Val Kilmer's Life & Movies Beyond Top Gun
With the shocking loss of American actor Val Kilmer on April 1, 2025, we look back on an acting career that began in the 1980s and blossomed throughout the 1990s, with his most famous films being Top Gun (1986) and Heat (1995). As the world mourns another great actor gone too soon, let's reminisce on the very best of Val Kilmer.
Val Kilmer's Early Life
Val Kilmer was born on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles, California, in 1959, to Gladys Swanette and Eugene Kilmer. His mother's maiden name was Ekstadt, and she had Swedish ancestry, while his father's roots were Irish, German, and Cherokee. Kilmer's family moved around a lot as a young child, eventually settling in the San Fernando Valley of LA.
Val Kilmer's Acting Career
Kilmer attended high school with Kevin Spacey, and his high-school girlfriend was Primetime Emmy award-winning actress Mare Winningham. After attending high school, he was accepted into the prestigious Julliard School for acting, becoming the youngest-ever entrant at the time, when he was just 17.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Early Roles
Val Kilmer rejected the opportunity to star in The Outsiders (1983) due to prior commitments but appeared in an off-Broadway production of The Slab Boys with Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, and Jackie Haley. He found his first off-stage acting role in a TV drama: One Too Many (1983), about the effects of drinking and driving—starring alongside a young Michelle Pfeiffer.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Val Kilmer's Big Break
Val Kilmer's big break in the film industry would come in the comedy spoof, Top Secret! (1984), a spoof of various spy movies of the 1980s, with Kilmer playing the lead role of agent Nick Rivers, a CIA operative sent behind enemy lines in East Germany. The team of Jerry and David Zucker, along with Jim Abraham were the directorial trio—the same three that had directed Airplane! (1980). Kilmer also sang all the songs for the role and even released an album under the name "Nick Rivers".
Kingsmere Properties, Top Secret! (1984)
Backpacking Through Europe
After the success of Top Secret!, Kilmer took some time away from the industry to go backpacking through Europe. He spent more than a year in Europe—we wonder whether he experienced any American culture shocks during his time there.
Kingsmere Properties, Top Secret! (1984)
Val Kilmer's Return From Europe: Real Genius
Upon his return from Europe in 1984, Kilmer would star in the science-fiction comedy Real Genius (1985), where he played the lead role of a genius university student in his senior year, partnered with a new student on campus to develop a chemical laser that he'll later learn will be used by the CIA for nefarious purposes. Kilmer's reintroduction to film went well, as Real Genius grossed over $13 million at the box office.
Delphi III Productions, Real Genius (1985)
Propelled To Superstardom In Top Gun
It's no secret that Kilmer's best-known work is in Top Gun (1986), starring as US Navy pilot "Ice Man" alongside Tom Cruise. Kilmer and Cruise take to the skies and battle enemy aircraft in this action-packed classic that would make Kilmer a superstar, alongside Cruise. The film grossed over $340 million worldwide.
The Late 80s: Meeting His Wife & Sporadic Film & TV Appearances
Kilmer met his wife, Joanne Whatley, of the set of Willow (1988), a fantasy film, but not before starring in two TV movies: The Murders In The Rue Morgue (1986), an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's eponymous poem, and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987), based on the true crime story of Robert Elliot Burns, a prisoner who escaped from a Georgia prison.
HBO, Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987)
Playing Jim Morrison In The Doors
Kilmer was tipped by Oliver Stone for another lead role in The Doors—a biographical drama about the band of the same name, playing the role of lead singer, Jim Morrison. However, early conversations between the pair seemed to indicate Kilmer's reservations about the role, as he didn't believe in nor want to promote the substance abuse for which Morrison was so famous.
Bill Graham Films, The Doors (1991)
Agreeing To Play Morrison & His Audition Tape
Kilmer agreed to provide an audition tape for Stone, despite his reservations about the role. He memorized (and performed) all of the hit songs that Morrison and The Doors had written and sent that into Stone. Stone wasn't too impressed, but luckily for Kilmer, Paul A Rothchild (the original producer of The Doors) certainly was. Kilmer got the job.
