Val Kilmer – movie icon, Batman and Top Gun star – dies aged 65 after illness
Michael Mann and Matthew Modine are among the Hollywood names paying tribute.
American actor Val Kilmer has died, aged 65.
The iconic star played Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever, a role he inherited from Michael Keaton, revealing in 1995 that he instantly accepted the major opportunity before even reading the script.
Director Joel Schumacher, who helmed Batman Forever and its much-maligned sequel Batman and Robin, once described Kilmer as the best Batman on screen.
However, it was fighter pilot drama Top Gun that became arguably the actor's most recognisable part, seeing him slip into the role of Iceman – the rival to Tom Cruise's Maverick.
Sadly, in 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer, for which he underwent tracheotomy surgery and eventually recovered – but it slowed down his acting career considerably.
Following the procedure, he primarily took roles in smaller projects, while he also made a special appearance in 2022's belated sequel Top Gun: Maverick, where his personal health journey was reflected in his character.
He passed away from pneumonia in Los Angeles, the city where he was born and raised, on 1st April, according to his daughter Mercedes Kilmer.
Among the actor's other well-known projects were fantasy adventure Willow, crime films True Romance, Heat and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, plus slapstick comedy Top Secret! and music biopic The Doors.
In 2021, he produced, wrote and appeared in a Prime Video documentary titled Val, which earned strong reviews from critics and charted the highs and lows of his career.
Falling into the latter category was the famously troubled production of 1996 horror flick The Island of Dr Moreau, where Kilmer starred opposite acting legend Marlon Brando, with whom he famously feuded.
Tributes to the actor have been paid by fellow Hollywood stars, including Frozen's Josh Gad, who described him as an "icon", and Stranger Things star Matthew Modine, who credited Kilmer for helping him get a role in war film Full Metal Jacket.
Meanwhile, Heat director Michael Mann said (via THR): "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.
"After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news."
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
