Val Kilmer
Encyclopedia
Val Edward Kilmer is an American
actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret!
(1984), then the cult classic Real Genius
(1985), as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun
and a lead role in Willow
.
During the 1990s, Kilmer gained critical respect after a series of films that were also commercially successful, including his roles as Jim Morrison
in The Doors
, Doc Holliday
in 1993's Tombstone
, Batman
in 1995's Batman Forever
, Chris Shiherlis in 1995's Heat, Col. John Henry Patterson in 1996's The Ghost and the Darkness
, Simon Templar
in 1997's The Saint
and Moses
in 1998's The Prince of Egypt
. During the early 2000s, Kilmer appeared in several well-received roles, including The Salton Sea
, Spartan
, and supporting performances in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
, and as the voice of KITT
in Knight Rider
.
, the son of Gladys ( Ekstadt) and Eugene Kilmer, an aerospace
equipment distributor and real estate
developer. Kilmer's grandfather was a gold miner in New Mexico
; the poet Joyce Kilmer
is a distant cousin of Kilmer's. Kilmer is of German
, Swedish, Irish, and Cherokee
descent. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley
with his two siblings, older brother Mark and younger brother Wesley (who died at 15 due to an epileptic seizure in a swimming pool). Kilmer, who was raised a Christian Scientist, attended Chatsworth High School
—where his classmates included Kevin Spacey
and Mare Winningham
—as well as Hollywood's Professional's School
. He also attended Berkeley Hall School, a Christian Science school in Los Angeles, from nursery school until graduation from the 9th grade. At the age of 17, he was at the time the youngest person to be accepted into Juilliard's drama program. He was in Group 10 of the Drama Division.
. Kilmer turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola
's 1983 film, The Outsiders
, as he had prior theatre commitments. That same year, his first off-stage acting role (excluding television commercials) came in the form of a television short titled One Too Many
, which was an educational drama on drinking and driving; it also starred a young Michelle Pfeiffer
. His big break came when he received top billing in the spoof comedy Top Secret!
, where he played an American rock and roll star. Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and released an album under the film character's name, "Nick Rivers".
During a brief hiatus, he backpacked throughout Europe, before going on to play the lead character in the 1985 comedy Real Genius
. He turned down roles in Dune
and Blue Velvet, before being cast as naval aviator "Iceman" in the action film Top Gun
, alongside Tom Cruise
. Top Gun grossed a total of $344,700,000 worldwide. Following roles in the television films The Murders in the Rue Morgue
and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, Kilmer played Madmartigan in the fantasy Willow
; he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley
, on the film's set. Kilmer published a book of his poems, My Edens After Burns, in 1987, and starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival
production of Hamlet in 1988. In 1989, Kilmer played the lead in both Kill Me Again
, again opposite Whalley, and in TNT
's Billy the Kid
.
finally started production on the film The Doors
, based on the band of the same name. Kilmer memorized the lyrics to all of lead singer Jim Morrison
's songs prior to his audition, and sent a video of himself performing some Doors songs to director Stone. Stone was not impressed with the tape, but Paul Rothchild (the original producer of The Doors) said "I was shaken by it" and suggested they record Kilmer in the studio. After Kilmer was cast as Morrison, he prepared for the role by attending Doors tribute concerts and reading Morrison's poetry. He spent close to a year before production dressing in Morrison-like clothes, and spent time at Morrison's old hangouts along the Sunset Strip
. His portrayal of Morrison was praised and members of The Doors noted that Kilmer did such a convincing job that they had trouble distinguishing his voice from Morrison's. Paul Rothchild played Val's version of 'The End' for Robby Krieger, and he told him "I'm really glad they got 'The End'. We never got a recording of that live with Jim and now we've got it." However, Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek
, was less than enthusiastic with how Morrison was portrayed by director Oliver Stone's interpretation. In the early 1990s, Kilmer starred in the mystery thriller Thunderheart
, action comedy The Real McCoy
and again teamed with Top Gun director Tony Scott
to play Elvis in True Romance
, which was written by Quentin Tarantino
.
In 1993, Kilmer played Doc Holliday
in the western Tombstone
alongside Kurt Russell
, in what is credited as one of Kilmer's finest performances. 1995 saw Kilmer star in Wings of Courage
, a 3D IMAX film, and that same year, he starred opposite Al Pacino
and Robert De Niro
in Heat, which is now considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s. In 1996, he appeared in a largely unknown film, Dead Girl, and starred alongside Marlon Brando
in the poorly received The Island of Dr Moreau
. That year, Kilmer starred alongside Michael Douglas
in the thriller The Ghost and the Darkness
. The next year he played Simon Templar
in the popular action film, The Saint
. In 1998, he lent his voice to the animated film The Prince of Egypt
, before starring in the independent film
Joe the King
(1999) and playing a blind man in the drama/romance At First Sight
, which he described as of then, the hardest role he had ever had.
During the 1990s, Kilmer developed the reputation of being very difficult on sets. John Frankenheimer
, director of The Island of Dr Moreau
, is quoted as saying, There are two things I would never do again in my life. I will never climb Mount Everest
, and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There isn't enough money in the world. While promoting The Ghost and the Darkness
in France
, Michael Douglas
bitterly complained about Kilmer's attitude in an interview to daily newspaper Le Parisien
. Kevin Jarre
, the original director of Tombstone
, said that Kilmer once told him, "I have a reputation for being difficult. But only with stupid people."
director Joel Schumacher
had seen Tombstone
and was most impressed with Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday
. Schumacher felt him to be perfect for the role of the Caped Crusader, though at the time, the role was still Michael Keaton
's. Batman creator Bob Kane
said he felt Kilmer was the best actor to portray Batman.
In July 1994, Michael Keaton
decided not to return for a third Batman film after 1992's Batman Returns
, due to "creative differences." William Baldwin
(who previously worked with Schumacher on Flatliners
) was reported to be a top contender, though just days after Keaton dropped out, Kilmer was cast. Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script.
