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Val Kilmer

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Val Kilmer
Kilmer smiling
Val Kilmer at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Val Edward Kilmer

(1959-12-31) December 31, 1959 (age 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationJuilliard School (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1981–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1996)​
Children2, including Jack Kilmer
Websitevalkilmer.com

Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959)[1][2] is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991). He was cast as a main character in films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995), and continued to star in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer; he had a procedure on his trachea that damaged his vocal cords to the point where he had extreme difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies.[3][4][5][6] In 2020, he published his memoir, titled I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir.[7] The 2021 documentary film Val documents his health issues and career. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.[8] He was one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s; films featuring him have grossed over $3.5 billion at the worldwide box-office.[9] In 1992, critic Roger Ebert wrote, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".[10]

Early life

[edit]

Kilmer was born December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, California,[1] the second of three sons to Gladys Swanette (née Ekstadt)[11] and Eugene Dorris Kilmer.[12] His mother was of Swedish descent.[13] His other ancestry includes Irish, German and Cherokee roots.[14] His parents divorced in 1968 when he was 8 years old. His mother later married William Bernard Leach in 1970. Kilmer's grandfather was a gold miner in New Mexico, near the border with Arizona.[15] In 1977, Kilmer's younger brother Wesley, who had epilepsy, drowned in a jacuzzi at age 15.[16][17]

He attended Chatsworth High School with Kevin Spacey.[1] His high school girlfriend was Mare Winningham.[18] He became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the Juilliard School's Drama Division, where he was a member of Group 10.[19]

Career

[edit]

1980s

[edit]

Kilmer declined a role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film The Outsiders, as he had prior theater commitments.[20] In 1983, he appeared off Broadway in The Slab Boys with Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, and Jackie Earle Haley. That same year, his first off-stage acting role (excluding television commercials) came in the form of an episode of ABC Afterschool Special called One Too Many, which was an educational drama on drinking and driving;[21] it also starred a young Michelle Pfeiffer. Also in 1983, Kilmer self-published a collection of his own poetry entitled My Edens After Burns, that included poems inspired by his time with Pfeiffer. The book of poems is difficult to obtain and expensive; known second-hand copies cost $300 and up.[22][23][24]

His big break came when he received top billing in the comedy spoof of spy movies Top Secret!, in which he played an American rock and roll star. Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and released an album under the film character's name, "Nick Rivers".[25] While garnering more substantial roles and prestige, he also gained a reputation for his charisma and promiscuity, dating numerous women.[24]

During a brief hiatus, he backpacked throughout Europe before going on to play the lead character in the 1985 comedy Real Genius. He turned down a role in David Lynch's Blue Velvet[26] before being cast as naval aviator "Iceman" in the action film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise. Top Gun grossed a total of over $344 million worldwide and made Kilmer a major star.[27] Following roles in the television films The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, Kilmer portrayed Madmartigan in the fantasy Willow; he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley, on the film's set. Kilmer starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet in 1988. In 1989, Kilmer played the lead in both Kill Me Again, again opposite Whalley, and in TNT's Billy the Kid.

1990s

[edit]

1990–1995

[edit]

After several delays, director Oliver Stone finally started production on the film The Doors, based on the story of the band of the same name.[28] Kilmer spoke with Oliver Stone early on, concerned about what he might want to do with the story because Kilmer did not believe in or want to promote substance abuse. Kilmer saw Jim Morrison as having picked the wrong heroes, who had different issues, which were not part of the creativity or inspiration. Kilmer saw Morrison's story as one that could be told "a thousand different ways" and did not want to tell it by playing the role in the style of drugs, with which Oliver Stone agreed.[citation needed] Kilmer memorized the lyrics to all of lead singer Morrison's songs prior to his audition and sent a video of himself performing some Doors songs to director Stone.[29] Stone was not impressed with the tape, but Paul A. Rothchild (the original producer of the Doors) said "I was shaken by it" and suggested they record Kilmer in the studio. After Kilmer was cast as Morrison, he prepared for the role by attending Doors tribute concerts and reading Morrison's poetry.[30]

He spent close to a year before production dressing in Morrison-like clothes, and spent time at Morrison's old hangouts along the Sunset Strip. His portrayal of Morrison was praised and members of the Doors noted that Kilmer did such a convincing job that they had trouble distinguishing his voice from Morrison's.[28] Paul Rothchild played Kilmer's version of "The End" for the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, who told him, "I'm really glad they got 'The End'. We never got a recording of that live with Jim and now we've got it." However, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek was less than enthusiastic with how Morrison was portrayed in Stone's interpretation.[31]

