Val Kilmer, the charismatic Hollywood actor who shone both as a leading man and was the pick of many a strong ensemble, passed away late on Tuesday.

An actor who oozed charm and charisma but always kept audiences guessing, both when he was on screen and off it, Kilmer embodied some iconic characters, chief among them being tormented rock star Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), the tubercular Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), Batman in Batman Forever (1995) and the iconic ‘Iceman’ in Top Gun (1986).

Kilmer had an unbeatable run as a leading man — albeit with a volatile reputation and temperament — through the ’80s and ’90s. Among his other films of repute were Real Genius, Willow, Heat and The Ghost and the Darkness.

He returned briefly to the screen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick — on leading man and friend Tom Cruise’s insistence — though he could no longer speak due to his prolonged battle with cancer.

After studying at the prestigious The Juilliard School in New York, Kilmer started his acting career on stage. He reportedly turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, but broke out with a starring role in the 1984 spy spoof Top Secret!, in which he played a rock star and sang his own songs. Following his turn as a brainy college student in the 1985 sci-fi comedy, Real Genius, he became a star to reckon with, which was crowned further by his role as the iconic ‘Iceman’, opposite Tom Cruise, in the global blockbuster Top Gun.

One of his most memorable roles was as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 film The Doors, for which Kilmer memorised the lyrics to all of Morrison’s songs before his audition, and immersed himself in the role, wearing clothes similar to the singer’s for close to a year.

Kilmer took over from Michael Keaton for Joel Schumacher’s 1995 Batman Forever, receiving mixed reviews for his take on the Dark Knight.

In the ’90s, Kilmer starred in Michael Apted’s Western Thunderheart and The Real McCoy and had a brief but memorable role as an Elvis-like mentor in Tony Scott’s True Romance. His role as the sardonic Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993) was one of his most beloved performances, and in 1995, he appeared in Heat alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He then went on to star in The Ghost and the Darkness, alongside Michael Douglas.

Roles, mostly of a supporting nature, followed here and there, with Kilmer often turning his back on Hollywood. His last role was the reprisal of Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick three years ago. We pick his top turns...

TOMBSTONE (1993)

“I’m your Huckleberry!” A cult classic since its release, this American Western is loosely based on real events that took place in the 1880s in southeast Arizona, including the Gunfight at the OK Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride. It boasted a rich cast, among them Kurt Russell and Sam Elliott, with Val Kilmer stealing the spotlight as real-life gunslinger Doc Holliday. A layered character, Holliday is fiercely loyal and cuttingly sarcastic, with Kilmer’s portrayal often being hailed as legendary, and one which was robbed of an Oscar nomination.

THE DOORS (1991)

Oliver Stone’s film about the life and times of rock star Jim Morrison found an able ally in Kilmer who sunk deep into the character and embraced it like second skin. The film came in for some criticism because of its myopic lens but Kilmer’s powerhouse depiction of the incendiary rock ’n’ roll icon was praised hugely. “Morrison is played with uncanny authenticity by Val Kilmer. The performance is utterly convincing without being terribly illuminating,” read a review of the film when it released more than three decades ago.

TOP GUN (1986)

For many, he will always be ‘Iceman’. Tony Scott’s 1986 aerial actioner may have been focused on Tom Cruise’s Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, but as LT Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, one of Top Gun’s students and Maverick’s rival turned wingman, Val Kilmer made sure that he left much more than just an impression. The cheesy blockbuster, stuffed with masculine tropes, had Kilmer often stealing the thunder from Cruise, but the film helped the duo to forge a strong bond. So much so that Cruise personally requested Kilmer to return as Iceman in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. Kilmer could barely speak then, but our big takeaway from this box-office behemoth was that beautiful, funny and emotionally-charged scene between Maverick and Iceman.

Thunderheart (1992)

This 1992 American Neo-Western mystery film was a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973, when followers of the American Indian Movement seized the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee in protest against federal government policy regarding Native Americans. Incorporated in the plot is the character of Ray Levoi, played by Kilmer, an FBI agent with Sioux heritage investigating a homicide on a Native American reservation. The film was praised, and Kilmer — by now a veteran in this genre — even more so.

Also
BATMAN FOREVER (1995)

Kilmer’s turn as the iconic caped crusader may not have broken new ground, but anyone who slips on the Batman suit (and this one had nipples) deserves a mention in the annals.