Released in June 1995, Batman Forever was a success at the box office, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. There was debate about the performance of Val Kilmer; some critics charged that Kilmer, while physically fit to play Batman, more so than his predecessor Michael Keaton had been, gave a wooden performance as Bruce Wayne. Other critics though, such as Roger Ebert
, had kind words for Kilmer. Batman creator Bob Kane said in a Cinescape interview that of all the actors to have played Batman up to that point (before the series was rebooted in 2005
with Christian Bale
in the lead role), he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin
(who heavily criticized the dark tone contained in Batman Returns) complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews, as well as being very favorable of the film as a whole. Defenders of Batman Forever praised the film for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a seasoned celebrity of the media and a very public figure rather than the neurotic recluse of the previous films.
In February 1996, Kilmer decided not to return for another Batman feature film, feeling that Batman was being marginalized in favor of the villains. Kilmer went on to do The Saint
with a salary of $6 million. George Clooney
replaced Kilmer as Batman in 1997's Batman & Robin.
box office disaster Red Planet
. That same year, he had a supporting role in the film Pollock
and hosted Saturday Night Live
for the first time. In 2002, he starred in the thriller The Salton Sea
, which was generally well-reviewed, but received only a limited release. The same year, he teamed with his True Romance co-star, Christian Slater
, and the two starred in the low budget film, Hard Cash
, also known as Run for the Money.
In 2003, Kilmer starred alongside Kate Bosworth
in the drama/thriller Wonderland
, as well as appearing in The Missing
, where he again worked with Willow director Ron Howard
. The next year, he starred in Spartan
, where he played a United States government secret agent
who is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter of the President. He received Delta Force
-like training in preparation for the role. Subsequently, he had a role in the drama, Stateside
, and starred (again with Slater) in the thriller Mindhunters
, which was filmed in 2003 but not released until 2005. Kilmer next appeared in the big budget Oliver Stone
production, Alexander
, which received poor reviews. Also in 2004, Kilmer returned to the theatre to play Moses
in a Los Angeles
musical production of The Ten Commandments: The Musical
, produced by BCBG founder Max Azria
. The production played at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and also featured Adam Lambert
. Kilmer had previously played Moses in the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Finally in 2004, Kilmer appeared in an episode of Entourage
, where he played a Sherpa
whose primary source of income was the growing, harvesting and distributing high-quality marijuana, all under a guise of metaphysical
insights.
Kilmer was in negotiations with Richard Dutcher
(a leading director of Mormon
-related films) to play the lead role in a film entitled Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith, although the project never materialized. Kilmer performed in The Postman Always Rings Twice on the London stage from June to September 2005. In 2005, he co-starred with Robert Downey, Jr. in the action-comedy film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
. His performance was praised and the film was well reviewed, but the film received only a limited release. It later won the award as "Overlooked Film of the Year" from the Phoenix Film Critics Society
.
In 2006, he reunited with director Tony Scott
a third time for a supporting role opposite Denzel Washington
in the box-office hit Déjà Vu. The song "Val Kilmer" was named after him on Bowling for Soup
's 2006 album The Great Burrito Extortion Case
,. The song was later used for one of the Ford commercials on season 10 of American Idol
in 2011. In 2007, he guest-starred in hit TV series Numb3rs
episode "Trust Metric" as torture expert Mason Lancer.
In 2008, Kilmer starred alongside Stephen Dorff
in the Sony and Stage 6 film Felon
. The film was given only a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles in 2008, but it developed into a success secondary to positive word of mouth.
Kilmer was the voice of the car KITT
for the 2008 Knight Rider
TV pilot film and the following television series
. He replaced Will Arnett
, who had to step down from the role due to contractual conflict with General Motors
. In keeping with tradition established by the original Knight Rider series and original KITT actor William Daniels
, Kilmer was uncredited for the role on-screen.
He next starred alongside Nicolas Cage
in the Werner Herzog
film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
, and alongside Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
in Streets of Blood
. Both were released in 2009. He appeared as the main antagonist "Mongoose" in a live TV series adaptation of the comic/video game of XIII
on NBC in 2009.
, The Traveler
, where he played the vengeful spirit of a man who had been tortured and murdered while in police custody.
In November 2010, Kilmer was filming in Kelseyville, California
; he is the lead role in the Francis Ford Coppola
film Twixt. The film is being filmed mostly on Coppola's estate in Napa County. The filming is expected to take five weeks and is being independently funded by Coppola.
In 2010, Val Kilmer appeared as the villain Dieter Von Cunth in MacGruber
.
, the founder of the Christian Science
church, and Mark Twain
, one of her most famous critics. Kilmer wrote the screenplay, describing the film about the lives and relationship of Mary Baker Eddy and Mark Twain as "a quirky, tender, tragicomic portrait of two contrasting lives, set against the backdrop of Gilded Age America."
from March 1988 to February 1996. The two met while working together on the film Willow
. The couple had two children: a daughter, Mercedes (b. October 29, 1991), and a son, Jack (b. June 6, 1995). He dated supermodel Cindy Crawford
in the 1990s.
Warwick Davis
, Kilmer's co-star from the 1988 fantasy Willow, in his audio commentary for the film described Kilmer as a very funny man and a hard working, dedicated actor. Kilmer is also an avid musician, and released a CD in the fall of 2007, proceeds of which went to his charity interests.
Other actors have noted that he prepares for his roles extensively and meticulously. Irwin Winkler
(director of At First Sight
) talked about his decision to hire Kilmer. "I'd heard the stories, so I checked him out. I called Bob DeNiro and Michael Mann, who'd worked with him on Heat, and they both gave him raves... I had a wonderful experience in spite of all the naysayers." Jeffrey Katzenberg
(producer of Prince of Egypt) talks about the actor. "Val was one of the first people cast in The Prince of Egypt
. He was there every step of the way; patient, understanding, and phenomenally generous with his time."
