Best known for his work as Jim Morrison, Batman, and Iceman, among other roles, actor Val Kilmer has passed away from pneumonia at the age of 65.

“If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it.” – Roger Ebert in his review of Thunderheart, April 3, 1992

Most recently, Kilmer reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. By this point, Iceman had been promoted to Admiral and served as the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Unfortunately, his character was battling terminal cancer and died. Kilmer himself had been diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2015. The actor went onto recover from throat cancer.

Kilmer’s debut came in Top Secret! The 1984 movie was directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker (ZAZ). The ZAZ trio co-wrote the spoof movie with Martyn Burke. If you’re looking to watch this as tribute to Val Kilmer, it’s only streaming for free on Pluto TV. That being said, it’s available to purchase or rent through digital retailers. After later appearing as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors in 1991, Kilmer showed up for a cameo in the Tony Scott-directed and Quentin Tarantino-penned True Romance, playing Mentor.

In the aforementioned review of the Michael Apted-directed Thunderheart, Ebert had the following to say about Kilmer’s work:

“In movies as different as Real Genius, Top Gun, Top Secret! and the made-for-cable Billy the Kid, he has shown a range of characters so convincing that it’s likely most people, even now, don’t realize they were looking at the same actor.”

When Michael Keaton didn’t return following Batman Returns, Val Kilmer stepped into play Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman, in 1995. It would be a short-lived role as the Dark Knight. Despite facing both Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey), George Clooney replaced Kilmer in 1997’s Batman and Robin, killing the franchise for almost a decade. The same year, Kilmer also co-starred in Michael Mann’s Heat.

In the late 1990s, Val Kilmer voiced the role of Moses and G-d in DreamWorks Pictures’ Oscar-winning animated film, The Prince of Egypt. The film is currently streaming on Peacock as of April 1. It’s unfortunate timing with Kilmer’s death but the film is certain to get a lot of play with Passover starting at sundown on April 12.

While promoting The Prince of Egypt, Val Kilmer admitted to Penelope Dening and The Irish Times that there’s a universe where he makes his debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders. He chose to stay with his theater commitments at the time.

“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.”

What could have been. The film is notable for being Rob Lowe’s debut and it would later spark the Brat Pack genre that followed in the 1980s. It does make one wonder what sort of roles would have followed had Kilmer started out with the Coppola film.

Amazon Studios released the Leo Scott and Ting Poo-directed documentary on Val Kilmer in August 2021, VAL. In addition to his filmography, the watching or rewatching the documentary is an appropriate way to pay tribute to the actor. The film is raw, original, and unflinching in its look at the artist in his lifetime, which has now tragically been cut short.

May Val Kilmer’s memory be for a blessing.

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