Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer
Kilmer smiling
Val Kilmer at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Val Edward Kilmer

(1959-12-31) December 31, 1959 (age 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationJuilliard School (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1981–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1996)​
Children2, including Jack Kilmer
Websitevalkilmer.com

Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959)[1][2] is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991). He was cast as a main character in films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995), and continued to star in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer; he had a procedure on his trachea that damaged his vocal cords to the point where he had extreme difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies.[3][4][5][6] In 2020, he published his memoir, titled I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir.[7] The 2021 documentary film Val documents his health issues and career. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.[8] He was one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s; films featuring him have grossed over $3.5 billion at the worldwide box-office.[9] In 1992, critic Roger Ebert wrote, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".[10]

  1. ^ "Val Kilmer Biography: Film Actor (1959–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ "'If my name wasn't Valentine, I might enjoy the day'". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Pappademas, Alex (April 21, 2020). "Val Kilmer Doesn't Believe in Death". Men's Health. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Day, Nate (August 3, 2020). "Val Kilmer says he's doing great after tracheotomy: 'I feel a lot better than I sound'". Fox News. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Taffy Brodesser-Akner (May 6, 2020). "What Happened to Val Kilmer? He's Just Starting to Figure It Out". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Kilmer 2020.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 27, 2021). "Amazon Studios Takes U.S. & Latin America On 'Val', A24 Documentary About Actor Val Kilmer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Val Kilmer - Box Office". The Numbers.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 3, 1992). Thunderheart Archived October 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2011-03-06.