Following their appearance together in Top Gun
, Kilmer and co-star Tom Cruise
reportedly had taken their onscreen conflict offscreen. Reports classified the two as holding a vitriolic hatred of one another. Kilmer even refused to participate in a charity beach volleyball game with Cruise on the grounds that he was "dangerous", although Kilmer is noted to have knocked Cruise out in a fistfight during the filming of Top Gun.
Kilmer owns a ranch in New Mexico
, where he hunts, tracks, hikes, fishes, and raises bison
. Kilmer is also involved with The Wildlife Center of New Mexico and assists in rescuing animals and releasing them on his ranch.
In 2009, Kilmer listed Pecos River Ranch for sale for $33,000,000 with conservation real estate firm http://www.orviscw.com/Orvis/Cushman&Wakefield. The price was subsequently dropped to $23 million in October 2010 and dropped again to $18.5 million two months later.
He briefly flirted with running for Governor of New Mexico
in 2010, but in the end declined to run.
He made a donation to Ralph Nader
's 2008 presidential campaign
. On January 30, 2009, Kilmer was chosen to be the King of Bacchus, a parading Krewe
in New Orleans, that in 1969 began the tradition of having celebrities ride in their parade as King.
In November 2010, the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) filed a $498,165 lien against Kilmer's New Mexico ranch for unpaid 2008 income taxes. In April 2010, Kilmer paid $538,000 to settle another dispute with the IRS.
Interviews
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret!
Top Secret!
Top Secret! is a 1984 comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Val Kilmer , Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough and Jeremy Kemp. The film is a parody of the GDR era and Elvis films...
(1984), then the cult classic Real Genius
Real Genius
Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....
(1985), as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
and a lead role in Willow
Willow (film)
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Patricia Hayes...
.
During the 1990s, Kilmer gained critical respect after a series of films that were also commercially successful, including his roles as Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
in The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
, Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
in 1993's Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in 1995's Batman Forever
Batman Forever
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...
, Chris Shiherlis in 1995's Heat, Col. John Henry Patterson in 1996's The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 adventure film starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer set in Africa at the end of the 19th century.It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and the screenplay was written by William Goldman....
, Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
in 1997's The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
and Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
in 1998's The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
. During the early 2000s, Kilmer appeared in several well-received roles, including The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a 2002 American neo-noir film starring Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio directed by D. J. Caruso.-Plot:While playing the trumpet in a burning room, the protagonist's voice is heard in narration. His story begins with him posing as "Danny Parker", a speed freak addicted to...
, Spartan
Spartan (film)
Spartan is a 2004 American political thriller film written and directed by David Mamet. It features Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, Ed O'Neill, William H. Macy, and Kristen Bell. It was released in The United States and Canada on 12 March 2004....
, and supporting performances in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a 2005 crime/dark comedy film, which engages many conventions of the classic film noir genre in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. It is based, in part, on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday. The cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan...
, and as the voice of KITT
KITT
KITT is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure TV series Knight Rider. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider, and the other as the Knight...
in Knight Rider
Knight Rider (2008 TV series)
Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
.
Early life
Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, the son of Gladys ( Ekstadt) and Eugene Kilmer, an aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
equipment distributor and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
developer. Kilmer's grandfather was a gold miner in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
; the poet Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
is a distant cousin of Kilmer's. Kilmer is of German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, Swedish, Irish, and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
descent. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
with his two siblings, older brother Mark and younger brother Wesley (who died at 15 due to an epileptic seizure in a swimming pool). Kilmer, who was raised a Christian Scientist, attended Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School is a public secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S..As of the 2005–06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3183 students and 117.8 classroom teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 27.0.- History :The campus...
—where his classmates included Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
and Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...
—as well as Hollywood's Professional's School
Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California, United States, for children working in show business, operating mornings only so that the children could work in the afternoon...
. He also attended Berkeley Hall School, a Christian Science school in Los Angeles, from nursery school until graduation from the 9th grade. At the age of 17, he was at the time the youngest person to be accepted into Juilliard's drama program. He was in Group 10 of the Drama Division.
1980s
In 1981, Kilmer co-authored and starred in the play How It All Began, which was performed at the Public Theatre at the New York Shakespeare FestivalNew York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
. Kilmer turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's 1983 film, The Outsiders
The Outsiders (film)
The Outsiders is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, an adaptation of the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. The film was released in March 1983...
, as he had prior theatre commitments. That same year, his first off-stage acting role (excluding television commercials) came in the form of a television short titled One Too Many
One Too Many
One Too Many, also known as Killer With a Label, Mixed-Up Women, and The Important Story of Alcoholism, was an exploitation film produced by Kroger Babb in 1950...
, which was an educational drama on drinking and driving; it also starred a young Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
. His big break came when he received top billing in the spoof comedy Top Secret!
Top Secret!
Top Secret! is a 1984 comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Val Kilmer , Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough and Jeremy Kemp. The film is a parody of the GDR era and Elvis films...
, where he played an American rock and roll star. Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and released an album under the film character's name, "Nick Rivers".
During a brief hiatus, he backpacked throughout Europe, before going on to play the lead character in the 1985 comedy Real Genius
Real Genius
Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....
. He turned down roles in Dune
Dune (film)
Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco...
and Blue Velvet, before being cast as naval aviator "Iceman" in the action film Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
, alongside Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
. Top Gun grossed a total of $344,700,000 worldwide. Following roles in the television films The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been claimed as the first detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". Two works that share some similarities predate Poe's stories, including Das...
and The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, Kilmer played Madmartigan in the fantasy Willow
Willow (film)
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Patricia Hayes...
; he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
, on the film's set. Kilmer published a book of his poems, My Edens After Burns, in 1987, and starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a Shakespeare Festival each summer at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater and indoor University Theatre. The Mary Rippon Theater hosted an annual summer Shakespeare play starting in 1944. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival...
production of Hamlet in 1988. In 1989, Kilmer played the lead in both Kill Me Again
Kill Me Again
Kill Me Again is a 1989 American thriller film directed by John Dahl and starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, and Michael Madsen. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributed the film.-Plot:...
