Val Kilmer was a versatile actor who made a name for himself playing brooding superhero Batman, as well as arrogant naval aviator Iceman in the hit action movie, Top Gun.
The US actor was also known for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors and praised for his tousled hair, moody expression and sensuous stage movements.
Born in Los Angeles, California, in the US, on 31 December 1959, Val Edward Kilmer became the youngest drama student ever admitted to the prestigious Juilliard School at the time, in 1981, aged 17.
His break-out role was playing Nick Rivers in 1984’s spy spoof Top Secret!, which was followed by a lead role in the comedy Real Genius in 1985.
Val Kilmer pictured circa 1984
The year after he appeared in Top Gun, starring opposite Tom Cruise as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, a role he reprised in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, in 2022.
But these career-shaping roles almost did not happen.
Kilmer was courted by director Tony Scott but initially baulked and wrote in his memoir: “I didn’t want the part. I didn’t care about the film. The story didn’t interest me.”
He met his ex-wife, British actress Joanne Whalley, on the set of the fantasy adventure film Willow, released in 1988, and married her that same year.
The couple had two children, Mercedes and Jack, before getting divorced in 1996.
The actor showed his versatility by switching to westerns, playing title character, William “The Kid” Bonney, in the 1989 film Billy The Kid and Ray Levoi in 1992’s Thunderheart.
This was followed by roles in True Romance and The Real McCoy, both released in 1993.
He also starred in Michael Mann’s 1995 crime drama Heat with Hollywood heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
That same year, he took on the mantle of Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever, starring opposite Jim Carrey as the Riddler, Chris O’Donnell as Robin and Nicole Kidman as Dr Chase Meridian.
Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman on the set of Batman Forever, 1995
A year later, he was seen in horror film The Island Of Dr Moreau, a shoot that was plagued with problems with Kilmer describing the time as “crazy”.
He then played the lead role in 1997 action thriller The Saint, and it was around this time he was romantically linked to supermodel Cindy Crawford.
The actor, who was once nominated for the “Most Desirable Male” award by music station MTV, had also dated US pop star Cher, who told American broadcaster Howard Stern that she was “madly in love” with him.
Cher and Val Kilmer pictured in 1984
Kilmer, although widely respected for his acting talent, was known for being difficult to work with and had clashed with his co-star Tom Sizemore on the set of his 2000 film, The Red Planet.
The actor – once dubbed “rude, impossible and childish” by his Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher – and Sizemore reportedly even considered taking out restraining orders against each other.
“Val Kilmer has a lot of problems,” Sizemore told the New York Daily News. “I would never want to hurt him but the man is impossible to work with.”
Kilmer published two books of poetry, including My Edens After Burns, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2012 for spoken word album The Mark Of Zorro.
He was also a visual artist and a lifelong Christian Scientist.
Kilmer confirmed he had been treated for cancer in 2017, after previous denials, and said that prayer had helped him beat the disease.
Val Kilmer pictured in 2019
In 2020, now speaking with a raspy voice, he told Good Morning America that while it sounded like he had a “frog” in his throat, it was actually a “buffalo”.
“I feel a lot better than I sound, but I feel wonderful. I was diagnosed with throat cancer, which healed very quickly,” he said.
“This is a tracheotomy to help me breathe, because the glands in my throat swelled up as well.”
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on 2 April 2025 that the actor had died from pneumonia at the age of 65.
