Heartbreaking news today as beloved actor Val Kilmer, one of the biggest stars of the eighties and nineties, has died at the age of 65. He reportedly passed away after a battle with pneumonia. He had been in failing health for years, and had recently endured a fight with throat cancer that took away his voice which he had become so accustomed to hearing. Kilmer’s health crisis was chronicled in the excellent documentary, Val.
Kilmer’s career took off like a rocket in 1984. How’s this for an opening four movies: Top Secret!, Real Genius, Top Gun, and Willow. The Los Angeles actor gave many iconic performances throughout his career after that, in films that have stood the test of time. He starred as Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Elvis Presley in True Romance, Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s Heat, and played the Dark Knight in Batman Forever. One of his most memorable performances came in 1991 when he played rocker Jim Morrison in The Doors.
Kilmer’s final performance was in Top Gun: Maverick, where he gave a bittersweet performance as Iceman in which he spoke very little and much of his dialogue was dubbed in.
Although he was largely robbed of the long career he could’ve had, Kilmer remains a true Hollywood icon and heartthrob. He will be forever known for the performances he gave as iconic characters. For me, he was the star of my all-time favorite comedy, Top Secret!, and proved from the start that he was a rare talent with many gifts.
All of us here at Punch Drunk Critics send our condolences to Kilmer’s friends and family.
