admin Val Kilmer, the charismatic and versatile actor best known for playing fan-favourite Iceman in Top Gun, donning the iconic cape in Batman Forever, and portraying Jim Morrison in The Doors, has passed away at the age of 65.
Kilmer died on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed in an email to the Associated Press. The Times was the first to report his passing. He died from pneumonia, having previously recovered from throat cancer, which led to two tracheotomies following his 2014 diagnosis.
“I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed,” Kilmer reflected in Val, the 2021 documentary about his career. “And I am blessed.”
Kilmer was the youngest actor ever admitted to the prestigious Juilliard School at the time, experiencing the highs and lows of fame more intensely than most. He gained recognition in the 1984 spy spoof Top Secret! before showcasing his comedic talent again in Real Genius (1985). Later, he demonstrated his flair for humour in films like MacGruber and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
His career peaked in the early 1990s when he became a sought-after leading man. He starred alongside Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton in 1993’s Tombstone, played Elvis Presley’s ghost in True Romance, and portrayed a demolition expert in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
“While working with Val on Heat, I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character,” Mann said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Actor Josh Brolin, a close friend of Kilmer, also paid tribute.
“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker,” Brolin wrote on Instagram. “There’s not a lot left of those.”
Kilmer, who trained in the Method-based Suzuki acting technique, was known for his deep dedication to roles. While portraying Doc Holliday in Tombstone, he reportedly filled his bed with ice to replicate the sensation of dying from tuberculosis. For his role as Jim Morrison, he wore leather trousers constantly, insisted on being addressed as Morrison on set, and immersed himself in The Doors’ music for an entire year.
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