, again opposite Whalley, and in TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
's Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (1989 film)
Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid, also known as Billy the Kid, is a 1989 American western film about famed gunman Billy the Kid.One of many depicting the events surrounding the outlaw during his participation in the Lincoln County War, this film, though little known, has routinely been described as the...
.
1990s
After several delays, director Oliver StoneOliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
finally started production on the film The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
, based on the band of the same name. Kilmer memorized the lyrics to all of lead singer Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
's songs prior to his audition, and sent a video of himself performing some Doors songs to director Stone. Stone was not impressed with the tape, but Paul Rothchild (the original producer of The Doors) said "I was shaken by it" and suggested they record Kilmer in the studio. After Kilmer was cast as Morrison, he prepared for the role by attending Doors tribute concerts and reading Morrison's poetry. He spent close to a year before production dressing in Morrison-like clothes, and spent time at Morrison's old hangouts along the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
. His portrayal of Morrison was praised and members of The Doors noted that Kilmer did such a convincing job that they had trouble distinguishing his voice from Morrison's. Paul Rothchild played Val's version of 'The End' for Robby Krieger, and he told him "I'm really glad they got 'The End'. We never got a recording of that live with Jim and now we've got it." However, Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
, was less than enthusiastic with how Morrison was portrayed by director Oliver Stone's interpretation. In the early 1990s, Kilmer starred in the mystery thriller Thunderheart
Thunderheart
Thunderheart is a 1992 American contemporary western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from an original screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973...
, action comedy The Real McCoy
The Real McCoy (film)
The Real McCoy is a 1993 crime film, directed by Russell Mulcahy. It stars Kim Basinger and Val Kilmer.-Plot summary:Karen McCoy is released from prison with nothing but the clothes on her back...
and again teamed with Top Gun director Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
to play Elvis in True Romance
True Romance
True Romance is a 1993 American romance crime film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette with an ensemble cast consisting of Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin...
, which was written by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
.
In 1993, Kilmer played Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
in the western Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
alongside Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
, in what is credited as one of Kilmer's finest performances. 1995 saw Kilmer star in Wings of Courage
Wings of Courage
Wings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The 40-minute picture was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the world's first dramatic picture shot in the IMAX-format...
, a 3D IMAX film, and that same year, he starred opposite Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
and Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
in Heat, which is now considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s. In 1996, he appeared in a largely unknown film, Dead Girl, and starred alongside Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
in the poorly received The Island of Dr Moreau
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)
The Island of Dr. Moreau is a 1996 science fiction horror film, the third major movie version of the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Doctor Moreau about a scientist who attempts to convert animals into people...
. That year, Kilmer starred alongside Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
in the thriller The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 adventure film starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer set in Africa at the end of the 19th century.It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and the screenplay was written by William Goldman....
. The next year he played Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
in the popular action film, The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
. In 1998, he lent his voice to the animated film The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
, before starring in the independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Joe the King
Joe the King
Joe the King is a 1999 drama film, written and directed by Frank Whaley, based largely on his own childhood and the childhood of his brother. It stars Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Camryn Manheim, Max Ligosh and James Costa...
(1999) and playing a blind man in the drama/romance At First Sight
At First Sight
At First Sight is a 1999 American film starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino, based on the essay To See and Not to See in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings.-Plot:...
, which he described as of then, the hardest role he had ever had.
During the 1990s, Kilmer developed the reputation of being very difficult on sets. John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
, director of The Island of Dr Moreau
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)
The Island of Dr. Moreau is a 1996 science fiction horror film, the third major movie version of the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Doctor Moreau about a scientist who attempts to convert animals into people...
, is quoted as saying, There are two things I would never do again in my life. I will never climb Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There isn't enough money in the world. While promoting The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 adventure film starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer set in Africa at the end of the 19th century.It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and the screenplay was written by William Goldman....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
bitterly complained about Kilmer's attitude in an interview to daily newspaper Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
. Kevin Jarre
Kevin Jarre
Kevin Jarre was an American screenwriter, actor, and film producer.Jarre was born in Detroit, Michigan, to actress Laura Devon who subsequently married Maurice Jarre in the mid-1960s, and hence was the adoptive half-brother to French composer Jean-Michel Jarre...
, the original director of Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
, said that Kilmer once told him, "I have a reputation for being difficult. But only with stupid people."
Batman
In December 1993, Batman ForeverBatman Forever
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...
director Joel Schumacher
Joel Schumacher
Joel T. Schumacher is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, and his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old...
had seen Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
and was most impressed with Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
. Schumacher felt him to be perfect for the role of the Caped Crusader, though at the time, the role was still Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
's. Batman creator Bob Kane
Bob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
said he felt Kilmer was the best actor to portray Batman.
In July 1994, Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
decided not to return for a third Batman film after 1992's Batman Returns
Batman Returns
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Burton's Batman , and features Michael Keaton reprising the title role, with Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.Burton originally did not...
, due to "creative differences." William Baldwin
William Baldwin
William Joseph "Billy" Baldwin is an American actor, producer, and writer, known for his starring roles in such films as Flatliners , Backdraft , Sliver , Fair Game , Virus , Double Bang , as Johnny 13 in Danny Phantom , Art Heist , The Squid and the Whale , as himself...
(who previously worked with Schumacher on Flatliners
Flatliners
Flatliners is a 1990 American thriller film starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt as medical students using physical science in an attempt to find out if there's anything out there beyond death by conducting clandestine experiments with near-death...
) was reported to be a top contender, though just days after Keaton dropped out, Kilmer was cast. Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script.
Released in June 1995, Batman Forever was a success at the box office, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. There was debate about the performance of Val Kilmer; some critics charged that Kilmer, while physically fit to play Batman, more so than his predecessor Michael Keaton had been, gave a wooden performance as Bruce Wayne. Other critics though, such as Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, had kind words for Kilmer. Batman creator Bob Kane said in a Cinescape interview that of all the actors to have played Batman up to that point (before the series was rebooted in 2005
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
with Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
in the lead role), he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
(who heavily criticized the dark tone contained in Batman Returns) complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews, as well as being very favorable of the film as a whole. Defenders of Batman Forever praised the film for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a seasoned celebrity of the media and a very public figure rather than the neurotic recluse of the previous films.
