Hollywood icon Val Kilmer passed away on April 1 aged 65, leaving behind a round table of iconic roles in a career that stretched across a variety of genres, forever cementing him in the cinephile community.
Very few can claim to have been Tom Cruise’s wingman, Kurt Russel’s gunslinging companion, Warwick Davis’ sword-wielding helper, Gotham’s vigilante and even God’s prophet all in one illustrious career.
Although his handsome and masculine appearance made him destined for blockbuster fame, Kilmer also had a rebellious rock-star quality. This would dictate his career and persona in the industry for the upcoming generations.
Kilmer proved this when he began his career in 1984 in the slapstick Cold War spy-movie spoof Top Secret!
He then tasted success just two years later in Top Gun, birthing one of Kilmer’s most beloved characters, Iceman, the rival-turned-friend of Tom Cruise’s Maverick. The movie became a huge commercial success with $350 million globally (the highest-grossing of that year) and aviating both Cruise and Kilmer into the spotlight.
The 1990s was practically dominated by a string of Val Kilmer appearances.
He gave a vividly exquisite performance as Jim Morrison, the frontman for the rock group the Doors and an emblem of intense sensuality, in Oliver Stone’s The Doors(1991).
Stone, who spoke to NewsNation two days after Kilmer’s passing, spoke of how the late actor should have received Academy Award recognition for his performance.
“Val worked very hard, and unfortunately, I think it was too early for them to recognize that a music film could be worth an Academy nomination for Val […] I always thought he was robbed.”
Kilmer played the gunslinger Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), a bloody western, alongside Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton as Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp. He was part of a robbery gang in Heat (1995), the crime epic that saw Robert De Niro and Al Pacino collaborate for the first time.
Perhaps Kilmer’s most famous role was playing Batman, between Michael Keaton and George Clooney, in Batman Forever (1995). Kilmer’s interpretation of The Dark Knight battled with Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). Although looked upon as a less than stellar chapter of the character’s lengthy history on screen, it has recently developed a cult following. Kilmer himself stands out as a stern yet more human version amidst fellow Batman actors, particularly with his relationship with reckless Robin (Chris O’Donnell).
Kilmer gained a reputation best summarised by David Mamet, who directed Mr. Kilmer in the political thriller “Spartan” (2004), noted, “What Val has as an actor is something that the really, really great actors have, which is they make everything sound like an improvisation.”
This often brought Kilmer into conflict with his peers with unpredictable acting style driven by an undying passion for cinema and acting. Nevertheless, he was respected by many celebrities who shared the screen with him.
In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He subsequently underwent a tracheal procedure that damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with severe difficulty speaking.
In 2021, he was the subject of Val, which documented his life, career and health issues through archival footage.
The film won several awards, including a Critics Choice Award for best historical or biographical documentary.
In 2022, Kilmer returned as Iceman in the hugely successful Top Gun Maverick in a tear-jerking scene made possible by his friend of many years, Tom Cruise.
Cruise honoured Kilmer at this year’s CinemaCon on April 3.
“I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said. “I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined ‘Top Gun’ and came back later for ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
Cruise concluded the touching moment by saying, “I wish you well on the next journey.”
Val Kilmer, a generational-defying presence, will be remembered for his variety of roles that stretched from blockbuster leading-man to experimental artist.
