HE MADE HIS name as villain but Val Kilmer will be remembered as one of the finest actors of his generation, after news dropped today that the actor has passed away from pneumonia, aged 65. Kilmer had battled throat cancer since being diagnosed in 2015.
Kilmer’s most memorable role was opposite Tom Cruise, as the testosterone-fuelled douchebag, Iceman, in Tony Scott’s 1986 airforce romp, Top Gun. He would reprise the role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, where his condition was clearly apparent. The actor communicated via text through a computer, before memorably managing to rasp a couple of lines to his compatriot, stirring his resolve.
Previously, Kilmer played tormented, self-loathing characters as Jim Morrison, Doc Holliday and Batman, his magnetic screen presence something of a calling card.
Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Kilmer also was known for his robust performances as Robert De Niro’s nasty henchman in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995); as Marlon Brando’s insane assistant in John Frankenheimer’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996); and as the homosexual detective Gay Perry in Shane Black’s tribute to film noir, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005).
Kilmer also memorably channelled Elvis Presley in Scott’s True Romance (1993), written by Quentin Tarantino, and porn star/cocaine addict John Holmes in Wonderland (2003).
How did Val Kilmer die?
Kilmer’s daughter, actress Mercedes Kilmer, told The New York Times her father had died from pneumonia in Los Angeles. The screen icon was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and underwent surgery, including a tracheotomy, which significantly impacted his ability to speak.
He was later declared cancer free, however, the condition wreaked havoc on his throat. In order to speak, Kilmer had an electric voice box inserted into his trachea, and, as he later revealed in his documentary Val, he could no longer talk unless he plugged the hole in his neck resulting from the tracheotomies. Damage to his mouth and throat was so extensive that Kilmer could no longer eat unless he was fed through a feeding tube.
What movies is Val Kilmer known for?
Kilmer was blessed with leading man looks yet chose to largely subvert them, picking roles that didn’t always show him in the kindest light. His most memorable turn was as Iceman, opposite Tom Cruise in 1986’s Tom Gun. Other memorable roles included his turn as Jim Morrison in The Doors and as the caped crusader in Batman Forever.
Related:
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