Hollywood Legend Val Kilmer Dies At Age 65
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Val Kilmer, the renowned American actor known for his iconic roles in “Top Gun” and his portrayals of Batman and Jim Morrison, has passed away at 65, according to the New York Times.
His daughter Mercedes Kilmer informed the Times that pneumonia was the cause of death. She noted that while her father had previously fought throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2014, he had recovered from that illness.
Kilmer’s journey to stardom began in theater before he made his memorable film debut as a charismatic rock star in the 1984 Cold War parody “Top Secret!” His breakthrough came two years later when he played the confident yet mostly silent fighter pilot Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, rival to Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” in the blockbuster “Top Gun.”
Throughout his diverse career spanning multiple decades, Kilmer moved effortlessly between major studio productions and independent films. He achieved leading man status portraying Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors,” chronicling the iconic singer’s transformation from an LSD-experimenting film student to the legendary frontman of the 1960s rock band.
RIP Val Kilmer, 65.
Played so many great roles but for me, he will always be Iceman. The way Tom Cruise got him back for the Top Gun sequel, knowing how ill he was, was incredibly poignant and brought a tear to my eye in the cinema. pic.twitter.com/vAq1eDFWjK— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) April 2, 2025
His career continued to flourish with appearances in the Quentin Tarantino-scripted “True Romance,” followed by starring roles alongside acting legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat.” He also donned the cape and cowl as Gotham’s defender in “Batman Forever,” bridging the gap between Michael Keaton and George Clooney’s interpretations of the character.
Despite a 1996 Entertainment Weekly cover story portraying him as Hollywood’s difficult child, a 2002 New York Times interview painted a different picture, describing Kilmer as friendly and self-deprecating. Director D.J. Caruso explained to the newspaper, “You have to learn to speak Val.”
Born on December 31, 1959, Kilmer began his acting career in childhood commercials. He made history as the youngest student ever admitted to Juilliard’s drama department and debuted on Broadway in 1983 alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.
I still remember hearing people in the theater cry during this moment between Val Kilmer & Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. I’m so incredibly thankful Cruise insisted on this scene because this moment is forever. RIP, Iceman. pic.twitter.com/qxoiEhz8wS
— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) April 2, 2025
After experiencing a career downturn in the early 2000s with a series of low-budget films, Kilmer was working on a comeback in the 2010s, developing a successful Mark Twain stage show with hopes of adapting it for film when cancer struck.
The 2021 documentary “Val,” which premiered at Cannes, offered an intimate look at his Hollywood journey and showed his post-tracheotomy struggles. When he returned as “Iceman” in “Top Gun: Maverick,” his real-life health challenges were incorporated into his character’s story.
Reflecting on his life through his website, Kilmer expressed gratitude for his “magical life” and his dedication to various art forms, including literature, film, poetry, painting, music, and wildlife observation.
According to the Times, Kilmer leaves behind his children, Mercedes and Jack Kilmer.