In the early 1990s, Kilmer starred in the mystery thriller Thunderheart, the action comedy The Real McCoy, and again teamed with Top Gun director Tony Scott to play Elvis Presley in True Romance, which was written by Quentin Tarantino. In 1993, Kilmer played Doc Holliday in the western Tombstone alongside Kurt Russell. In the film, Doc Holliday performs Chopin's Nocturne in E minor, Op.72, No. 1; however, Kilmer does not play the piano and he practiced that one piece for months in preparation.[32] In 1995, Kilmer starred in Wings of Courage, a 3D IMAX film, and that same year, he starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, which is now considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s.[33]

Batman

[edit]

In December 1993 Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher had seen Tombstone and was most impressed with Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday. Schumacher felt him to be perfect for the role of Batman, though at the time, the role was still Michael Keaton's.[34] In July 1994, Keaton decided not to return for a third Batman film after 1992's Batman Returns,[35] due to "creative differences".[34] William Baldwin (who previously worked with Schumacher on Flatliners) was reported to be a top contender, though just days after Keaton dropped out, Kilmer was cast.[35] Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script.[34]

Released in June 1995, Batman Forever was a success at the box office,[36] despite receiving mixed reviews from critics.[37] There was debate about Kilmer's performance: some critics, like The New York Times' Janet Maslin, thought Kilmer was a poor successor to Keaton in the part;[38] while others, such as Roger Ebert, had kind words for Kilmer.[39] Batman co-creator Bob Kane said in a Cinescape interview that of all the actors to have played Batman up to that point, he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin (who criticized the dark tone contained in Batman Returns) complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews.[40] Defenders of Batman Forever praised the film for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a socialite and a very public figure rather than the neurotic recluse of the previous films.

In February 1996, Kilmer decided not to return for another Batman feature film, feeling that Batman was being marginalized in favor of the villains[41] and because of scheduling problems with The Saint. George Clooney replaced Kilmer as Batman in 1997's Batman & Robin. There were also reports that Kilmer had a bad working relationship with Schumacher, as another reason for not reprising the role.[42][43]

1996–1999

[edit]

In 1996 he appeared in a largely unknown film, Dead Girl, and starred alongside Marlon Brando in the poorly received[44] The Island of Dr. Moreau. That year, Kilmer starred alongside Michael Douglas in the thriller The Ghost and the Darkness. In 1997 he played Simon Templar in the popular action film, The Saint. Kilmer looked forward to the title role as a change toward a more fun, less serious action thriller, while enjoying the "master of disguise" chameleon characters like a mad artist, a nerdy British scientist, a cleaner, and a Russian mob boss. Kilmer also wrote the poetry in the film.[citation needed] He received a salary of $6 million for the movie.[41] The Saint was a financial success, grossing $169.4 million worldwide.[45]

In 1998, he voiced Moses in the animated film The Prince of Egypt, before starring in the independent film Joe the King (1999). Also in 1999, he played a blind man in the drama/romance At First Sight, which he described as being, of then, the hardest role he had ever had.[46]

2000s

[edit]
Kilmer looking down at paper
Kilmer in 2005

Kilmer's first role in 2000 was in the big budget Warner Bros. box office disaster[47] Red Planet. That same year, he had a supporting role in the film Pollock and hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. In 2002, he starred in the thriller The Salton Sea, which was generally well-reviewed,[48] but received only a limited release.[49] The same year, he teamed with his True Romance co-star, Christian Slater to appear in the low-budget film, Hard Cash, also known as Run for the Money.

In 2003, Kilmer starred alongside Kate Bosworth in the drama/thriller Wonderland, portraying porn star John Holmes. He also appeared in The Missing, where he again worked with Willow director Ron Howard. The next year, he starred in David Mamet's Spartan, where he played a United States government secret agent who is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter of the President. He received Delta Force-like training in preparation for the role.[50] Subsequently, he had a role in the drama, Stateside, and starred (again with Slater) in the thriller Mindhunters, which was filmed in 2003 but not released until 2005. Kilmer next appeared in the big budget Oliver Stone production, Alexander, which received poor reviews.[51]

Also in 2004, Kilmer returned to the theater to play Moses in a Los Angeles musical production of The Ten Commandments: The Musical, produced by BCBG founder Max Azria.[52] The production played at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and also featured Adam Lambert. Kilmer had previously played Moses in the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Finally in 2004, Kilmer appeared in an episode of Entourage, where he played a Sherpa whose primary source of income was growing, harvesting and distributing high-quality cannabis, all under a guise of metaphysical insights.

