He was irritating with his mystery: tragedies and triumphs in the life of Val Kilmer (16 photos)

Critics have called Val Kilmer one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood.





He had an incredible acting range, and was equally good in comedies, westerns, crime dramas, musicals, and action adventures.



In his youth

Critic Roger Ebert wrote:

Val Kilmer is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. In such diverse films as "Real Genius," "Top Gun," and "Top Secret!", he showed such a rich palette of acting abilities that most viewers probably didn't even realize that the same actor played in these films.

Parents' Divorce and Brother's Death





"Top Secret!" (1984)

Val Edward Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles to a middle-class family. His parents were followers of Christian Science, a religious movement based on liberal Protestantism, to which Kilmer remained faithful throughout his life.



"Real Genius" (1985)

Little Val was dealt a serious blow when his parents divorced. Val Kilmer and his two brothers, one older and one just a year younger, were raised together by their parents until Val was 9 years old. Then, in 1968, the Kilmers divorced, and after the family split, the three sons moved in with their father. Val never got over the separation from his mother, and his relationship with his father did not work out.

When Val Kilmer's father passed away in the mid-1990s, he and his older brother Mark had a lot of conflict trying to settle inheritance issues. Perhaps the only silver lining to the divorce was that soon after his parents separated, Val began to take an active interest in drama and theater, seeing the classes as a way to use acting to escape his real-life problems.



"Willow" (1988)

When Val Kilmer was just 17 years old, a terrible tragedy befell his family. His younger brother Wesley, who was 16, died in an accident. He suffered an epileptic seizure while swimming in a pool. It was an incredible loss for Val. His love for his brother knew no bounds. The death of a loved one even eclipsed the terrible memories of his parents' divorce. The theater helped him cope with grief.



Val and Joanna

At Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley, where he was a classmate of Kevin Spacey, he first realized that he wanted to act on stage. Kilmer dreamed of going to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, but his application was rejected because he was only 17 years old. Then he entered the Juilliard School in New York, becoming one of the youngest students at this prestigious institution.

Actor, writer and musician conquers Hollywood



Val Kilmer and Joanna Whalley

Kilmer was not only an actor, he was also a writer. He has a collection of love poems, a play about his favorite Mark Twain, and his theatrical debut was in the play "How It All Began", staged based on a play he wrote.



With Cher

His film debut was the spy parody action film Top Secret! (1984), where he played the star Nick Rivers, who is caught up in a conspiracy of East German agents. The film showed off his vocal talent, and Kilmer later released an album under his character's name.

Two years later, he played Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, Tom Cruise's rival, in Top Gun (1986). The action film, made for $15 million, grossed over $350 million at the box office, making Kilmer a superstar.

Jim Morrison



The Doors (1991)

But in the 1990s, he cemented his fame. Oliver Stone had long wanted to make a biopic about The Doors, focusing on the band's frontman, who died of an overdose in Paris in 1971.

John Travolta and Richard Gere were considered for the lead role, but Stone chose Kilmer for his resemblance to Morrison and his strong voice.

Jennifer Tilly, who auditioned for the role of Morrison's friend and muse, recalled the audition:

Suddenly, a vintage convertible squealed up, with The Doors playing at full blast. A guy jumped out: tousled hair, barefoot, shirtless, wearing only tight leather pants. We looked at each other: Who is this guy? His spectacular entrance shocked us. Of course, it was Val Kilmer - and from that moment on, the other contenders for the role simply didn’t stand a chance.

Kilmer always immersed himself in the role. For the role of Jim Morrison, he lost weight, learned The Doors repertoire by heart, and practiced Morrison’s stage mannerisms until they were automatic. The surviving members of the group couldn’t tell the difference between Kilmer’s recordings and the original.

Kilmer's Women



Kilmer later recalled that his relationship with ex-wife Joanne Whalley, whom he met on the set of Willow, was hampered by his total commitment to the role of Jim Morrison, as he spent much of the year essentially acting as if he were a troubled rocker rather than Val Kilmer. The couple had a daughter, Mercedes, and a son, Jack.

Val Kilmer and singer Cher dated in the mid-1980s. Their romance began after they met on the set of the film "The Mask" (1985), where Cher played one of the main roles, and Val played a secondary character. At that time, he also had a short affair with actress Daryl Hannah, the breakup with whom Kilmer called the most painful in his life.

