Category:Val Kilmer (nonfiction)

Val Edward Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025) was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he later found fame as a leading man in films in a wide variety of genres, including comedies, dramas, action adventures, westerns, historical films, crime dramas, science fiction films, and fantasy films.[1] Films in which Kilmer appeared grossed more than $3.85 billion worldwide.[2] In 1992, film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".[3]

Kilmer started his film career in the comedy films Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), before transitioning to dramatic films. He rose to prominence for playing Iceman in Top Gun (1986), Madmartigan in Willow (1988), Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993), Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995), Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995), Colonel John Henry Patterson in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Simon Templar in The Saint (1997), and the voice of Moses in The Prince of Egypt (1998). Kilmer made his final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), reprising his role from the original film.

On stage, Kilmer made his Broadway theatre debut acting in the John Byrne working class play The Slab Boys (1983). He also acted in productions of William Shakespeare's history play Henry IV, Part 1 (1981) and in the John Ford tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1992) both at The Public Theater. He portrayed Mark Twain in a one-man show he had written titled Citizen Twain in a 2012 production in Los Angeles.

In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He subsequently underwent a tracheal procedure that damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with severe difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies, and released his memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir (2020), and the documentary Val (2021), both of which detail his career and health struggles. He died of pneumonia on April 1, 2025 at the age of 65.