Val Kilmer in 1985. Photo:
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Hollywood has lost a legend in Val Kilmer.
The Top Gun actor died of pneumonia on April 1, 2025, at age 65, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told The New York Times. Mercedes added that her father was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered.
After his box office breakthrough in the Tom Cruise-led action drama, Kilmer went on to play Elvis in the Quentin Tarantino-written film True Romance and Batman in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Over the years, he has starred opposite the likes of Marlon Brando, Denzel Washington and Robert Downey Jr., and after 41 years in the industry, he made his final film appearance reprising his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick.
Ahead, look back on the star’s life and career in photos, from his first movies to his battle with throat cancer and poignant documentary Val.
Val Kilmer. Frank Connor/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Val Edward Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles to Gladys Swanette and Eugene Dorris Kilmer. At age 17, he became the youngest person to be accepted into the Juilliard School’s Drama Division in its 10th class, alongside actress Linda Kozlowski and theater director Lonny Price.
Val Kilmer in ‘Top Secret!’. Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kilmer began his film career as rock star Nick Rivers in the 1984 comedy Top Secret!, which spoofed several genres, from spy and war movies to musicals.
Val Kilmer in ‘Top Gun’. CBS via Getty
As his profile rose from Top Secret! and the 1985 film Real Genius, Kilmer had his breakout role in the military action film Top Gun as Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the rival-turned-friend of Tom Cruise’s Maverick.
He later admitted in his 2020 memoir that he was “deflated” when he was cast as Iceman. In his 2021 documentary Val, he said he “didn’t really have a choice” about the role due to a contract with the studio.
“None of us knew at the time what a crazy commercial success the film would be,” Kilmer said in the documentary. “All of a sudden I was being catapulted into the celebrity stratosphere, and for the rest of my life I would be called Iceman by every pilot at every airport I went to.”
Cher and Val Kilmer. Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty
Throughout his career, Kilmer was attached to several A-list women, including Cher, Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford and Daryl Hannah. In his memoir I’m Your Huckleberry, he said that he and Cher remained close friends and she helped him through his later battle with cancer. “Once Cher works her way inside your head and heart, she never leaves. For her true friends, her steadfast love and loyalty never die,” he wrote.
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Kilmer met his future wife, actress Joanne Whalley, on the set of the 1988 fantasy Willow, in which the two played lovers. They married in March 1988 and had two children together, but shortly after welcoming their second, the couple separated. Whalley filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Meg Ryan and Val Kilmer in ‘The Doors’. Alamy
In a biopic about The Doors, Kilmer portrayed the rock band’s lead singer Jim Morrison, with Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley and Kevin Dillon as his bandmates and Meg Ryan as the vocalist’s girlfriend Pamela Courson.
Val Kilmer, Bronson Pinchot, Christopher Penn, Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette and Dennis Hopper in ‘True Romance’. Morgan Creek/Davis/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kilmer joined the star-studded cast of the 1993 romantic crime film True Romance, written by Quentin Tarantino and featuring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. He played a fictionalized version of Elvis Presley, who appears as an apparition to Slater’s Clarence Worley.
Val Kilmer as Batman in ‘Batman Forever’. Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty
He became the third actor to play Batman on the silver screen when he assumed the role for 1995’s Batman Forever. Reflecting on his experience as the iconic character in his documentary, he said, “Whatever boyhood excitement I had was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit.”
Kilmer continued, “Yes, every boy wants to be Batman. They actually want to be him…not necessarily play him in a movie.”
Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’. Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kilmer starred in 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan who shared a sweet tribute to the actor following his death on April 1, 2025.
The White Lotus actress wrote on Instagram that Kilmer was a “kind, curious, committed, rebellious and radical gent … I learned from one of the greats. An artist through and through. I treasured my time with you.”
Val Kilmer in 2013. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 following a series of symptoms — a lump in his throat and voice troubles — that he tried to ignore for as long as he could. He would eventually find himself hospitalized following a scary incident that occurred while staying in his ex-girlfriend Cher’s guest house.
“One night I suddenly awoke vomiting blood that covered the bed like a scene out of The Godfather,” he wrote in his 2020 memoir I’m Your Huckleberry.
After his diagnosis, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation as well as a tracheostomy that impacted his ability to speak. After two years, he was declared cancer-free, but his tracheostomy remained and was still present in a 2020 interview with Good Morning America; a New York Times interview that same year revealed the tracheostomy did continue to impact his ability to eat and talk, but he was still intelligible thanks to his Juilliard speech training.
Jack and Val Kilmer. Rich Polk/Getty
Kilmer welcomed his two children Mercedes and Jack with Whalley in 1991 and 1995 respectively. Over the years, he and his kids collaborated together on various projects including the 2021 documentary Val, which was produced by all three Kilmers, and Paydirt — which starred dad and daughter in Mercedes’ feature film debut.
In 2020, the proud dad told PEOPLE that he was “madly, wildly entertained by them,” adding, “My only gripe is that I never see them enough, so I never get enough of the wild entertainment that everyone else gets, but they’re really, really, entertaining.”
His last red carpet appearance was with Mercedes in 2019.
‘Val’ documentary poster. Amazon Prime Video
Years after recovering from cancer, Kilmer decided to share his story in a documentary titled Val. He produced the film with his two children.
“Now that it’s more difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever,” he says in the documentary which looks back on both his personal and professional life though home videos and behind-the-scenes footage. Much of the film is narrated by his son, Jack, who reads his dad’s words.
The movie received a standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 2021.
Val Kilmer in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Paramount Pictures
Kilmer’s final film appearance came in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick where he reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky and shared a brief yet “emotional” moment with old friend Tom Cruise.
“I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” Cruise told Jimmy Kimmel about the reunion. “I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”
His return to the character was made possible with the help of an artificial intelligence voice model previously developed by Sonantic following his recovery from throat cancer that permanently altered his speaking voice.
Mercedes and Val Kilmer. Michael Tullberg/Getty
Though no longer acting, Kilmer continued pursuing his other artistic ventures; as recently as March 22 he shared photos of his artwork on Instagram. Over the years he’d used a variety of mediums in his art, including enamel paint on metal, per his website.
Just a few weeks before his death, Kilmer posted an Instagram video depicting him wearing his Batman mask alongside artist and musician David Choe.