In February 1996, Kilmer decided not to return for another Batman feature film, feeling that Batman was being marginalized in favor of the villains. Kilmer went on to do The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
with a salary of $6 million. George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
replaced Kilmer as Batman in 1997's Batman & Robin.
2000s
Kilmer's first role in 2000 was in the big budget Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
box office disaster Red Planet
Red Planet (film)
Red Planet is a 2000 Technicolor science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released on November 10, 2000.-Plot:...
. That same year, he had a supporting role in the film Pollock
Pollock (film)
Pollock is a 2000 biographical drama film which tells the life story of painter Jackson Pollock. It stars Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knott, Bud Cort, Molly Regan, Marcia Gay Harden and Sada Thompson.-Plot:...
and hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
for the first time. In 2002, he starred in the thriller The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a 2002 American neo-noir film starring Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio directed by D. J. Caruso.-Plot:While playing the trumpet in a burning room, the protagonist's voice is heard in narration. His story begins with him posing as "Danny Parker", a speed freak addicted to...
, which was generally well-reviewed, but received only a limited release. The same year, he teamed with his True Romance co-star, Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
, and the two starred in the low budget film, Hard Cash
Hard Cash
Hard Cash is an action and adventure film released in 2002.- Cast :* Christian Slater - as Thomas Taylor* Val Kilmer - as FBI Agent Mark C...
, also known as Run for the Money.
In 2003, Kilmer starred alongside Kate Bosworth
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Ann "Kate" Bosworth is an American actress. Bosworth starred in the television series Young Americans, in which she played Bella Banks. She became known with a leading role in 2002's Blue Crush. The following year, Bosworth played the teenage girlfriend of porn star John Holmes in...
in the drama/thriller Wonderland
Wonderland (film)
Wonderland is a 2003 American crime and drama film co-written and directed by James Cox, and based on the real-life Wonderland Murders that occurred in 1981. The film stars Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow, Dylan McDermott, Josh Lucas, Christina Applegate, and Tim Blake Nelson...
, as well as appearing in The Missing
The Missing
The Missing is a 2003 Western thriller film directed by Ron Howard, based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride.This Western thriller set in 1885 New Mexico Territory is notable for the authentic use of the Apache language by various actors, some of whom spent long hours studying it...
, where he again worked with Willow director Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
. The next year, he starred in Spartan
Spartan (film)
Spartan is a 2004 American political thriller film written and directed by David Mamet. It features Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, Ed O'Neill, William H. Macy, and Kristen Bell. It was released in The United States and Canada on 12 March 2004....
, where he played a United States government secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
who is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter of the President. He received Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
-like training in preparation for the role. Subsequently, he had a role in the drama, Stateside
Stateside (film)
Stateside is a 2004 romantic drama film film based on a true story. It is an adventurous love story about a high school rich kid serving in the Marine Corps to avoid jail, who eventually falls in love with a schizophrenic actress. Those around them ask them to keep their distance from each other,...
, and starred (again with Slater) in the thriller Mindhunters
Mindhunters
Mindhunters is a 2004 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin...
, which was filmed in 2003 but not released until 2005. Kilmer next appeared in the big budget Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
production, Alexander
Alexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
, which received poor reviews. Also in 2004, Kilmer returned to the theatre to play Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
musical production of The Ten Commandments: The Musical
The Ten Commandments: The Musical
The Ten Commandments: The Musical is a musical with music by Patrick Leonard and lyrics by Maribeth Derry. The book is adapted from the French musical Les dix commandements created by Élie Chouraqui from an idea by Albert Cohen....
, produced by BCBG founder Max Azria
Max Azria
Max Azria is a French fashion designer of Tunisian Jewish descent who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBGMAXAZRIA. Azria is also the designer, chairman and CEO of BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP, a global fashion house that encompasses over 20 brands...
. The production played at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and also featured Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
. Kilmer had previously played Moses in the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Finally in 2004, Kilmer appeared in an episode of Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
, where he played a Sherpa
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
whose primary source of income was the growing, harvesting and distributing high-quality marijuana, all under a guise of metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
insights.
Kilmer was in negotiations with Richard Dutcher
Richard Dutcher
Richard Alan Dutcher is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. Well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his early Mormon-themed productions, Dutcher has been called “The Father of Mormon...
(a leading director of Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
-related films) to play the lead role in a film entitled Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith, although the project never materialized. Kilmer performed in The Postman Always Rings Twice on the London stage from June to September 2005. In 2005, he co-starred with Robert Downey, Jr. in the action-comedy film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a 2005 crime/dark comedy film, which engages many conventions of the classic film noir genre in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. It is based, in part, on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday. The cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan...
. His performance was praised and the film was well reviewed, but the film received only a limited release. It later won the award as "Overlooked Film of the Year" from the Phoenix Film Critics Society
Phoenix Film Critics Society
The Phoenix Film Critics Society is an organization of film reviewers from Phoenix-based publications.In December of each year, the PFCS meets to vote on their Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for films released in the same calendar year.Categories of awards include:* Best Actor The Phoenix...
.
In 2006, he reunited with director Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
a third time for a supporting role opposite Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
in the box-office hit Déjà Vu. The song "Val Kilmer" was named after him on Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
's 2006 album The Great Burrito Extortion Case
The Great Burrito Extortion Case
I'm Gay sounds like it ends prematurely. The ending is cut in the middle of a guitar part.Many of the bonus tracks were released in 2008 on the Japanese 2008 Re-Issue of Bowling for Soup Goes to the Movies.-B-sides:-Credits:...
,. The song was later used for one of the Ford commercials on season 10 of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in 2011. In 2007, he guest-starred in hit TV series Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
episode "Trust Metric" as torture expert Mason Lancer.