Bill Graham Films, The Doors (1991)
Intense Preparations To Play Jim Morrison
Likely wanting to do justice to the memory and talent of Jim Morrison, Kilmer spent a year before the film's release dressing in Morrison-style clothing, attending Doors tribute concerts, reading Morrison's poetry and spending time at his old haunts on the Sunset Strip in LA. It paid off. The remaining band members loved it.
Bill Graham Films, The Doors (1991)
Receiving High Praise From Those Who Knew Jim Best
Jim Morrison's band members were enthralled with Kilmer's performance. Specifically, Kilmer played a version of "The End" with members of the band who remarked "we never had a recording of Jim playing that song, now we do", likening Kilmer's voice to that of Morrison. The Doors (1991) grossed $34 million.
Bill Graham Films, The Doors (1991)
Thunderheart: The Wounded Knee Incident
After starring in The Doors, Kilmer starred in Thunderheart (1992), a movie about the Wounded Knee Incident, wherein a group of followers of the American Indian movement seized control of the town of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, protesting the federal government's policy and treatment of Native Americans. Kilmer's role as an FBI agent with Native American heritage earned him plaudits.
Val Kilmer As Elvis In True Romance
True Romance (1993) was one of Kilmer's most interesting roles: It was something different, a romantic crime drama about the life of Elvis Presley (played by Kilmer), alongside an ensemble cast of Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and Christian Slater. Kilmer's role as Elvis helped make True Romance one of the greatest films of the 1990s and a cult classic, despite its initial box office failure.
Morgan Creek Entertainment, True Romance (1993)
Kilmer Must Have Been A Closet Musician
In 1993, Kilmer starred in Tombstone alongside Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton. Based on the events of the Gunfight At The OK Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride, two significant events in the history of the Old West, Kilmer plays the role of Doc Holliday, friend to Wyatt Earp. In the film, Holliday plays a piano piece: Chopin's "Nocturne in E Minor". Kilmer didn't know how to play, but practiced the piece for months before filming the scene and nailed it.
Hollywood Pictures, Tombstone (1993)
Starring In One Of The Greats
There are few moments that define an actor's career like starring in one of the greatest movies of all time. For Val Kilmer, that may have been in 1995, when he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Heat. Kilmer was cast as Chris Shiherlis, right-hand man of Neil MacCauley, played by Robert De Niro.
Kilmer's Hasty Role As Batman
In late 1993, Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher had watched Tombstone and was most impressed by Kilmer's role as Doc Holliday. Schumacher wanted to cast Kilmer as Batman in Batman Forever (1995) and asked Kilmer to play the part after Michael Keaton decided not to return to the role after Batman Returns (1992). Kilmer reportedly accepted the role without knowing who Schumacher was, or even reading the script.
Warner Bros., Batman Forever (1995)
Leavng Batman Amid Bad Working Relationships
Perhaps Kilmer should have been a bit more careful about choosing to work with Schumacher, as his decision not to return for another movie in January of 1996 was reportedly due to the poor working relationship between the two and Kilmer's opinion that the villains of the movie were being celebrated over-and-above the Batman character.
Warner Bros., Batman Forever (1995)
Two Swings And A Hit In 1997
1996-97 may have been a forgettable period in Kilmer's career. His two early movies in 1996 were Dead Girl, starring alongside Marlon Brando, and The Island Of Dr Moreau, a completely forgettable sci-fi horror based on the book by HG Wells. However, in 1997, Kilmer played a nerdy British scientist named Simon Templar in The Saint.
Cinetel Films, Dead Girl (1996)
The Saint Reverses Kilmer's Fortunes
While Kilmer always managed money well and seemingly didn't struggle financially after making it in Hollywood, he was eager to bounce back after a dismal 1996 career year. Playing the lead role as Simon Templar in The Saint helped him tremendously. Starring as a chameleon-like high-tech thief who would transition between disguises to suit his evil ends, the movie was a huge box office success, netting $169 million worldwide. Kilmer was paid $6 million for his leading role.