Kilmer standing next to 50 Cent who is being interviewed
Kilmer with 50 Cent at the AMAs 2009

Kilmer was in negotiations with Richard Dutcher (a leading director of Mormon-related films) to play the lead role in a film entitled Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith, although the project never materialized.[53]

Kilmer performed in The Postman Always Rings Twice on the London stage from June to September 2005.[54] In 2005, he co-starred with Robert Downey, Jr. in the action-comedy film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. His performance was praised and the film was well reviewed,[55] but it received only a limited release.[56] It later won the award for "Overlooked Film of the Year" from the Phoenix Film Critics Society.

In 2006, he reunited with director Tony Scott a third time for a supporting role opposite Denzel Washington in the box-office hit Déjà Vu. The song "Val Kilmer" was named after him on Bowling for Soup's 2006 album The Great Burrito Extortion Case. The song was later used for a Ford Motors commercial on season 10 of American Idol in 2011. In 2007, he guest-starred on the hit TV series Numb3rs in the episode "Trust Metric", portraying torture expert Mason Lancer. That same year, he released a CD, proceeds of which went to his charity interests.[citation needed] In 2008, Kilmer starred alongside Stephen Dorff in the Sony and Stage 6 film Felon. The film was given only a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles in 2008, but it developed into a success secondary to positive word of mouth.[citation needed]

Kilmer was the voice of the car KITT for the 2008 Knight Rider TV pilot film and the following television series. He replaced Will Arnett, who had to step down from the role due to contractual conflict with General Motors.[citation needed] In keeping with tradition established by the original Knight Rider series and original KITT actor William Daniels, Kilmer was uncredited for the role on-screen.[citation needed] He next starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the Werner Herzog film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and alongside Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in Streets of Blood. Both were released in 2009. He appeared as the main antagonist "Mongoose" in a live TV series adaptation of the comic/video game of XIII on NBC in 2009.

2010s

[edit]

In 2010 Kilmer starred in Michael Oblowitz's horror film The Traveler, in which he played the vengeful spirit of a man who had been tortured and murdered while in police custody. In November 2010, Kilmer was filming in Kelseyville, California. He was finally able to work with his lifelong friend Francis Ford Coppola and star in the film Twixt. The film was filmed mostly on Coppola's estate in Napa County. The filming was expected to take five weeks and was being independently funded by Coppola. In 2010, Kilmer appeared as the villain Dieter Von Cunth in MacGruber and had a small cameo role in the music video for Tenacious D's "To Be the Best".

Kilmer spoke at the May 5, 2010, commencement ceremonies of William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri.[57] During his week-long visit on campus, he also performed his one-man play, Citizen Twain.[58][59] He received an honorary doctorate "in recognition of his creative abilities and his contributions to art and theater."[59]

In 2012, Kilmer received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word. He also starred in Harmony Korine's short film The Lotus Community Workshop, part of the collaborative film The Fourth Dimension. He plays a version of himself from an alternate reality: a former actor turned self-help guru. The Fourth Dimension is a collection of three standalone short films about parallel universes produced by Vice Films in collaboration with Grolsch Film Works, a new division of the namesake beer company. Kilmer notes that his addition to the list of actors, including John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) and Al Pacino (Jack and Jill), that mock their real-life persona in fictional movies was an accident and says, "I still love saying the premise because it makes me laugh every time."[60]

In 2002, Kilmer worked on a film about the life of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science church,[61] and Mark Twain, one of her most famous critics. The film is about the lives and relationship of Eddy and Twain as "a quirky, tender, tragicomic portrait of two contrasting lives, set against the backdrop of Gilded Age America."[62] Citizen Twain was initially performed as a one-man show Hollywood workshop in April 2012; it then became the basis of Kilmer's film project, which would be his directorial debut.[60] The 90-minute film version of his one-man stage show was released as Cinema Twain.[63]

In 2013, he reunited with his Top Gun co-star Anthony Edwards in the Disney animated movie Planes. Kilmer voiced the character Bravo, while Edwards supplied Echo. Kilmer also played the role of Detective Dobson in the series finale of the television show Psych.

In 2017, Kilmer appeared in Song to Song opposite Rooney Mara and Ryan Gosling and directed by Terrence Malick.[64][65] Kilmer also appeared in the 2017 film The Snowman, opposite Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson and directed by Tomas Alfredson.