In 2008, Kilmer starred alongside Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
in the Sony and Stage 6 film Felon
Felon (film)
Felon is a 2008 American drama film about a family man who ends up in state prison after he kills an intruder. The film was written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and stars Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer and Harold Perrineau...
. The film was given only a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles in 2008, but it developed into a success secondary to positive word of mouth.
Kilmer was the voice of the car KITT
KITT
KITT is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure TV series Knight Rider. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider, and the other as the Knight...
for the 2008 Knight Rider
Knight Rider (2008 film)
Knight Rider is a 2008 television movie which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new Knight Rider television series, a revival of the series of the same name which aired during the 1980s...
TV pilot film and the following television series
Knight Rider (2008 TV series)
Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
. He replaced Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, who had to step down from the role due to contractual conflict with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. In keeping with tradition established by the original Knight Rider series and original KITT actor William Daniels
William Daniels
William David Daniels is an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild . He is known for his performance as Dustin Hoffman's father in The Graduate , as John Adams in 1776, as Carter Nash in Captain Nice, as Mr. George Feeny in ABC's Boy Meets World, as the voice of KITT in...
, Kilmer was uncredited for the role on-screen.
He next starred alongside Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
in the Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage.-Overview:...
, and alongside Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
in Streets of Blood
Streets of Blood
Streets of Blood is a 2009 action-drama film starring Val Kilmer, 50 Cent, Michael Biehn and Sharon Stone. It is directed by Charles Winkler with a screenplay written by Eugene Hess based on a story by Hess and Dennis Fanning...
. Both were released in 2009. He appeared as the main antagonist "Mongoose" in a live TV series adaptation of the comic/video game of XIII
XIII (TV Mini-series)
XIII: The Conspiracy is a Franco-Canadian 2008 TV mini-series based on the Belgian comic book series and game of the same title, originally by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, revolving around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. The series was directed by Duane Clark,...
on NBC in 2009.
2010s
In 2010, Kilmer starred in the horror film from Michael OblowitzMichael Oblowitz
Michael Oblowitz is a South African filmmaker who has directed and produced a number of critically acclaimed movies and videos.-Early and avant-garde work:...
, The Traveler
The Traveler (2010 film)
The Traveler is a horror film released in 2010, starring Val Kilmer and Dylan Neal. Val Kilmer plays a stranger , who is interrogated for murder at a small town's police station by Dylan Neal, who plays a police detective Alexander Black....
, where he played the vengeful spirit of a man who had been tortured and murdered while in police custody.
In November 2010, Kilmer was filming in Kelseyville, California
Kelseyville, California
Kelseyville is a census-designated place in Lake County, California, United States. Kelseyville is located southeast of Lakeport, at an elevation of 1384 feet...
; he is the lead role in the Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
film Twixt. The film is being filmed mostly on Coppola's estate in Napa County. The filming is expected to take five weeks and is being independently funded by Coppola.
In 2010, Val Kilmer appeared as the villain Dieter Von Cunth in MacGruber
MacGruber (film)
MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, itself a parody of action-adventure television series MacGyver. The film stars Will Forte in the title role; Kristen Wiig as his love interest/partner, Vicki St...
.
Mark Twain/Mary Baker Eddy project
Since 2010, Kilmer has been working on a film about the life of Mary Baker EddyMary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, the founder of the Christian Science
Christian Science
Christian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
church, and Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, one of her most famous critics. Kilmer wrote the screenplay, describing the film about the lives and relationship of Mary Baker Eddy and Mark Twain as "a quirky, tender, tragicomic portrait of two contrasting lives, set against the backdrop of Gilded Age America."
Personal life
Kilmer was married to actress Joanne WhalleyJoanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
from March 1988 to February 1996. The two met while working together on the film Willow
Willow (film)
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Patricia Hayes...
. The couple had two children: a daughter, Mercedes (b. October 29, 1991), and a son, Jack (b. June 6, 1995). He dated supermodel Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
in the 1990s.
Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis
Warwick Ashley Davis is an English actor. He is most notable for playing the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, as well as for his roles in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the Harry Potter movies. Davis currently stars in the sitcom Life's Too Short, written...
, Kilmer's co-star from the 1988 fantasy Willow, in his audio commentary for the film described Kilmer as a very funny man and a hard working, dedicated actor. Kilmer is also an avid musician, and released a CD in the fall of 2007, proceeds of which went to his charity interests.
Other actors have noted that he prepares for his roles extensively and meticulously. Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of 50 major motion pictures, dating back to 1967's Double Trouble, starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? , starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for nine Academy Awards...
(director of At First Sight
At First Sight
At First Sight is a 1999 American film starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino, based on the essay To See and Not to See in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings.-Plot:...
) talked about his decision to hire Kilmer. "I'd heard the stories, so I checked him out. I called Bob DeNiro and Michael Mann, who'd worked with him on Heat, and they both gave him raves... I had a wonderful experience in spite of all the naysayers." Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg is an American film producer and CEO of DreamWorks Animation. He is perhaps most famous for his period as chairman of The Walt Disney Company's film division, and for producing DreamWorks animated films such as Shrek, Antz, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken...
(producer of Prince of Egypt) talks about the actor. "Val was one of the first people cast in The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
. He was there every step of the way; patient, understanding, and phenomenally generous with his time."
Following their appearance together in Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
, Kilmer and co-star Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
reportedly had taken their onscreen conflict offscreen. Reports classified the two as holding a vitriolic hatred of one another. Kilmer even refused to participate in a charity beach volleyball game with Cruise on the grounds that he was "dangerous", although Kilmer is noted to have knocked Cruise out in a fistfight during the filming of Top Gun.
Kilmer owns a ranch in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where he hunts, tracks, hikes, fishes, and raises bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
. Kilmer is also involved with The Wildlife Center of New Mexico and assists in rescuing animals and releasing them on his ranch.