Val Kilmer makes enemies in Hollywood



"Spartan" (2004)

In 1995, Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton in "Batman Forever", but later admitted that the role was not right for him and turned down the sequel "Batman & Robin". He said he felt like a puppet in a bat suit. It must be said that he didn't like "Top Gun" at first either. He called the script stupid and even tried to sabotage the audition by reading the text as emotionlessly as possible. But during the filming process, he changed his mind.



"Batman Forever" (1995)

His reputation as a "difficult" actor resulted in a conflict with director Joel Schumacher, who called Kilmer's behavior "unbearable and childish."

John Frankenheimer, who directed him in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), put it more bluntly:

I don't like Val Kilmer. I don't like his work ethic, and I don't want to have anything to do with him.



"The Island of Doctor Moreau" (1996),

The actor retorted:

When some criticize me for being demanding, it is a cover for their own failures. I do not consider myself demanding, but passionate, and I do not apologize for this.



"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005)

"He "irritated people with his enigma," said Oliver Stone, one of many who believed that Kilmer always first pushed away colleagues and acquaintances, and then won them over again with his boundless charm.

Robert Downey Jr., who played with him in the ironic detective Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), said that at first he hated Kilmer, but eventually became friends with him for life.

In 1996, Entertainment Weekly magazine wrote in an article "Val Kilmer Makes Enemies in Hollywood": "Many in Hollywood don't want to work with him, no matter how big the box office success of a film with his participation will be"

Later, the actor admitted that he really behaved impudently on the set, but noted that in his soul he is not like that at all.



With Robert De Niro in the film "Heat"

Despite the fact that Kilmer did have a bad reputation in Hollywood, some filming went very well. For example, the filming of the cult film "Heat". Here's how Kilmer remembered it:

Imagine being on first-name terms with Pacino and De Niro and calling them Al and Bob. Not many people get that chance. I saw Bob giggling like a schoolgirl in a van at night - we had to stay quiet because they were filming outside. I was hugged by Al Pacino in downtown Los Angeles like I was his little brother. I fired live ammunition from machine guns over Bob's head while we were rehearsing. I kissed Ashley Judd. I lived at Michael Mann's house sometimes. I starred in one of the greatest cops and robbers movies ever made - definitely in the top 20. I got to be on the poster, goddamn it! What an honor!

An incredible experience. I got to watch the masters work. Being around legends makes you better.

I loved every minute of it.

A Scary Diagnosis and Mark Twain



Val Kilmer as Mark Twain

In the 2000s, Kilmer's career stalled. In 2004, he returned to the theater. He spent years working on a one-man show, Citizen Twain, exploring the relationship between Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy and her longtime critic, writer Mark Twain. The show, which he toured the United States with, was later turned into a 90-minute film directed by Kilmer himself. Incidentally, Kilmer had gained a lot of weight at the time, for which he was often criticized. The actor later thanked Mark Twain for getting back into shape thanks to his passion for his life and work, detailed research, and work on the show.



"Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

In 2014, the actor was diagnosed with throat cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation led to a tube being inserted into his trachea, which made breathing difficult.

As a Christian Science practitioner, Kilmer had mixed feelings about medical intervention, sometimes attributing improvements to prayer rather than treatment. At times, he denied having cancer altogether. It was only in 2017 that the actor admitted that he had been cured of cancer. The effects of the disease and treatment continued to make themselves felt for the rest of his life.

In 2021, he released the documentary Val about his life, where he revealed the darkest moments: the accidental death of his brother Wesley as a teenager and the collapse of his own marriage.

In 2022, he managed to play his last star role. "Top Gun: Maverick" brought Kilmer and Cruise together again. The actor's illness could no longer be hidden - instead, it was written into the storyline of his character.



Val Kilmer will be remembered as a complex person and a talented, but difficult actor. He never lived the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle that his looks and fame would have allowed him to, instead preferring to spend time with his children on his ranch in New Mexico.

In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Val Kilmer explained his absence from the Hollywood scene for a decade and acknowledged that his career trajectory had been unusual:

I have no regrets. As cliché as it sounds, it's true: Once you're a star, you're a star forever - it's just a matter of what level.

Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025, according to his daughter Mercedes. He was 65.