The Hardest Role Kilmer Ever Played
In 1999, Kilmer starred in a romantic drama called At First Sight (1999), where he played Virgil Adamson, a young blind man who engages in a relationship with a woman who can see. As you can imagine, playing a blind character when you're a sighted person must be tough. Kilmer remarked that it was the "hardest role I've ever played". Despite the sensitive subject matter, the film wasn't a commercial success, but it was probably personally rewarding for Kilmer.
Small Films In The Early 2000s
It's safe to say that the 1990s were Val Kilmer's best years as far as "big" movies go. The 2000s represented a toning down of starring in big-budget action flicks in favor of smaller productions, starting with Pollock (2000), with a supporting role in Ed Harris' shadow in an biography of Jackson Pollock. He also starred in the crime drama The Salton Sea (2002) and a Western, The Missing (2003), alongside Cate Blanchett.
Fred Berner Films, Pollock (2000)
Back To The Action In The Mid-2000s
Now in his early 40s, Kilmer once again picked up action movie roles, this time, starring in Stateside (2004), a drama about a Marine who falls in love with an actress with schizophrenia. Later that year, Kilmer would play a Secret Service agent assigned to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter in Spartan. He would receive Delta Force-like training for the role.
Seven Hills Pictures, Stateside (2004)
Further Action In The Late 2000s
Kilmer co-starred with Robert Downey Jr in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang in 2005, a critically-acclaimed movie despite receiving limited release in theaters. A year later, Kilmer would play a supportive role in the Denzel Washington-led thriller Deja Vu (2006), made another appearance in the action flick Felon (2008), and starred alongside Nicolas Cage in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans and 50 Cent in Streets Of Blood, both in 2009.
Warner Bros., Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Receiving An Honorary Doctorate & Finally A Grammy Nomination
In 2010, William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri invited Kilmer to stay on campus for a week and deliver a commencement speech. He would perform "Citizen Twain" to students, his own one-man play. Kilmer also received an honorary doctorate in "recognition of his creative abilities and contributions to art and theater". In 2012, Kilmer received his very first Grammy nomination, after nearly 30 years in the business, for Best Spoken Word Album with "The Mark Of Zorro", a collection of his spoken word poetry.
Val Kilmer, Cinema Twain (2019)
From Citizen Twain To Cinema Twain
In April 2012, Kilmer's "Citizen Twain" was a one-man show that he wrote for a workshop in Hollywood, detailing the life of Mark Twain in a comedic way. It was released later that year as a one-man cinematic play renamed "Cinema Twain" that ran for 90 minutes.
Val Kilmer, Cinema Twain (2019)
Sharing The Screen With His Daughter In Paydirt
One of the most special moments of Kilmer's career was his role alongside his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, in Paydirt (2020), a crime thriller in which the elder Kilmer played a retired DEA agent intent on stopping a criminal gang from getting away with DEA loot one last time.
Octane Entertainment, Paydirt (2020)
His Final Film
In one of the most fitting conclusions to an acting career ever, Val Kilmer's final film would be 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 classic that brought him superstardom and fame. Reprising his role as "Iceman", Kilmer starred alongside Tom Cruise (who also reprised his role as "Maverick"). Kilmer's final performance would be one of the best movies of the 2000s and a fitting end to an extraordinary career.
Paramount, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Health Problems Begin In 2015
Unfortunately for Val Kilmer and his family, he began to experience severe health problems in 2015, leading to a diagnosis of throat cancer which he battled for two years before going into remission in 2017, including undergoing two tracheotomy procedures that reduced his voice to a rasp. He would speak through an electric voice box.
Warner Bros., Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Val Kilmer's Digital Voice
Because of his problems with speech due to throat cancer, in 2020, Kilmer began working with Sonatic AI, a company based in London, to create digital renderings of his voice with more than 40 vocal models. In 2022, Top Gun director Joseph Kosinski confirmed that Kilmer's voice was original and not recreated using this AI technology. But Top Gun did alter Kilmer's voice for clarity, given his struggles with speech that persisted.
Paramount, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Val Kilmer's Passing At The Age Of 65
It was confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes, that Val Kilmer passed away in Los Angeles from complications arising from pneumonia on April 1, 2025. He left behind a Simon & Schuster-published memoir of his life in 2020, entitled I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir.
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