Val Kilmer, star of ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman Forever’, dies at 65

Val Kilmer, iconic actor known for Top Gun and Batman Forever, dies at 65 after health struggles.

Hollywood star Val Kilmer, known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever, and The Doors, has died at 65. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed the news to The New York Times, stating that he passed away from pneumonia after years of health struggles following a throat cancer diagnosis in 2014.

With his striking looks and mercurial talent, Kilmer carved out a career that swung between leading-man stardom and eccentric, scene-stealing character work. His breakthrough came in 1984 with Top Secret!, a slapstick spy comedy that put to show his comedic timing and musical chops. But it was his turn as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the cocky, suave rival to Tom Cruise’s Maverick in Top Gun (1986), that put him on everyone’s radar. While playing Iceman, Kilmer reportedly stayed in character off-screen, keeping his distance from Tom Cruise to enhance their on-screen rivalry. He originally didn’t want the role but ended up making Iceman one of the film’s most iconic characters.

Kilmer’s dedication to his craft was legendary — sometimes infamously so. His portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991) remains one of his most celebrated performances, with Kilmer not only looking unsettlingly like the rock icon but also singing his own renditions of The Doors’ songs.

Despite a strong run of leading roles in the ‘90s, including Thunderheart (1992), Tombstone (1993), and The Saint (1997), his stint as Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995) received mixed reviews. Kilmer took on the mantle of the Dark Knight, but he later revealed that the Batsuit was so restrictive he could barely hear or move, making fight scenes and dialogue delivery a challenge. Though the film was a box-office success, Kilmer never returned to the role, later citing creative differences and discomfort with the constraints of the batsuit.

Off-screen, Kilmer developed a reputation for being difficult to work with. Stories from the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) painted him as combative, leading director John Frankenheimer to famously quip, “There are two things I will never do: climb Mt. Everest and work with Val Kilmer again.”

ALSO READ:‘Top Gun: Maverick’ movie review: Tom Cruise delivers box-office magic of the best kind

By the 2000s, major studio roles became less frequent, but he found a second wind in indie films and character roles. He delivered a sharp, self-aware turn in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), opposite Robert Downey Jr., and lent his voice to The Prince of Egypt (1998). His later years were marked by health struggles, and after losing his voice to cancer, he made an emotional return in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), where AI technology helped recreate his speech.