In 2009, Kilmer listed Pecos River Ranch for sale for $33,000,000 with conservation real estate firm http://www.orviscw.com/Orvis/Cushman&Wakefield. The price was subsequently dropped to $23 million in October 2010 and dropped again to $18.5 million two months later.
He briefly flirted with running for Governor of New Mexico
New Mexico gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Democratic Governor Bill Richardson was term-limited and unable to seek re-election....
in 2010, but in the end declined to run.
He made a donation to Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
's 2008 presidential campaign
Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2008
Ralph Nader received 738,475 votes for 0.56 percent of the popular vote in the 2000 United States presidential election. He ran as an independent. His running mate was Matt Gonzalez....
. On January 30, 2009, Kilmer was chosen to be the King of Bacchus, a parading Krewe
Krewe
A krewe is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with New Orleans Mardi Gras, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations around the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, and...
in New Orleans, that in 1969 began the tradition of having celebrities ride in their parade as King.
In November 2010, the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) filed a $498,165 lien against Kilmer's New Mexico ranch for unpaid 2008 income taxes. In April 2010, Kilmer paid $538,000 to settle another dispute with the IRS.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Deep | Bit Part | Film Debut |
| The Spy Who Loved Me The Spy Who Loved Me (film) The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum... |
Bit Part | ||
| 1979 | Apocalypse Now Apocalypse Now Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces... |
Bit Part | |
| 1981 | Body Heat Body Heat Body Heat is a 1981 American neo-noir film written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It stars William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, and Mickey Rourke. The film is inspired by Double Indemnity.... |
William | |
| 1984 | Top Secret! Top Secret! Top Secret! is a 1984 comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Val Kilmer , Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough and Jeremy Kemp. The film is a parody of the GDR era and Elvis films... |
Nick Rivers | |
| 1985 | Real Genius Real Genius Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret.... |
Chris Knight | |
| 1986 | Top Gun Top Gun Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie... |
Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazanski | |
| The Murders in the Rue Morgue | Phillipe Huron | television film | |
| 1987 | The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains | Robert Eliot Burns/Eliot Roberts | television film CableACE Award for Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries |
| 1988 | Willow Willow (film) Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Patricia Hayes... |
Madmartigan | |
| 1989 | Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (1989 film) Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid, also known as Billy the Kid, is a 1989 American western film about famed gunman Billy the Kid.One of many depicting the events surrounding the outlaw during his participation in the Lincoln County War, this film, though little known, has routinely been described as the... |
William Bonney | |
| Kill Me Again Kill Me Again Kill Me Again is a 1989 American thriller film directed by John Dahl and starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, and Michael Madsen. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributed the film.-Plot:... |
Jack Andrews | ||
| 1991 | The Doors The Doors (film) The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,... |
Jim Morrison Jim Morrison James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors... |
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - Male |
| 1992 | Thunderheart Thunderheart Thunderheart is a 1992 American contemporary western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from an original screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973... |
Ray Levoi | |
| 1993 | The Real McCoy The Real McCoy (film) The Real McCoy is a 1993 crime film, directed by Russell Mulcahy. It stars Kim Basinger and Val Kilmer.-Plot summary:Karen McCoy is released from prison with nothing but the clothes on her back... |
J.T. Barker | |
| Tombstone Tombstone (film) Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre.... |
Doc Holliday Doc Holliday John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral... |
Based on a true story Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male This is a follow list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Most Desirable Male. This award was last given out in 1996, along with its counterpart, Most Desirable Female.-References:... Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - Male |
|
| True Romance True Romance True Romance is a 1993 American romance crime film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette with an ensemble cast consisting of Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin... |
Mentor Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".... |
||
| 1995 | Batman Forever Batman Forever Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman... |
Bruce Wayne/Batman Batman Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics... |
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male This is a follow list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Most Desirable Male. This award was last given out in 1996, along with its counterpart, Most Desirable Female.-References:... |
| Heat | Chris Shiherlis | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Wings of Courage Wings of Courage Wings of Courage is a 1995 American-French drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The 40-minute picture was written by Annaud with Alain Godard. It was the world's first dramatic picture shot in the IMAX-format... |
Jean Mermoz | IMAX IMAX IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems... Film |
|
| 1996 | The Island of Dr Moreau The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film) The Island of Dr. Moreau is a 1996 science fiction horror film, the third major movie version of the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Doctor Moreau about a scientist who attempts to convert animals into people... |
Montgomery | |
| The Ghost and the Darkness The Ghost and the Darkness The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 adventure film starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer set in Africa at the end of the 19th century.It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and the screenplay was written by William Goldman.... |
Col. John Henry Patterson | ||
| Dead Girl | Dr. Dark | ||
| 1997 | The Saint The Saint (film) The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija... |
Simon Templar Simon Templar Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s... |
|
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt The Prince of Egypt The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the... |
Moses Moses Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed... /God God God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... |
Voice-over |
| 1999 | At First Sight At First Sight At First Sight is a 1999 American film starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino, based on the essay To See and Not to See in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings.-Plot:... |
Virgil 'Virg' Adamson | |
| Joe the King Joe the King Joe the King is a 1999 drama film, written and directed by Frank Whaley, based largely on his own childhood and the childhood of his brother. It stars Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Camryn Manheim, Max Ligosh and James Costa... |
