Kilmer was born and raised in Los Angeles, and experienced a childhood and young adulthood shadowed by sadness; his parents divorced when he was nine years old, and his younger brother died from drowning in a swimming pool when he was 18. He attended the Julliard School in New York, one of the youngest students ever admitted to the acting program there (per The New York Times). He would go on to appear on Broadway alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon in the early ’80s before landing a lead role in Top Secret!, ZAZ’s feature follow up to their comedy hit Airplane! He became one of the major stars of the era appearing opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun as LT Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. More than 30 years later, his appearance as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick would be Kilmer’s final film role.
The actor gained a reputation for being difficult; his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang co-star Robert Downey, Jr. called him “chronically eccentric,” while his Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher described him as “psychotic.” (Kilmer’s ex-girlfriend Cher posted a tribute on Twitter/X remembering him as “Funny,crazy,pain in the ass,GREAT FRIEND.”) Despite this well-publicized reputation, he worked with many A-list filmmakers, including Ron Howard (Willow), Oliver Stone (The Doors), Tony Scott (True Romance), and Michael Mann. Mann said in a statement (via Variety), “While working with Val on Heat I always marveled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.” Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Kilmer in Twixt, also posted a tribute to Instagram, writing, “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life. He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know—I will always remember him.”
Val Kilmer’s fascination with Mark Twain led him to write and star in the play Citizen Twain, which he toured around the country; his lifelong devotion to Christian Science led him to develop a film about the religion’s founder Mary Baker Eddy and Twain. After being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer underwent a tracheostomy which severely impaired his voice. However, he continued to work, opening HelMel Studios in LA, a performance and art space that served as a hub for his many passions—including bringing Twain’s work to school curriculums, hosting high school students for an Inner City Shakespeare program, screening films and preserving his collection of film memorabilia, and displaying his paintings and visual art.
Kilmer is survived by his two children with ex-wife Joanne Whalley, Jack and Mercedes.
