On Wednesday April 2nd, the movie world woke up to the news that Val Kilmer had died following a lengthy illness. Just 65 at the time of his passing, the California-born star leaves behind an impressive screen legacy that saw him appear in over 80 feature films, with combined box office receipts of over $3.7 billion.
But it isn’t just his commercial successes that single him out as one of the best actors of his generation – within hours of his death being announced, some of Hollywood’s biggest names were queuing up to laud his acting abilities. Writing on X, James Woods said of his peer: “His rendition of Doc Holliday in Tombstone [1993] was what every actor dreams of achieving. So many wonderful performances. Sad to lose him so soon. RIP Val Kilmer.”
Josh Brolin, Kilmer’s co-star in True Grit (2010), wrote on Instagram: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
And director Michael Mann issued a statement honouring the late actor: “While working with Val on ‘Heat’ [1995], I always marvelled 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.”
Now it’s our turn to pay tribute to one of the finest actors of his generation. Here, we’ve put together five of the most memorable performances from Val Kilmer’s illustrious career…
1. Lt Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky (Top Gun, 1986)
No one doubts that Tom Cruise was the main man in Tony Scott’s jet-fuelled blockbuster, but the name ‘Iceman’ will forever be etched into the minds of anyone who’s seen the movie – and that’s testament to the man who played him. For his portrayal of Maverick’s (Cruise’s) main rival for the Top Gun Trophy, Kilmer conveyed the requisite dose of arrogance, but mitigated it with a likeability that made us all cheer when he and Maverick embraced at the end. It also made the character’s cameo appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, where the now-ailing pilot was played by a very poorly looking Kilmer, all the more poignant. It was to be the actor’s last film.
2. Jim Morrison (The Doors, 1991)
Who better to play the Lizard King than Val Kilmer, an actor who not only looked just like the Doors singer, but also had the range to convey the complex personality of a man living on a dangerous precipice of superstardom and substance abuse. So keen was Kilmer to land the role that he reportedly delivered an eight-minute audition tape in which he could be seen mimicking the various personas that Morrison had adopted during the course of his career. And having got the part, he’s said to have become so obsessed with the singer’s life that, once filming had finished, he had to go into therapy.
3. Doc Holliday (Tombstone, 1993)
A gambler, a gunfighter and a man of moral ambiguity, Doc Holliday was another complex role for Kilmer. The actor took it in his stride, though, striking a perfect balance between being darkly humorous and deeply tragic. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert was originally set to miss out on seeing George P. Cosmatos’ western, as he couldn’t find a screening. But hearing about Kilmer’s performance made him all the more determined. “People started telling me they really liked [his], and I heard this everywhere I went. When you hear this once or twice, it's interesting, when you hear it a couple of dozen times, it's a trend. And when you read that Bill Clinton loved the performance, you figured you better catch up with the movie.”
4. Chris Shiherlis (Heat, 1995)
Kilmer starred alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names in Michael Mann’s tense thriller – including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Jon Voight – but still gave a standout performance as the jaded criminal Chris Shiherlis, bringing a simmering intensity to the role. Later in his career, he shared fond memories of the whole experience, telling Reddit users: “I have shot live rounds from high-powered assault weapons over Bob’s head while rehearsing lines from our film. I got to kiss Ashley Judd. I sometimes lived at Michael Mann’s house. I am in one of the greatest cops and robbers films in history, has to be in the top 20. I am on the poster for goodness’ sake. What an honour! Priceless experience. Watching all the actors do their thing. We all work hard, but when you are with the icons, you get really squared away. Loved every minute of it”.
5. Batman (Batman Forever, 1995)
While it may not be the most distinguishable Batman film, and is probably best remembered for the U2 song that soundtracked it, but Kilmer’s only turn as the caped crusader still had plenty going for it, the actor delivering a broody yet compassionate portrayal that was underpinned by what Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described as a "deftly understated [...] comic edge". In the 2021 documentary Val, Kilmer can be heard playing down his contribution to the famous franchise, telling viewers: “Batman has fired the imaginations of countless kids while raking in billions for the comic book and film industries. You got to hand it to Batman. He’s far greater than any actor attempting to play him.” However, we’d love to have seen him donning the Batsuit again.
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