2020s

[edit]

In August 2020, Kilmer shared the screen with his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, for the first time in Paydirt.[66]

Kilmer reprised his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky for the Top Gun sequel Top Gun: Maverick, which was released on May 27, 2022.[67]

Personal life

[edit]

Kilmer is a lifelong Christian Scientist, and upon his throat cancer diagnosis referred to it in the press as "the suggestion of throat cancer," opting not to explicitly associate himself with such a diagnosis. He underwent chemotherapy despite it being conventionally against his religion.[68]

In 2011, Kilmer sold his 6,000-acre (2,400 ha) ranch in New Mexico, where he would trek, hike, fish, and raise bison.[61]

Kilmer wearing an elaborate king outfit, covered in foil
Kilmer reigning as Bacchus at a 2009 Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans

Relationships and family

[edit]

Kilmer has dated Cher, Lesley Ann Warren, Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Daryl Hannah and Ellen Barkin.[69]

Kilmer was married to actress Joanne Whalley from March 1988 to February 1996. The two met while working together on the film Willow. They have two children, a daughter, Mercedes (b. 1991), and a son, Jack (b. 1995).

Reputation

[edit]

Kilmer has a reputation for being difficult to work with and having feuds with some of the actors with whom he has worked, notably The Island of Dr. Moreau co-star Marlon Brando and Red Planet and Heat co-star Tom Sizemore.[70] Kilmer's Tombstone co-star, Michael Biehn, said: "People ask me what it's like to work with Val Kilmer. I don't know. Never met him. Never shook his hand. I know Doc Holliday, but I don't know [Kilmer]."[71]

Richard Stanley, who directed Kilmer for three days in The Island of Dr. Moreau before being fired, recalled, "Val would arrive, and an argument would happen."[72] John Frankenheimer, who replaced Stanley said, "I don't like Val Kilmer, I don't like his work ethic, and I don't want to be associated with him ever again." Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher called Kilmer "childish and impossible".[72]

When Kilmer's At First Sight co-star Mira Sorvino was asked about his reputation as "difficult to work with", she responded: "You know what, he was real easy to work with. I just hate furthering rumors about people being difficult, because it can do such enormous damage to their careers. My experience with him was nothing but positive. He was really professional and gentlemanly, and a terrific actor."[73]

Political views and charity work

[edit]

Kilmer made several trips to New Orleans to help in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.[74] Kilmer is a supporter of Native American affairs and an advocate of environmental protection.[75] He briefly considered running for Governor of New Mexico in 2010, but decided against it.[76]

In May 2013, Kilmer lobbied Congress on behalf of the Equitable Access to Care and Health Act, or EACH Act (H.R. 1814), a bill "to provide an additional religious exemption from the individual health coverage mandate" of Obamacare.[77][78]

Kilmer is an avid musician; he released a CD called Sessions with Mick in 2007.[79]

Health

[edit]

In January 2015, Kilmer was hospitalized for what his representative said were tests for a possible tumor. Kilmer said on social media, "I have not had a tumor, or a tumor operations [sic], or any operation. I had a complication where the best way to receive care was to stay under the watchful eye of the UCLA ICU."[80] After previously denying persistent rumors that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Kilmer said in April 2017 that he had experienced a "healing of cancer".[81][82] In December 2017, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Kilmer had gone through a "two-year battle with throat cancer" and that "a procedure on his trachea has reduced his voice to a rasp and rendered him short of breath". In order to speak, Kilmer plugs an electric voice box in his trachea.[3] Due to the cancer, Kilmer underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies.[3][4][5][6]

