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Val Kilmer: Top Gun, The Doors & Willow Star Passes at 65

Val Kilmer, star of films like 'The Doors', 'Batman Forever', 'Tombstone, 'Willow' and more passes at the age of 65.

Published Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:14:06 -0500

Last updated Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:26:05 -0500

Hollywood lost another legend when Val Kilmer, star of films like Batman Forever (1996), The Doors (1991), Top Gun (1986) and Willow (1988) passed at the age of 65. It seemed like the actor was meant for superstardom the moment he burst into the scene, not in the action or thriller genres he was best known for, but for the unforgettable spy comedy classic Top Secret! as Nick Rivers in 1984 from Police Squad!/Naked Gun and Airplane! minds Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He would follow up the success with the less off-beat comedy Real Genius (1986) before landing his first signature role in Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, the rival for Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun, which ended up being the only role he would reprise on screen in a film for a sequel, which would be for 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.

A close-up photograph of Val Kilmer smiling, wearing a scarf and bead necklace, against a vibrant background featuring event branding. He exudes a warm and approachable demeanor. — Val Kilmer at the Monster Energy charity basketball event, showcasing his signature style and charisma. Photo by Shutterstock Copyright (c) 2019 Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.

Remembering Val Kilmer

Kilmer embraced his leading man status in Hollywood, particularly in the '80s and '90s from playing swordsman Madmartigan in the Disney fantasy film Willow opposite Warwick Davis; the Oliver Stone biopic The Doors, playing charismatic frontman Jim Morrison; the legendary lawman Doc Holliday in the historical drama Tombstone (1993), the title character and alter ego Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever. The actor also landed the role of Chris Shiherlis in the Michael Mann heist action-drama classic Heat (1996) opposite legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, regarded by many as one of the best in the genre of the decade.

Val Kilmer: 'Top Gun', 'The Doors' & 'Willow' Star Passes at 65 — Val Kilmer in "Tombstone" (1993). Image courtesy of Hollywood Pictures

Kilmer would remain a powerhouse in dramas like the 1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau opposite Marlon Brando, Pollack (2000), Wonderland (2003), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). In the last couple decades, the actor would embrace TV with appearances on HBO's Entourage, CBS's Numb3rs, the 2008 remake of Knight Rider as the voice of K.I.T.T., USA's Psych, and even guest voiced on the Adult Swim animated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken.

In recent years, Kilmer took a step back due to his ongoing battle with throat cancer, which permanently altered his voice. With the help of his son, Jack Kilmer, who would voice Madmartigan on the Disney+ sequel series Willow, directors Ting Poo and Leo Scott, and artificial intelligence, the actor was able to narrate his biographical documentary Val in 2021 for Prime Video that allowed him to share his camcorder footage throughout his life from his home movies, behind-the-scenes candid shots from his projects that features his co-stars like Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn to embracing his foray playing 19th-century humorist Mark Twain across numerous projects.

Before Top Gun: Maverick, Kilmer embraced the indie film scene, including a role on Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019). In reuniting with Cruise for the Joseph Kosinski film, fans would see Iceman promoted to admiral since the events of the Tony Scott film, but like the actor, having the character battling cancer, offering words of wisdom to his rival struggling to teach his current class of Top Gun recruits predominantly through a screen before delivering his final words in his own soft voice.