Val Kilmer, 'Batman Forever' & 'Top Gun' Star, Dies at 65

Val Kilmer, the movie star who broke on through with a charismatic turn as Jim Morrison and became one of the men to play Batman on the silver screen, died Tuesday in L.A., The New York Times confirmed.

The cause of death was pneumonia. He had struggled with throat cancer beginning in 2014, but his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed he had recovered from that battle.

He was 65.

The actor, who often felt hampered by his good looks — which nonetheless helped propel him into leading roles in a string of memorable hits and misses — had established himself as a gifted performer who was adept at receding into his roles.

In 2020, after years of rumors about the extent of his illness, a physically diminished Kilmer spoke to The New York Times about his work, his reputation for being difficult on set, and his history of ribbing his old "Top Gun" co-star Tom Cruise in high-profile interviews.

In the piece, he was revealed to be as enigmatic as his screen presence, but by then had settled into being an actor who was as widely admired as he was the subject of gossip.

Before his first movie even came out, he was already in the tabloids — for dating superstar Cher. During a 2024 interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Cher admitted he had been one of the few men to break up with her, after two years. "Look, I was madly in love with Val Kilmer and he left...because sometimes you're only meant to stay with someone for so long."

Their 13-year age difference also played a role.

Kilmer was born on New Year's Eve 1959 in Chatsworth outside L.A. At 17, he became the youngest person ever admitted to the drama division of Juilliard. During that time, his play "How It All Began" (1981) was produced by Joseph Papp for the Public Theater, and he soon made his Broadway debut in "Slab Boys" (1983), alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.

Kilmer made his film debut as a teen idol in the Jim Abrahams-David Zucker-Jerry Zucker comedy "Top Secret!" in 1984. He followed it up with director Martha Coolidge's teen comedy "Real Genius" (1985), and did a fondly remembered "ABC Afterschool Special" called "One Too Many" (1985) about teen drinking.

In 1986, he played Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in director Tony Scott's "Top Gun," which became the hit of the year and ignited his career in the wake of star Tom Cruise's, even if Kilmer had very nearly turned it down.

He went on to anchor the fantasy film "Willow" (1988) for Ron Howard.

In 1991, he tackled one of his most challenging roles, playing the late singer Jim Morrison in the Oliver Stone biopic "The Doors." He won excellent reviews, having spent months prepping and taking care to record new vocals that were skillfully blended with Morrison's, even as the film itself divided critics sharply.

He went three for three playing Doc Holliday in the neo-classic western "Tombstone" (1993), Elvis in "True Romance" (1993), and — in a film that for some actors would be a dream come true, but that wound up being a challenge in disguise — Bruce Wayne in "Batman Forever" (1995).

"Batman Forever" was a big box office success, but Kilmer — who had accepted the role without reading the script — was put off by what felt to him an empty role in a massive, mainstream movie. He bowed out of "Batman and Robin" (1997), narrowly avoiding appearing in what is generally considered one of the worst-ever superhero films.

Kilmer worked steadily, even tirelessly, joining Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in "Heat" (1995), with Marlon Brando in the flop "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1996), with Michael Douglas in "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996), as smooth crook Simon Templar in the big-screen adaptation of "The Saint" (1997), and voicing Moses and God in the DreamWorks animated film "The Prince of Egypt" (1998).

Going forward, Kilmer began gravitating away from playing the heartthrob lead, turning in interesting performances in films as diverse as "Pollock" (2000), playing artist Willem de Kooning; "Wonderland" (2003), as villainous porn icon John Holmes in the story of a notorious murder; and joining Brad Pitt for Oliver Stone's "Alexander" (2004).

His was so prolific, he was sometimes seen in five, six, or seven films and direct-to-video releases per year, but he was severely slowed when he was diagnosed with throat cancer.

In 2021, Kilmer was the subject of "Val," a documentary about perhaps the most interesting character in his career — himself. It captured his life and his work, including his cancer struggle, receiving outstanding reviews.

As a fitting career capper, Kilmer made a nostalgic, if brief, return as Iceman for 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," which — unlike the first film in the series — was universally critically acclaimed, snagging a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Kilmer was wed to British actress Joanne Whalley, his "Willow" co-star, from 1988-1996. He is survived by his actor son, Jack Kilmer, and his actress-producer daughter, Mercedes Kilmer.