Kilmer reported in 2020 that he had been cancer-free for four years, but he detailed ongoing struggles with medical treatments including the use of a feeding tube to eat.[83] In 2021, Kilmer worked with Sonantic, a London-based software company, to digitally recreate his voice using AI technology and archived audio recordings of his voice.[84] Over 40 vocal models were generated to find the closest match, which could then be used in future projects.[85][86] For the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski said that, despite reports to the contrary, they did not use Sonantic's AI technology in the film, and instead used Kilmer's actual voice, although it was digitally altered for clarity.[87]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Film work by Val Kilmer
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Top Secret! Nick Rivers
1985 Real Genius Chris Knight
1986 Top Gun Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky
1988 Willow Madmartigan
1989 Kill Me Again Jack Andrews
1991 The Doors Jim Morrison
1992 Thunderheart FBI Agent Ray Levoi
1993 The Real McCoy J.T. Barker
Tombstone Doc Holliday
True Romance Elvis Presley
1995 Batman Forever Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heat Chris Shiherlis
Wings of Courage Jean Mermoz
1996 The Island of Dr. Moreau Dr. Montgomery
The Ghost and the Darkness Col. John Henry Patterson
Dead Girl Dr. Dark
1997 The Saint Simon Templar
1998 The Prince of Egypt Moses / God Voice
1999 At First Sight Virgil 'Virg' Adamson
Joe the King Bob Henry
2000 Pollock Willem de Kooning
Red Planet Robby Gallagher, Engineer
2002 The Salton Sea Danny Parker / Tom Van Allen
Hard Cash FBI Agent Mark C. Cornell Direct-to-video
2003 Wonderland John Holmes
The Missing Lieutenant Jim Ducharme
Blind Horizon Frank Kavanaugh
Masked and Anonymous Animal Wrangler
2004 Spartan Sergeant John / Bobby Scott
Stateside Staff Sergeant Skeer
Alexander Philip II of Macedon
George and the Dragon 'El Cabillo' Uncredited cameo
2005 Mindhunters FBI Agent Jake Harris
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Perry Van Shrike
2006 Summer Love 'The Wanted Man' Direct-to-video
Moscow Zero Andrey
10th & Wolf Murtha
Played Dillon Direct-to-video
Déjà Vu Agent Paul Pryzwarra
2007 Have Dreams, Will Travel Henderson
2008 Conspiracy William 'Spooky' MacPherson Direct-to-video
Felon John Smith
Delgo General Bogardus Voice
2:22 Maz Direct-to-video
Columbus Day John Direct-to-video; also producer
The Love Guru Val Kilmer Uncredited cameo
2009 The Chaos Experiment James Pettis Direct-to-video
Streets of Blood Detective Andy Devereaux
American Cowslip Todd Inglebrink
The Thaw Dr. David Kruipen Direct-to-video
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Detective Stevie Pruit
Hardwired Virgil Kirkhill Direct-to-video
Double Identity Dr. Nicholas Pinter / John Charter
2010 The Traveler The Stranger / Mr. Nobody / Stanley Happerton
Bloodworth Warren Bloodworth
MacGruber Dieter Von Cunth
Gun Angel Direct-to-video
2011 Kill the Irishman Detective Joe Manditski / Narrator
Blood Out Arturo Direct-to-video
5 Days of War Dutch Journalist
Twixt Hall Baltimore
2012 Seven Below Bill McCormick Direct-to-video
Wyatt Earp's Revenge Older Wyatt Earp
The Fourth Dimension Val Kilmer Segment: "Lotus Community Workshop"
Breathless Dale Direct-to-video
2013 Riddle Sheriff Richards
Planes Bravo Voice
Standing Up Hofstadder
Palo Alto Stewart
2014 Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
2017 Song to Song Duane
The Snowman Gert Rafto
The Super Walter
2018 1st Born Biden
2019 Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Val Kilmer / Reboot Bluntman Cameo
Cinema Twain Mark Twain Filmed version of Citizen Twain.[63]
2020 A Soldier's Revenge C.J. Connor
Paydirt Sheriff Tucker
2021 The Birthday Cake Uncle Angelo
Val Himself Documentary
2022 Top Gun: Maverick Admiral Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky
2025 Zootopia 2 TBA[citation needed] Voice; Post production

Television

[edit]
Television work by Val Kilmer
Year Title Role Notes
1983 ABC Afterschool Special Episode: "One Too Many"
1986 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Phillipe Huron Television film
1987 The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains Robert Eliot Burns / Eliot Roberts Television film
1989 Billy the Kid William H. Bonney / Billy the Kid Television film
2000 Saturday Night Live Himself Episode: "Val Kilmer/U2"
2004 Entourage The Sherpa Episode: "The Script and the Sherpa"
2007 Numb3rs Mason Lancer Episode: "Trust Metric"
2008 Comanche Moon Inish Scull 3 episodes; also associate producer
XIII: The Conspiracy Mongoose Television miniseries
2008–2009 Knight Rider KITT Voice
18 episodes; uncredited
2013 Life's Too Short Himself Episode: "Special"
Ghost Ghirls Sweetriver Jackson 2 episodes
2014 The Spoils of Babylon General Cauliffe 3 episodes
Psych Detective Dobson Episode: "The Break-Up"
2021 The Choe Show Himself
2022 Willow Madmartigan Archive footage

