He was only 65 but had been battling throat cancer for several years.

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/val-kilmer-dead-batman-forever-tombstone-1236354606/

He was one of my favorite actors. :(

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4204/35432559732_4bd7682546_o.jpg

Thank you for the link, I just saw headlines about him this morning. He did memorable work and will be missed.

Very sad...............

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In the sea of Bat-men there floats one under appreciated, one underrated performance.

I'm talking of course about Val Kilmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlVYxRzH3hA)'s Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7YKMnBQ-us).

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Batman Forever (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGMCHez6Z8) was released in 1995, it's a film that is still viewed in different ways. Some fans love it, others hate it. I really enjoyed the film and mainly because of Val Kilmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH5b-YreG0E)'s performance in the movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EtDRJu9SjA). In this video, I go into reasons why I feel that Val Kilmer is a great Bruce Wayne and a great Batman.

I have only seen REAL GENIUS (1985)

His 2nd movie...

I read he had namoanya :(

:rip:

So sad he passed away. :( Much too young. A great actor. He played Jim Morrison so great in that Doors movie ! :cool:

Rest in Peace Val. Prayers to his family !

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Val Kilmer just passed away at the age of 65, and it's time for my tribute. What do I think are his ten greatest performances? Here is my ranking!

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Rest in peace Val Kilmer (1959-2025).

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From comedy beginnings to dramatic masterpieces, join us as we celebrate the incredible range of an underrated Hollywood legend! We're looking at the roles that defined Val Kilmer's remarkable career and showcased his extraordinary versatility as an actor. Which transformation impressed you most - the rock star, the gunslinger, or the caped crusader? Our tribute includes his iconic performances as Jim Morrison, Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Iceman in Top Gun, Batman, Chris Shiherlis in Heat, and his comedic genius in films like Real Genius and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

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Val Kilmer: A Brilliant Career, A Lasting Legacy (1959–2025)

In this EL Rated tribute, we honor the unforgettable legacy of Val Kilmer—a performer who brought intensity, charm, humor, and depth to every role he touched.


From the hilarious brilliance of Real Genius and Top Secret!
To iconic roles like Iceman in Top Gun, Jim Morrison in The Doors, and Doc Holliday in Tombstone—
To lending his voice as Moses in The Prince of Egypt and even suiting up as Batman—
Val Kilmer’s career was bold, diverse, and completely unforgettable.


He wasn’t just part of our favorite movies—he was the reason we watched them.

Even when life tried to silence him, his spirit and love for storytelling kept shining.

Thank you, Val, for the memories, the laughter, and the legacy.

Rest in peace.

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A Flick Flops Tribute: Remembering Val Kilmer (1959–2025)

In this special episode of Flick Flops, we honor the life and legacy of Val Kilmer—an actor whose presence, depth, and artistry left an unforgettable mark on film and on all of us. From his early days at Juilliard to his breakout roles in Top Gun, Real Genius, and Willow, to his haunting performances in The Doors and Tombstone, Val Kilmer was never just playing a role—he was living in it.

This tribute reflects on his remarkable career, his personal struggles, and his creative resilience in the face of illness. It’s not a review. It’s not a ranking. It’s a heartfelt goodbye.

Favorite Films:
Top Secret! | Willow | Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | True Romance | Real Genius | Top Gun | Tombstone

Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025.
This video is a thank you—to the artist, the survivor, the storyteller.

Voiceover by Gary from Flick Flops

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Val Kilmer (https://web.archive.org/web/20230612231023/https://lebeauleblog.com/2011/05/05/what-the-hell-happened-to-val-kilmer/) rose to fame in Top Gun and delivered iconic performances like Doc Holliday in Tombstone, but behind the scenes, his career was quietly unraveling. He clashed with directors—including a physical altercation with Batman Forever's Joel Schumacher—and earned a reputation for being difficult to work with (https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-most-difficult-actors-to-work-with-in-hollywood.html/). This video dives into how Kilmer’s intense method acting and on-set controversies led Hollywood to turn away from one of its brightest stars.

