Val Edward Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California to Gladys and Eugene Kilmer, a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. Kilmer studied at Hollywood's Professional's School and, in his teens, entered Juilliard's drama program. He began his professional acting career on stage and still participates heavily in theater. His silver screen debut came in the 1984 comedy Top Secret, which also starred Omar Sharif. He starred in numerous films throughout the 80s such as 1986’s Top Gun opposite Tom Cruise. His intense performance in the Oliver Stone directed 1991 biopic The Doors as the 1960s rock band’s lead singer Jim Morrison showcased Kilmer’s acting range and made Hollywood stand up and take notice of his talents. He also played Elvis Presley in the 1993 crime thriller True Romance co-starring with Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette and the late Dennis Hopper as well famed gunslinger Doc Holliday in the 1993 historical drama Tombstone opposite Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliott and the late Charlton Heston. He also took over the role of “Batman/Bruce Wayne” from Michael Keaton in 1995’s Batman Forever. In honor of his 54th birthday, here is a Top 10 list of Val Kilmer movies.
10. Red Planet: This 2000 sci-fi film had Kilmer starring with the future star of The Matrix trilogy Carrie Anne Moss, Benjamin Bratt, future star of The Mentalist Simon Baker and Tom Sizemore. Though billed a box-office failure, IMO, Kilmer’s portrayal of systems engineer Robby Gallagher was spot on as he and his team of fellow scientists tried desperately to see if life on Mars was possible to save mankind from a decaying Earth.
9. Deja Vu: This 2006 thriller mixed with sci-fi elements had Kilmer starring opposite Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Adam Goldberg and Bruce Greenwood. Directed by the late Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Kilmer played FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra, who teams up with Special Agent Doug Carlin (Washington) to use a special government that enables people to go back in time. They want to use it to stop the terrorist bombing of a loaded ferry. Kilmer’s part was small but it made an impact as he teamed with Washington’s character to stop the bombing from ever occurring. Though the constant time traveling back and forth might have confused moviegoers, the movie was a commercial success and Kilmer added another hit to his resume.
8. At First Sight: Kilmer starred opposite Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis, Steven Weber, Bruce Davison and Nathan Lane in this 1999 romantic drama based on the essay To See and Not to See in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings. Kilmer played Virgil Adamson, a blind masseur at a New York spa who meets Sorvino’s character and they fall in love. Kilmer conveyed his emotional side in this role of a man who lost his sight as a child, regains through surgery only to lose it again. Kilmer truly displayed a new acting range with this role showing he could express vulnerability on screen as well as fast-paced action.
7. Willow: This 1988 fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and with a story by George Lucas had Kilmer playing a warrior named Madmartigan, who helps take care of a baby, who is prophesized to bring about the downfall of the evil Queen. Co-starring his future wife Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Billy Barty and Rick Overton, this was one of Kilmer’s earliest movies and he shined in the role of protector with his buff body and assorted hijinks along the way. I’ve heard rumblings of a sequel and given the enormous hit similar movies like the Lord of the Rings movie franchise has been, I have no doubt Willow 2 would be spectacular!
6. Top Gun: This smash 1986 action romantic drama had Kilmer co-starring with future box-office superstar Tom Cruise as well as Kelly McGillis, future ER star Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, James Tolkan, Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan. Kilmer played Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, a fellow United States Naval Aviator, who competes with Cruise’s Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Kilmer got the chance to display his cocky side in the role as he and Cruise’s character constantly try to one-up each other.
5. Batman Forever: Kilmer took over the role of “Batman/Bruce Wayne” from Michael Keaton in this 1995 action fantasy continuation of the popular movie franchise that was directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Kilmer co-starred with Nicole Kidman as his love interest, Chris O’Donnell as his new sidekick Robin, Jim Carrey as The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, two psychopaths who team up to bring down the winged avenger. Kilmer played the role with more reserve than Keaton as the plot delved into Wayne’s subconscious and why he chose to become the Caped Crusader at all. IMO, I think Kilmer did a fine job in both the action and emotional scenes and would have liked to see him continue on in the role.
4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: This 2005 crime comedy gave Kilmer a chance to show Hollywood a side of him they hadn’t yet seen…his comedic side! The script was partially based on the Brett Halliday novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them. Co-starring with funnyman Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan and Corbin Bernsen, Kilmer played private investigator Perry van Shrike, who is hired to help Downey Jr’s character prep for his role in a movie. Kilmer and Downey Jr., played off each other famously as their characters got into one scrape after another after finding themselves entangled in a murder mystery. Kilmer’s off-the-wall expressions and body language throughout the movie shined new light on Kilmer’s acting range and the movie debuted at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
3. Tombstone: This 1993 western was based on events in Tombstone, Arizona, including the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride, during the 1880s and featured several western outlaws and lawmen, such as Wyatt Earp, Johnny Ringo and Doc Holliday. Co-starring with Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Jon Tenney, Thomas Haden Church, Dana Delany and the late Charlton Heston, Kilmer played Holliday, best friend of Wyatt Earp (Russell.) Kilmer portrayed the gritty, no-nonsense western legend with raw magnetism ensuring that along with his friend, there was still justice in the old West!
2. The Doors: This 1991 biopic directed by Oliver Stone had Kilmer playing the iconic lead singer of the 60s rock band, The Doors, Jim Morrison. Kilmer’s performance as the drug-addicted, free love rocker was well received by critics and put Kilmer on Hollywood’s radar. Though not well received by Morrison’s real-life family and friends, it co-starred Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Kathleen Quinlan, Kevin Dillon, Michael Wincott, Michael Madsen and Kelly Hu. With this role, Kilmer showed Hollywood that he could play drama to the hilt and do it well!
1. The Saint: This 1997 thriller had Kilmer in the title role opposite Elisabeth Shue. The film was loosely based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as The Saint, which ran until 1983. Kilmer played Templar, a thief and master of disguise, taking the aliases of various saints while conducting high technology robberies. Kilmer did it all in this movie. He played the action hero as well as the romantic as his character falls for Dr. Emma Russell (Shue) a beautiful young electrochemist, who just discovered a revolutionary cold fusion formula, which Kilmer’s character is hired to steal. Explosions, intrigue and romance filled this movie was a box office success and has garnered a cult following since its release.