Some sad news to report this morning as it has been announced by the family of Val Kilmer that the American actor has passed away of pneumonia aged 65, having previously recovered from a battle against throat cancer.
Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Kilmer attended the prestigious Julliard School, becoming the youngest student to be admitted at that time, and began his career on the stage until making his big screen debut as the lead of the 1984 spy spoof Top Secret! from the Airplane! trio of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker.
Kilmer followed up his debut with 1985’s Real Genius followed by fan favourite roles in 1986’s Top Gun and 1988’s Willow, ending the decade with the neo-noir crime thriller Kill Me Again before going on to earn critical acclaimed for his role as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic The Doors.
The 1990s saw Kilmer starring in a number of notable films including The Real McCoy, Tombstone, True Romance, Heat, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Saint and The Prince of Egypt, although the biggest financial success of the decade came as he stepped into the cape and cowl vacated by Michael Keaton for the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman in 1995’s blockbuster smash Batman Forever.
Kilmer entered the most prolific period in his career in the 2000s, starring in a host of independent features along with roles in films such as Ron Howard’s The Missing, Oliver Stone’s Alexander, Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Tony Scott’s Deja Vu. Post-cancer diagnosis, he would continue to make sporadic appearances with credits in the likes of The Snowman and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, as well as what was ultimately his final screen appearance, reprising his role as Iceman alongside Tom Cruise in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. He was also the subject of the 2021 feature documentary Val, which he wrote and produced.