TIMESTAMPS⏱️

0:00 Intro
0:39 Top Gun
1:31 The Doors
2:52 Tombstone
3:45 Batman Forever
6:49 The Island of Dr. Moreau
8:48 Kilmer's Decline


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In 1995, Val Kilmer (https://gazettereview.com/2015/06/what-happened-to-val-kilmer-what-is-he-doing-now/) was taking over Hollywood. With memorable performances in Top Gun, The Doors and Tombstone already under his belt, he really cemented himself as the young actor by teaming up with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Heat, and that same year in Batman Forever. But only a decade later and he's starring mostly in direct-to-DVD films.

2021's Val went over his love for acting, and the recent battle with losing his voice to cancer. However, the doc skimmed over a controversial part of his career - the time he was constantly labeled as a prima donna. So we wanted to take a deeper look at this part of his career. Like the reason for him never returning as Batman, or one of the most infamous movie productions ever and the final nail in the coffin that had Hollywood turn its back on him…

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
00:49 - Quick Rise to Fame
03:45 - Batman Forever
05:91 - The Worst of Kilmer (Dr. Moreau)
08:48 - More Drama
10:29 - Downhill (Did He Deserve It?)


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In our latest WTF series, we take a look at some of our favorite stars and filmmakers who have seemingly disappeared or altered their careers over the years to the point that begs the question; WTF happened? Now, before you think we're just picking on celebrities or running some gossip rag stuff, think again! We take a fun (and sometimes funny), researched and fair approach, looking at all angles that led our subject to wherever they are now (which isn't necessarily a bad place at all). If anything, it answers the question on where these fine folks went, how they got there and where you can find 'em now.

In this episode we look at the career of the Iceman himself, Val Kilmer (https://www.trendoversy.com/the-actor-whose-indomitable-character-ruined-his-career-is-gauravs-story-the-story-of-val-kilmer/)! Kilmer broke onto the scene with the comedy flicks TOP SECRET! (see our Best Movie You Never Saw of that HERE) and REAL GENIUS before taking flight with Tony Scott's TOP GUN. From there, Kilmer took up the sword as Madmartigan in WILLOW before landing a stream of great roles throughout the 90s, including THE DOORS, THUNDERHEART, TOMBSTONE, BATMAN FOREVER, HEAT, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS and THE SAINT. While he never had another era as strong as that, Kilmer dipped in and out with some really solid work, including the criminally underrated THE SALTON SEA, WONDERLAND, SPARTAN and of course, KISS KISS, BANG BANG. From there, things got a little hazy for Kilmer and his health took a turn for the worse. He popped up here and there, working with TOP GUN's Tony Scott again in DEJA VU, started playing Mark Twain on stage, did some voice-over work, some TV appearances and even made a lesser-known flick with Francis Ford Coppola called TWIXT. While not everything he's done in his later years is as strong, credit is due to Kilmer for remaining a consumate professional in his craft and fighting through his own health scares to continue doing what he loves, even getting a return to the franchise that started it all for him, TOP GUN: MAVERICK. Here's to you, Val Kilmer...you can be our wingman anytime!

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A deep look into the downfall of Val Kilmer and the two major box office disasters that derailed his once unstoppable Hollywood career. In the mid-1990s, Kilmer was riding high after Heat, Tombstone, Batman Forever, and The Ghost and the Darkness. But behind the scenes, he had a notorious reputation for being difficult to work with, which exploded during the productions of The Saint and Red Planet (https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2000-2/red-planet/).

This video breaks down the chaotic rewrites, on-set conflicts, abandoned endings, director disputes, and studio panic that turned both films into expensive failures. From Kilmer clashing with Phillip Noyce to fistfights with Tom Sizemore, from disastrous test screenings to budgets spiraling out of control, we explore how these two films destroyed his momentum and pushed him out of leading roles permanently.

We also cover Kilmer’s late-life struggle with illness and his emotional final appearance as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick. A must-watch for fans of movie history, Hollywood failures, behind-the-scenes drama, and the rise and fall of famous actors.

I emailed Val but he failed to reply :(

He didnt seem friendly anymore like he was in Real Genius....

I emailed Val but he failed to reply :(

He didnt seem friendly anymore like he was in Real Genius....

1. Celebrities don’t owe you their time.

2. It’s creepy that you somehow had Val Kilmer’s email address.

3. Good god, my guy, Real Genius is fiction. Val Kilmer was an actor playing a character. He was not Chris Knight, nor was he Jim Morrison, Madmartigan, Iceman, Doc Holliday, Moses, God, Billy the Kid or Batman. He was a man named Val Kilmer.

Ah man!!