired by his time with Pfeiffer. This book of poems is difficult to obtain and expensive; known second-hand copies cost $300 and up.

His big break came when he received top billing in the comedy spoof of spy movies Top Secret!, in which he played an American rock and roll star. Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and released an album under the film character's name, "Nick Rivers".

During a brief hiatus, Kilmer backpacked throughout Europe before going on to play the lead character in the 1985 comedy Real Genius. He turned down a role in David Lynch's Blue Velvet before being cast as naval aviator Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in the action film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise. Top Gun grossed a total of over $344 million worldwide and made Kilmer a major star. Following roles in the television films The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, Kilmer portrayed Madmartigan in the fantasy Willow; he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley, on the film's set. Kilmer starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet in 1988. In 1989, Kilmer played the lead in Kill Me Again, again opposite Whalley, and played William H. "Billy the Kid" Bonney in Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid.

1990–1995: Stardom with The Doors and Batman

After several delays, director Oliver Stone started production on the film The Doors, based on the story of the band of the same name. Kilmer spoke with Oliver Stone early in the project, concerned about the portrayal of Jim Morrison’s substance abuse. Kilmer saw Morrison as having picked the wrong heroes and embracing behaviors not conducive to creativity or inspiration. Kilmer saw Morrison's story as one that could be told "a thousand different ways" and did not want to tell it by playing the role of a habitual drug user; Stone agreed. Kilmer memorized the lyrics to all of Morrison's songs prior to his audition and sent a video of himself performing some Doors songs to Stone. Stone was not impressed with the tape, but Paul A. Rothchild (the original producer of the Doors) said, "I was shaken by it," and suggested they record Kilmer in the studio. After Kilmer was cast as Morrison, he prepared for the role by attending Doors tribute concerts and reading Morrison's poetry.

He spent close to a year before production dressing like Morrison and spent time at Morrison's old hangouts along the Sunset Strip. His portrayal of Morrison was praised and members of the Doors noted that Kilmer did such a convincing job that they had trouble distinguishing his voice from Morrison's. Paul Rothchild played Kilmer's version of "The End" for the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, who told him, "I'm really glad they got 'The End'. We never got a recording of that live with Jim and now we've got it." However, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek was less than enthusiastic with Stone's interpretation of Morrison.

In the early 1990s, Kilmer starred in the mystery thriller Thunderheart, the action comedy The Real McCoy, and again teamed with Top Gun director Tony Scott to play Elvis Presley in True Romance, which was written by Quentin Tarantino. In 1993, Kilmer played Doc Holliday in the western Tombstone alongside Kurt Russell. In the film, Doc Holliday performs Chopin's Nocturne in E minor, Op.72, No. 1; however, Kilmer did not play the piano and he practiced that one piece for months in preparation. In 1995, Kilmer starred in Wings of Courage, a 3D IMAX film, and that same year, he starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, which is now considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s.

In December 1993 Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher had seen Tombstone and was most impressed with Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday. Schumacher felt him to be perfect for the role of Batman, though at the time, the role was still Michael Keaton's. In July 1994, Keaton decided not to return for a third Batman film after 1992's Batman Returns, due to "creative differences". William Baldwin (who previously worked with Schumacher on Flatliners) was reported to be a top contender, though just days after Keaton dropped out, Kilmer was cast. Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script.

Released in June 1995, Batman Forever was a success at the box office, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. There was debate about Kilmer's performance: some critics, such as The New York Times' Janet Maslin, thought Kilmer was a poor successor to Keaton in the part; while others, such as Roger Ebert, had kind words for Kilmer. Batman co-creator Bob Kane said in a Cinescape interview that of all the actors to have played Batman up to that point, he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin (who criticized the dark tone contained in Batman Returns) complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film in his 2009 movie guide.

In February 1996, Kilmer decided not to return for another Batman feature film, feeling that Batman was being marginalized in favor of the villains, as well as his scheduling problems with The Saint, and George Clooney replaced him as Batman in 1997's Batman & Robin. There were also reports that Kilmer had a bad working relationship with Schumacher, as another reason for not reprising the role.