Top Gun actor Val Kilmer had an illustrious career and life in the spotlight before his death aged 65. His daughter Mercedes confirmed the sad news and revealed he died from pneumonia.
Val shot to fame alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 movie Top Gun. He took on the role of Iceman, who was a rival to Tom’s character Maverick. The star went on to land the role of Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and picked up critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors.
Val returned to Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, which has now become his final acting credit. Away from the big screen, Val battled health issues and was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.
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He underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as a tracheostomy, which damaged his vocal cords and left him learning to speak again. Heartbreakingly, Val had to make the choice to breathe or to eat due to needing to have meals through a feeding tube.
In his early life, Val was raised by his mum Gladys and real estate developer dad Eugene. Val was born on New Year’s Eve in 1959 in Los Angeles and went on to attend Chatsworth High School at the same time as Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham. When he was 17, he was reported to be the youngest person to be given a place at New York’s prestigious Juilliard drama school.
He married British actress Joanne Whalley in 1988, after they met while working on the Ron Howard-directed film Willow, which also saw him star alongside Warwick Davis. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Tributes have been pouring in for Val from his fans as well as Hollywood co-stars and friends. Here is a look back at his life from his heartthrob moments to iconic roles…
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1 of 19Hollywood heartthrob
Val was a Hollywood heartthrob throughout his career, having landed huge roles in blockbuster movies including Tombstone, Alexander and The Prince of Egypt. He dated a string of famous women in his time including Angelina Jolie, Cher, Cindy Crawford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Kilmer revealed in his 2020 memoir that he was fascinated by all women, describing them as ‘butterflies’. “I’ve always found women infinitely more interesting than men,” he wrote. “Perhaps that’s why we’ve always gotten along. We are big oafy elephants … and they are butterflies.”
Sadly, the star admitted to feeling ‘lonely’ in the later part of his life as he didn’t have a girlfriend for 20 years.
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Image:Paramount)
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2 of 19Top Gun launches career
Val shot to fame thanks to his role in Top Gun as naval aviator Iceman. It grossed a total of over $344 million worldwide and made Val a major star. (
Image:CBS via Getty Images)
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3 of 19Tom Cruise’s on-screen rival
Val starred alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun, who famously told Maverick: “You can be my wingman any time.” The pair reunited for their 2022 movie – Top Gun: Maverick. Speaking about their reunion, Tom said: “I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.
“I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional,” Cruise told Kimmel. “He’s such a brilliant actor, I love his work.”
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Image:Corbis via Getty Images)
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4 of 19Award-winning role
Val received critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison. He fully immersed himself in the role, having memorised the lyrics to all of Jim’s songs before his audition and even spent a year dressing in Morrison-like clothes before filming started. Members of The Doors noted he did such a good hob, they had trouble distinguishing Val’s voice from Jim. (
Image:Getty Images)
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5 of 19Taking on Batman
Val played Batman alongside actress Nicole Kidman, who took on the role of his love interest Dr Chase Meridian. (
Image:Corbis via Getty Images)
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6 of 19Batman leading role
The actor landed the role of Batman in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever in 1995 as he replaced Michael Keaton. He looked suave in behind the scene shots of him as Bruce Wayne. The movie has stayed as one of Val’s most iconic pieces of work.
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Image:Corbis via Getty Images)
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7 of 19Supporting Cher
He attended the 1983 Academy Awards with Cher, who he dated between 1982 and 1984 despite their 13-year age gap. Just last year, she revealed how she was “madly in love” with Val and admitted he left even though they had “fabulous sex.”
