Val Kilmer

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17 Feb 2024

Val Kilmer

Val Edward Kilmer, born on December 31, 1959, is an American actor who initially gained recognition as a stage actor before transitioning to film. He rose to fame with roles in comedy films like Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer's portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) earned him critical acclaim. He also starred in acclaimed films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). Kilmer notably portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995).

Despite his successful career, Kilmer faced personal challenges, including a private battle with throat cancer since 2015. He underwent procedures on his trachea, chemotherapy, and two tracheotomies, which severely impacted his ability to speak. In 2020, Kilmer released his memoir titled I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, detailing his life and struggles. His journey was further explored in the 2021 documentary Val, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Throughout his career, Kilmer has been recognized as one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s, with films featuring him grossing over $3.5 billion worldwide. Despite his success, Kilmer has been described by critic Roger Ebert as one of the most unsung leading men of his generation.

Val Edward Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (née Ekstadt; 1928–2019) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer (1921–1993). He was the second of three sons in the family. Kilmer's mother was of Swedish descent, while his father had Irish, German, and Cherokee roots. His parents divorced when he was 8 years old, and his mother remarried William Bernard Leach in 1970. Kilmer's grandfather worked as a gold miner in New Mexico.
Tragically, in 1977, Kilmer's younger brother Wesley, who suffered from epilepsy, drowned in a jacuzzi at the age of 15. Kilmer attended Chatsworth High School, where he was classmates with Kevin Spacey. He dated Mare Winningham during his high school years. Kilmer later became the youngest person at that time to be accepted into the Drama Division of the prestigious Juilliard School, where he was part of Group 10.

Val Kilmer turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film The Outsiders due to prior theater commitments. In 1983, he appeared off-Broadway in The Slab Boys alongside Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, and Jackie Earle Haley. That same year, he made his first off-stage acting appearance in an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special called One Too Many, an educational drama about drinking and driving, which also starred a young Michelle Pfeiffer. In addition, Kilmer self-published a collection of his own poetry titled My Edens After Burns in 1983, inspired by his time with Pfeiffer. The book of poems is now rare and expensive, with known second-hand copies costing $300 and up.

His breakthrough role came with the comedy spoof of spy movies Top Secret! in 1984, where he played an American rock and roll star named "Nick Rivers." Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and even released an album under the character's name. While gaining more substantial roles and recognition, he also developed a reputation for his charisma and romantic liaisons with numerous women.
After a brief hiatus, Kilmer backpacked throughout Europe before landing the lead role in the 1985 comedy Real Genius. He turned down a role in David Lynch's Blue Velvet before being cast as naval aviator "Iceman" in the action film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise. Top Gun was a massive success, grossing over $344 million worldwide and catapulting Kilmer to stardom.
Following his success in Top Gun, Kilmer appeared in television films like The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains. He then portrayed Madmartigan in the fantasy film Willow, where he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley. Additionally, Kilmer starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet in 1988. In 1989, he played the lead roles in both Kill Me Again, opposite Whalley once again, and in TNT's Billy the Kid.

After overcoming delays, director Oliver Stone began production on the film The Doors, which depicted the story of the iconic band. Val Kilmer, concerned about the portrayal of substance abuse in the film, spoke with Stone early on, expressing his reservations about promoting such behavior. Kilmer, who did not believe in or want to glorify substance abuse, saw Jim Morrison as someone who had chosen the wrong heroes, and he disagreed with connecting drugs with creativity or inspiration. Stone agreed with Kilmer's perspective, and the actor memorized all of lead singer Morrison's lyrics before his audition. Kilmer sent a video of himself performing Doors songs to Stone, and while the director wasn't impressed, Paul A. Rothchild (the original producer of the Doors) suggested recording Kilmer in the studio. After Kilmer was cast as Morrison, he immersed himself in the role by attending Doors tribute concerts and reading Morrison's poetry.

Kilmer spent nearly a year dressing in Morrison-like clothes and frequenting Morrison's old hangouts along the Sunset Strip to prepare for the role. His portrayal of Morrison received acclaim, with members of the Doors noting that Kilmer did such a convincing job that they had difficulty distinguishing his voice from Morrison's. Paul Rothchild played Kilmer's version of "The End" for the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, who expressed appreciation for it. However, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek was less enthusiastic about Stone's interpretation of Morrison.

In the early 1990s, Kilmer starred in various films, including the mystery thriller Thunderheart, the action comedy The Real McCoy, and collaborated again with Top Gun director Tony Scott to play Elvis Presley in True Romance, written by Quentin Tarantino. In 1993, he portrayed Doc Holliday in the western Tombstone alongside Kurt Russell. Kilmer's performance included playing Chopin's Nocturne in E minor, Op.72, No. 1 on the piano, despite not being a pianist. In 1995, he starred in Wings of Courage, a 3D IMAX film, and appeared alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s.