Theater

[edit]
Theater work by Val Kilmer
Year Title Role Venue
1981 Henry IV, Part 1 Hotspur / Ensemble Delacorte Theatre, Off-Broadway
1983 The Slab Boys Alan Downie Playhouse Theatre, Broadway
1992 'Tis Pity She's a Whore Giovanni The Public Theatre, Off-Broadway
2004 The Ten Commandments: The Musical Moses Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles
2005 The Postman Always Rings Twice Frank Playhouse Theatre, London
2012 Citizen Twain Mark Twain The Masonic Lodge, Los Angeles

Video games

[edit]
Video game work by Val Kilmer
Year Title Voice role
2011 Spider-Man: Edge of Time Walker Sloan

Music videos

[edit]
Music video work by Val Kilmer
Year Title Role Notes
2012 "To Be the Best" Himself Tenacious D
2016 "Animals" Himself Oneohtrix Point Never

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Kilmer, Val (2020). I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-4489-0.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Val Kilmer Biography: Film Actor (1959–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ "'If my name wasn't Valentine, I might enjoy the day'". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Abramovitch, Seth (December 20, 2017). "Val Kilmer Opens Up About Battling Cancer and His Kids' Showbiz Ambitions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Pappademas, Alex (April 21, 2020). "Val Kilmer Doesn't Believe in Death". Men's Health. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Day, Nate (August 3, 2020). "Val Kilmer says he's doing great after tracheotomy: 'I feel a lot better than I sound'". Fox News. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Taffy Brodesser-Akner (May 6, 2020). "What Happened to Val Kilmer? He's Just Starting to Figure It Out". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Kilmer 2020.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 27, 2021). "Amazon Studios Takes U.S. & Latin America On 'Val', A24 Documentary About Actor Val Kilmer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Val Kilmer - Box Office". The Numbers.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 3, 1992). Thunderheart Archived October 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  11. ^ "Obituary for Gladys Leach at Wickenburg Funeral Home & Crematory". Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "Eugene D. Kilmer; Industrialist, Developer". Los Angeles Times. April 30, 1993.
  13. ^ "Val Kilmer's Last Tango in Pecos". Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  14. ^ Leith, William (March 26, 2004). "A solitary man". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  15. ^ Aldridge, David (March 1994). "Going West". Film Review Magazine. Archived from the original on July 17, 2006. Retrieved October 24, 2009. His grandfather was a gold miner on the New Mexico border with Tombstone's Arizona.
  16. ^ Kennedy, Dana (April 21, 2002). "A Long-Lingering Grief That Serves a New Role". The New York Times. p. 54. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2009. ...his younger brother Wesley, who drowned 25 years ago. ... Despite the passage of time, Mr. Kilmer, 42, was still haunted by his brother's death ... [He] was 15 and an aspiring filmmaker when he died.
  17. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Taffy (May 6, 2020). "What Happened to Val Kilmer? He's Just Starting to Figure It Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "From 'Top Gun' to '10 Commandments,' Val Kilmer's New Book Details Highs and Lows". April 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Murphy, Geoffrey (December 2005). "Batman Returns to His Cave". The Juilliard Journal. Juilliard. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2006. Kilmer was accepted to Juilliard, the youngest person to be admitted to the Drama Division. (This record survived until the arrival of current third-year student Seth Numrich, who was accepted at age 15.)
  20. ^ Dening, Penelope (December 19, 1998). "Val finds his voice". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2005. Retrieved October 24, 2009. I turned down a role in The Outsiders, because I was doing Shakespeare at the time and I thought it was right to stay with the play. I don't think I would have made the same choice now. Because great careers came out of that. Tom Cruise and a whole bunch of actors.
  21. ^ "Val Kilmer". RetroJunk. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  22. ^ Bookride. "Bookride". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  23. ^ K. Kamarauskas. "VAL KILMER at THESPIAN NET".
  24. ^ a b "Val Kilmer". Yahoo Movies.
  25. ^ "Legendary Actors And Actresses Revisited – Val Kilmer – Movies Talk". Movies Talk. September 11, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  26. ^ "Kilmer's Regret over Early Decisions". ContactMusic. November 2, 2005. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  27. ^ "Top Gun". The Numbers.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2005. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
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  29. ^ Hall, Carla (March 3, 1991). "Val Kilmer, Lighting the Fire". Washington Post. pp. G1.
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