Val Kilmer, Actor Renowned for Receding Into His Roles, Dies at 65

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Actor Val Kilmer, known for his captivating presence on screen, passed away at the age of 65 on Tuesday. He was particularly memorable in roles that depicted troubled, self-critical characters such as Jim Morrison, Doc Holliday, and Batman throughout his too-short career.

Val Kilmer, best known for portraying the formidable naval aviator Tom “Iceman” Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in Tony Scott’s 1986 blockbuster movie Top Gun, passed away from pneumonia in Los Angeles. This was confirmed by his daughter, actress Mercedes Kilmer, to The New York Times.

In 2015, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. The moving documentary titled “Val,” which premiered at Cannes in July 2021, depicted him using a respiratory aid.

Born and brought up in San Fernando Valley, close to Hollywood, Kilmer garnered fame for his powerful portrayals. These included his role as the vicious henchman of Robert De Niro in Michael Mann’s “Heat” (1995), the unbalanced assistant of Marlon Brando in John Frankenheimer’s “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996), the smooth-talking crook Simon Templar in Phillip Noyce’s “The Saint” (1997), and the homosexual detective Gay Perry in Shane Black’s homage to film noir, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (2005).

Kilmer skillfully portrayed Elvis Presley in Scott’s 1993 film “True Romance,” which was penned by Quentin Tarantino, and the porn star/cocaine addict John Holmes in “Wonderland” (2003).

He was in a marital relationship with the British actress, Joanne Whalley, from 1988 until they parted ways via divorce in 1996. Their paths crossed during their professional collaboration on the project named Willow, and they tied the knot shortly afterwards.

In the 1991 movie “The Doors” directed by Oliver Stone, Val Kilmer convincingly portrayed Jim Morrison, the charismatic lead singer of the L.A. band who tragically died from drug overdose at just 27. To accurately play this role, Kilmer spent several months preparing, and he even recorded his deep voice alongside the original Doors recordings for the film.

In his review, Roger Ebert noted that the soundtrack blends Morrison’s original vocals with new vocals by Val Kilmer so perfectly that it feels as if Kilmer is singing every note throughout.

Kilmer’s resemblance to Jim Morrison significantly enhances the illusion. His likeness is so striking that it seems more like a spiritual takeover than acting. The performance stands out as the highlight of the film, and since most scenes revolve around Morrison, this is no small compliment. Val Kilmer has always shown a remarkable talent, which until now, has often been underestimated.

In addition to his captivating performance, Kilmer shone brightly in his memorable role as the ill-fated Holliday – a swift-handed, ailing alcoholic – within the contemporary Western masterpiece “Tombstone” (1993).

“George Cosmatos, Tombstone’s director, said in 1993 to the Los Angeles Times that he works harder than many other actors to make his performances seem authentic. He considers him as one of the great American actors, alongside figures like Al Pacino or Robert De Niro.

Back in 1995, I stepped into the iconic cape once worn by Michael Keaton to portray the brooding Batman in Joel Schumacher’s film, “Batman Forever.” This movie notched up an impressive $336 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing film of that year, with even “Toy Story” trailing behind.

In earlier comments, Schumacher expressed that for him, Val Kilmer stood out as his preferred Batman, despite their reported disagreements on set. It’s also worth noting that Frankenheimer, too, had difficulties with Kilmer; after the movie Dr. Moreau, he stated that there were two things he would never do again – ‘climb Mount Everest and work with Val Kilmer again.’

Back in 1995, as I sat down for Batman Forever, I knew this role was unlike anything I’d tackled before. The sheer scale of the character and the surprising decision by Michael Keaton to pass, well, I jumped at the chance without even glancing at the script. It just felt right.

As negotiations fell apart, I found myself out of the running for the caped crusader role in “Batman & Robin” (1997), with George Clooney taking over instead. Val Kilmer decided to bid farewell to Gotham City after our disagreements on terms.

Born on New Year’s Eve in 1959, Val Kilmer, who is part Cherokee, Irish, German, and Swedish, hails from the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth. His father was an aerospace engineer and real estate developer, while his mother stayed at home; they later divorced when he was nine years old. He has an older brother and a younger one as well.

Wesley, who was younger than Wesley, experienced an epileptic fit and tragically drowned in the family’s swimming pool, a property that had once been owned by iconic Western film stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. At that moment, Kilmer was on the brink of departing to study acting at Juilliard in New York; he was 17 years old and the youngest individual ever accepted into their drama division.

During that period, I found it deeply moving, and looking back, I think the intense rigor and bustle of the school undoubtedly benefited me. It pushed me to scrutinize my own beliefs regarding life and mortality.” (said in a 2005 interview)

As a passionate theater enthusiast, I was fortunate enough to co-write “How It All Began,” a play inspired by a real-life West German radical’s story. This captivating piece was later brought to life under the skilled direction of Des McAnuff and the visionary production of Joseph Papp at the Public Theater. My Broadway debut came in 1983, gracing the stage alongside stars like Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon in “Slab Boys.

In his debut role, Kilmer played the part of rockabilly heartthrob Nick Rivers in the wacky spy parody “Top Secret!” (1984), which was directed by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers. (He was also dating Cher during this period.)

In another version of the story, he created a television film titled “One Too Many” as part of the ABC Afterschool Special series, where he starred as a teenager struggling with alcoholism alongside Mare Winningham. Later on in 1985, he took on the role of a sluggish laser-technology genius in the movie “Real Genius“, under the guidance of director Martha Coolidge.

When offered the role of ‘Top Gun’ by Scott, Kilmer initially declined, stating during an interview with the Times: ” frankly, I didn’t like it.” Although he admired his work, he expressed his disinterest in being part of that movie. Tony attempted to reassure him, saying “Don’t worry, your hair will look great,” suggesting that a good hairstyle would make a difference. He was known for being enthusiastic and infectious in such ways.

For numerous admirers, the character Iceman was his defining on-screen persona, a fact that often came up in conversation during his travels, as he himself admitted, “It’s a topic that usually comes up whenever I visit an airport.

In the 2022 sequel, Kilmer reappeared, but his health struggles were noticeable. According to David Rooney’s review in THR, these short scenes evoked a deep sense of empathy, or “resonant pathos.” There is a mutual warmth, even love, in a scene between Iceman and Maverick (played by Cruise), which acknowledges their strong bond that developed over time, as well as the competition that came before it, with a touch of humor.

In 2008-09, Kilmer lent his voice to K.I.T.T. for a fresh take on the TV series Knight Rider; he acted opposite Nicolas Cage in Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009); he played the humorous villain Cunth in MacGruber (2010); he starred under Francis Ford Coppola in Twixt (2011); he portrayed a chilling building superintendent in The Super (2018); and he directed, scripted, and played the role of Mark Twain in Citizen Twain, a one-man show that he performed on stages nationwide before bringing it to the big screen.

In the year 2011, Kilmer parted ways with the majority of his 6,000-acre property situated near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had resided for many years. He shared in December 2017 with THR that his belief as a Christian Scientist provided him solace during his cancer struggle.

Survivors include his son Jack, an actor as well.

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2025-04-02 07:25