According to the New York Times, Val Kilmer, a veteran actor who was best known for his roles as Jim Morrison and Batman, passed away on Tuesday. His family reported the news to the publication. He was 65 years old.
He passed away from pneumonia, according to his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his passing. A diagnosis of throat cancer was made for Kilmer in 2014, but he ultimately made a full recovery.
Kilmer rose to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s thanks to his well-known performances as Jim Morrison in “The Doors” (1991), Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever” (1995), Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in “Top Gun” (1986), and Doc Holliday, a gunslinger, in “Tombstone” (1993).
In addition to attending Chatsworth High School, Kilmer was born in the city of Los Angeles. Eventually, he was accepted into the drama division of The Julliard School, making him the youngest individual to ever be enrolled into that division at the time.
After that, he quickly established himself as a working actor by landing a role in the off-Broadway production of “Slab Boys.” In this production, he played opposite Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon, two other actors who were relatively unknown at the time.
It was his role in the comedy picture “Top Secret!” from 1984 that brought him his first successful role. It was his performance as Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the film “Top Gun” from 1986 that is credited with catapulting him to superstardom and establishing him as a genuine Hollywood leading man.
In spite of the fact that Kilmer earned a reputation in Hollywood for being extremely picky and prone to accepting jobs that would test his abilities, he nonetheless managed to accumulate more than one hundred film credits to his name.
Although he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, he courageously resumed his part as Iceman Kazansky in the film “Top Gun Maverick” in 2022. This was accomplished despite the fact that he utilized a voice box to support his performance.
His son Jack, his daughter Mercedes, as well as his family and friends, are among those who will carry on his legacy.
