Val Kilmer, star of major hits including Top Gun, Batman Forever, Top Secret!, Willow, The Doors, Heat, Tombstone and reprising his role in Top Gun: Maverick, passed at age 65 on April 1, 2025. He died from pneumonia with his family and friends by his side in Los Angeles. Although not a veteran, his work on screen portraying military characters, especially Top Gun, has forever benefited the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy. The film led to the recruiting of millions of service members over the decades, most notably pilots. He leaves a legacy of great roles with unforgettable moments and quotable lines that will live on in cinema history. He had throat cancer in 2014, from which he recovered, despite two tracheotomies because of the cancer’s effects. Kilmer upheld Christian Scientist beliefs and was a member of the faith throughout his life. His faith’s beliefs kept him from seeking treatment for his cancer, even upon its return in the late 2010s and early 2020s. In his 2021 documentary titled Val, he stated, “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. And I am blessed.”
He made a name for himself in the 1984 comedy hit Top Secret!, which was made by the Zuckers, who did Airplane and the Naked Gun films. The movie panned Cold War era spy films and World War II movies. Real Genius came next and was another comedy, this time though in the science fiction realm. Then came the big one with Top Gun and his role as LT Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the rival pilot at Fighter Weapon School to Tom Cruise’s Pete “Mitchell” Maverick. The movie was a blockbuster, made over $350M at the box office and spawned the sequel Top Gun: Maverick in which Kilmer reprised his role, this time as Admiral “Iceman” Kazansky to Cruise’s Captain “Maverick” Mitchell. Top Gun: Maverick grossed over $1.4B at the box office and Kilmer gave an emotional performance in the film. Both films have inspired generations to join the U.S. military and have made for many quotable references, which bring a smile to people’s faces.
Kilmer’s career continued to progress through the late 80s and into the late 90s with hits such as Willow, directed by Ron Howard from a story written and then executive produced by George Lucas. The film was another box office hit with audiences. He broke new creative ground portraying Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. He should have been Oscar-nominated for his role in Tombstone as Doc Holliday. Kilmer’s work on screen made the film, not taking anything away from Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott or Dana Delaney, and his portrayal appears to be one of the most accurate Holiday performances of all time. Kilmer’s autobiography, which came out in 2020, is ironically named I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, which was one of his best lines as Holiday in the western epic. For the role, Kilmer filled his bed with ice to simulate dying from tuberculosis, which Holiday suffered from. His brief role as Elvis in True Romance further displayed his versatility and innate humor.
His 90s career was highlighted with lead roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Forever, a blockbuster hit, in Heat with De Niro and Pacino in the Michael Mann crime thriller and The Island of Dr. Moreau with the great Marlon Brando, which was unfortunately not well received. Heat is one of the best crime films of all time. Mann is working on a sequel, which sadly, Kilmer will not be able to be a part of. Mann stated about working with Kilmer, “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing a character.” Even though people said he was difficult to work with, his work ethic brought out great characters and made the movies most often level up. Roger Ebert is quoted as saying about Kilmer, “…if there is an award for most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it.”
Kilmer continued to act on film and on TV in the 2000s with Alexander, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Snowman. Although no longer at his peak, he still brought strong choices and emotional depth to his roles. Because of his impact on the industry, many stars and notable industry professionals have paid tribute to him, including Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Josh Brolin, Matthew Modine, Jennifer Tilly, Bill Simmons, Richard Roeper and Josh Gad. Kilmer collaborated with Coppola on his 2011 film Twixt. Kilmer is credited with 103 films and movies throughout his life.
We have much to remember him by. Some closing thoughts about his life: His upbringing in Chatsworth, based in the San Fernando Valley, which is a part of Los Angeles, was interesting. He attended high school with Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham. He attended Juilliard in the early 80s to hone his craft and was the youngest person ever accepted into their Drama Division, which led to his career taking flight in the 1980s. Kilmer grew up in a broken home with tragic happenings, such as the death of his younger epileptic brother, who drowned. He leaves behind a son, Jack Kilmer, who is an actor and a daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. We give our sincere condolences to the Kilmer family for their loss.