Val Kilmer transformed into pilots, rock stars, and more through the years. See photos of the late actor from when he was young.
Val Kilmer played fighter pilots, cowboys, superheroes, and rock stars —it seemed there was no character he couldn’t tackle. The star, born Dec. 31, 1959, was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors. Though he had been in films like The Outsiders and Top Secret!, he became a staple of the late 1980s in Top Gun as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.
In 2005, his role in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was well-received by critics despite its limited release. Val continued to act in the following decades, including appearances in The Traveler, MacGruber, and a cameo in Tenacious D’s video To Be The Best. He was diagnosed with throat cancer later in life, permanently affecting his voice and his acting career. In April 2025, Val died at the age of 65.
Scroll through the gallery below to remember the life and career of Val.
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Val Kilmer In ‘Top Gun’
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Val Kilmer poses in promo shots for 1986’s ‘Top Gun’. The Julliard-trained actor admitted he wasn’t too keen on the role originally in his 2021 doc Val.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t want to do Top Gun at first,” he reveals. “I thought the script was silly, and I disliked warmongering in films. But I was under contract with the studio, so I didn’t really have a choice.”
December 30, 2021, 2:06PM 2 of 12
Val Kilmer At The Premiere Of ‘The Saint’ In 1997
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Val Kilmer looks dapper in a suit, sandals, and red-tinted sunglasses at the premiere of ‘The Saint’ in April of 1997.
Val caught the acting bug early, growing up in Southern California. In his 2020 book ‘I’m Your Huckleberry’, he joked, “We lived next door to Roy Rogers and too close for comfort to Charles Manson.”
December 30, 2021, 2:07PM 3 of 12
Val Kilmer In 1995’s ‘Batman Forever’
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Val Kilmer is slick as Bruce Wayne AKA Batman in 1995’s ‘Batman Forever’, directed by Joel Schumacher.
Val was vocal about his disdain for the bulky bat-suit he wore during the film. Though he admitted the role was a dream for any little boy in his 2021 documentary ‘Val’, he said, “When you’re in [the bat suit], you can barely move and people have to help you stand up and sit down. You also can’t hear anything and after a while people stop talking to you. It’s very isolating.”
“It was a struggle for me to get a performance past the suit, and it was frustrating until I realized my performance was just to show up and stand where I was told to,” he added.
December 30, 2021, 2:07PM 4 of 12
Val Kilmer At The ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ Premiere In 1996
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Val Kilmer is handsome in an olive suit at the premiere of ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ on Oct. 13, 1996.
Val talked about fame with The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, remarking, “Fame is sort of a mess. You get treated differently, but it doesn’t have anything to do with who you actually are.”
He also admitted to being “too serious” during the height of his success, saying “I’d get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way.”
December 30, 2021, 2:07PM 5 of 12
Val Kilmer At A 2013 Shakespeare Reading
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Val Kilmer smiles while gracing the 23rd Annual Simply Shakespeare benefit reading in LA on Sep. 25, 2013.
For his role as Jim Morrison in ‘The Doors’ Val went deep into character. He told Variety in 2018, “I wore those Jim Morrison leathers for a year. And recorded five entire albums… that was unusual.”
April 21, 2020, 8:45AM
More AboutVal Kilmer
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Val Kilmer’s Kids At 2021 Cannes Film Festival
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Mercedes Kilmer and Jack Kilmer attend the ‘Val’ screening at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in France on July 7, 2021. Val Kilmer did not attend the screening of his documentary, which features footage he has taken himself throughout his life.
After spending some time out of the public eye and denying rumors he was sick, Val revealed he had “healed” from throat cancer in 2017. He had to undergo radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, leaving his voice permanently damaged.
Since, the star has opened up about his journey. “Now that it’s more difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever,” he says in his 2021 doc ‘Val’.
July 7, 2021, 11:30AM 7 of 12
Val Kilmer Attends Benefit For The Bard In 2013
Rob Latour/Shutterstock
Val Kilmer poses while at the 23rd Annual Simply Shakespeare Benefit in 2013. Despite being huge in Hollywood, Val professes he’s a ‘shy guy’ who enjoys living out in New Mexico.
Joking about his success, Val once said, “I never had a business plan. I did, actually – I’m lying. My business plan was to get lucky, and I did; that was great. And then my second business plan was to get lucky again, and there, I faltered.”
April 21, 2020, 8:45AM 8 of 12
Val Kilmer Soaks In The Spotlight
Paul A Hebert/Invision/AP/Shutte
Val Kilmer dons a hat to the 23rd Annual “Simply Shakespeare’ festival in Santa Monica.
Val talked about learning to speak again after cancer with Good Morning America in Aug. 2020. “It’s just like any other language or dialect,” he said “You have to figure out a way to communicate that’s no different than any other acting challenge, but it’s just a very unique set of circumstances.”
April 21, 2020, 8:45AM 9 of 12
Val Kilmer Poses In 2016
Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock
Val Kilmer poses for a portrait in Nashville, Tennessee.
Looking back at his career with The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, the former ‘Batman’ said, “I don’t have any regrets, but there are two to three jobs, that if you do those action movies, you’re secured as a certain global stature.”
“It’s an adage, but it’s kind of true: Once you’re a star, you’re always a star; it’s just what level? And I was in some big, wonderful movies and enjoyed a lot of success, but I didn’t sort of secure that position.”
April 21, 2020, 8:45AM 10 of 12
Val Kilmer’s Kids Attend His Documentary Premiere In 2021
Todd Williamson/January Images/S
Val Kilmer’s kids Mercedes Kilmer and Jack Kilmer attend Amazon Studios “Val” Premiere in L.A. on Aug. 3, 2021. Val did not attend the event as he was recovering from throat cancer.
Val admitted to having trouble speaking in his doc. “I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel,” he says with a raspy voice. “I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]. You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat,” he adds, noting his feeding tube. “It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”
August 4, 2021, 8:45AM 11 of 12
Val Kilmer Is An Icon
Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock
Val Kilmer poses for a portrait in Nashville, Tennessee on Nov. 1, 2016. He looked at ease wearing a handsome suit and wristwatch.
Val reflected on his life and legacy in his doc, saying, “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. I am blessed.”
April 21, 2020, 8:45AM 12 of 12
Val Kilmer in 2019
Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock
Val Kilmer appears on stage at a screening of ‘Top Gun’ in Austin, Texas in Sep. 2019.
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