Val Kilmer’s filmography is a treasure trove of critical successes, cult classics, and guilty pleasures. Long considered one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors, his untimely passing brings renewed attention to his remarkable talent and his uncanny ability to adapt to any role he was given.
His work spanned multiple genres and a wide range of characters. His most iconic role, as Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun (1986) and its sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022), provided the perfect foil to Tom Cruise’s Maverick — a tightly wound, cool-as-ice presence that only Kilmer could have brought to life. Across his extensive career, he only reprised two characters: Iceman and Madmartigan, the roguish swordsman from Ron Howard’s Willow (1988) — both fan favourites in my household. It was on the Willow set that Kilmer met his future wife, Joanna Whalley.
As the 1990s rolled in, Kilmer delivered a powerhouse performance as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), fully inhabiting the role with eerie intensity. He was controversially cast as Batman in Batman Forever (1995), a performance that was initially panned but has since gained a loyal following. Today, the film’s campy tone is seen by many — myself included — as part of its charm, and Kilmer’s stone-faced portrayal has aged into a cult classic.
Kilmer’s on-set reputation was complicated; director Joel Schumacher famously called him “childish and impossible.” This perception often overshadowed his craft. But with his passing, I hope audiences will return to his body of work — and see, perhaps more clearly than ever, that Val Kilmer was one of the great, underrated actors of the late 20th century.
“Val Kilmer Cannes” by Georges Biard is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.