Bob Henry | ||
| 2000 | Pollock Pollock (film) Pollock is a 2000 biographical drama film which tells the life story of painter Jackson Pollock. It stars Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knott, Bud Cort, Molly Regan, Marcia Gay Harden and Sada Thompson.-Plot:... |
Willem de Kooning Willem de Kooning Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.... |
|
| Red Planet Red Planet (film) Red Planet is a 2000 Technicolor science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released on November 10, 2000.-Plot:... |
Robby Gallagher | ||
| 2002 | The Salton Sea The Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a 2002 American neo-noir film starring Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio directed by D. J. Caruso.-Plot:While playing the trumpet in a burning room, the protagonist's voice is heard in narration. His story begins with him posing as "Danny Parker", a speed freak addicted to... |
Danny Parker / Tom Van Allen | Limited release Prism Award for Best Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film |
| Hard Cash Hard Cash Hard Cash is an action and adventure film released in 2002.- Cast :* Christian Slater - as Thomas Taylor* Val Kilmer - as FBI Agent Mark C... |
FBI Agent Mark C. Cornell | a.k.a. Run for the Money | |
| 2003 | Wonderland Wonderland (film) Wonderland is a 2003 American crime and drama film co-written and directed by James Cox, and based on the real-life Wonderland Murders that occurred in 1981. The film stars Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow, Dylan McDermott, Josh Lucas, Christina Applegate, and Tim Blake Nelson... |
John Holmes John Holmes (actor) John Curtis Holmes better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd , was one of the most prolific male porn stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and pornographic feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s... |
Based on the Wonderland Murders Wonderland Murders The Wonderland murders, also known as Four on the Floor or Laurel Canyon Murders, occurred in Los Angeles in 1981, when four people were killed in a drug-related scenario involving porn star John Holmes and was allegedly masterminded by Los Angeles businessman and drug dealer Eddie Nash.-Robbery... |
| The Missing The Missing The Missing is a 2003 Western thriller film directed by Ron Howard, based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride.This Western thriller set in 1885 New Mexico Territory is notable for the authentic use of the Apache language by various actors, some of whom spent long hours studying it... |
Lt. Jim Ducharme | ||
| Blind Horizon Blind Horizon Blind Horizon is a 2003 conspiracy thriller film directed by Michael Haussman. The screenplay was co-written by F. Paul Benz and Steve Tomlin. The leading cast includes Val Kilmer, Neve Campbell, Sam Shepard, Amy Smart, and Faye Dunaway.-Plot:... |
Frank Kavanaugh | ||
| Masked and Anonymous Masked and Anonymous Masked and Anonymous is a 2003 comedy-drama film directed by Larry Charles, who is better known for his writing on successful TV sitcoms, Seinfeld and Mad About You and for executive producing episodes of The Tick and Dilbert. The film was written by Larry Charles and Bob Dylan, the latter under... |
Animal Wrangler | ||
| 2004 | Entourage Entourage (TV series) Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons... |
The Sherpa | Episode: "The Script and the Sherpa" |
| Spartan Spartan (film) Spartan is a 2004 American political thriller film written and directed by David Mamet. It features Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, Ed O'Neill, William H. Macy, and Kristen Bell. It was released in The United States and Canada on 12 March 2004.... |
Robert Scott | ||
| Stateside Stateside (film) Stateside is a 2004 romantic drama film film based on a true story. It is an adventurous love story about a high school rich kid serving in the Marine Corps to avoid jail, who eventually falls in love with a schizophrenic actress. Those around them ask them to keep their distance from each other,... |
Staff Sergeant Skeer | ||
| Alexander Alexander (film) Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role... |
Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:... |
||
| George and the Dragon | El Cabillo | uncredited | |
| 2005 | Mindhunters Mindhunters Mindhunters is a 2004 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin... |
Jake Harris | |
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a 2005 crime/dark comedy film, which engages many conventions of the classic film noir genre in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. It is based, in part, on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday. The cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan... |
Perry Van Shrike/"Gay Perry" | Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture The Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the annual Satellite Awards given by the International Press Academy.-Drama :2000: Bruce Greenwood – Thirteen Days*Jeff Bridges – The Contender as Jackson Evans... Nominated– Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
|
| 2006 | Summer Love Summer Love (2006 film) The film Summer Love also known as Dead Man's Bounty, revolves around a desert countryside with a bunch of rowdy cowboys, a woman bar tender and a drunkard Sheriff. The story has been written and directed by Polish director and writer Piotr Uklanski.... |
The Wanted Man | a.k.a. Dead Man's Bounty |
| Moscow Zero Moscow Zero Moscow Zero is a 2006 film directed by María Lidón. The film was shot on location in Spain and Russia.-Plot:A rescue team searches for a missing anthropologist in underground caves and catacombs beneath the city of Moscow which are inhabited by demons.... |
Andrey | ||
| 10th & Wolf 10th & Wolf 10th & Wolf is a 2006 film about the Mafia directed by Robert Moresco. It is based on a true story of a mob war in South Philadelphia. The film stars James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro and features appearances by Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, Lesley Ann Warren, Tommy Lee,... |
Murtha | ||
| Played Played Played is a 2006 crime film produced by Caspar von Winterfeldt, Nick Simunek and Mick Rossi, executive produced by John Daly, co-produced by Nigel Mead and Lenny Bitondo, written by Sean Stanek and Mick Rossi and directed by Sean Stanek... |
Dillon | ||
| Déjà Vu | Agent Andrew Pryzwarra | ||
| The Ten Commandments: The Musical The Ten Commandments: The Musical The Ten Commandments: The Musical is a musical with music by Patrick Leonard and lyrics by Maribeth Derry. The book is adapted from the French musical Les dix commandements created by Élie Chouraqui from an idea by Albert Cohen.... |
Moses | ||
| 2007 | Have Dreams, Will Travel Have Dreams, Will Travel Have Dreams, Will Travel is a drama film set in the 1960s written and directed by Brad Isaacs, starring Cayden Boyd, AnnaSophia Robb, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, Heather Graham, Val Kilmer, and Matthew Modine.-Plot:Narrator Benjamin Reynolds lives with neglectful parents in 1960s west... |
Henderson | |
| Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes... |
Mason Lancer | Episode: "Trust Metric" | |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon Comanche Moon (TV miniseries) Comanche Moon is a television miniseries that is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. It aired on CBS beginning Sunday, January 13, and continuing Tuesday, January 15, and Wednesday, January 16, 2008.-Cast:* Val Kilmer as Inish Scull... |
Inish Scull | TV mini-series based on the book |
| Knight Rider Knight Rider (2008 film) Knight Rider is a 2008 television movie which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new Knight Rider television series, a revival of the series of the same name which aired during the 1980s... |
voice of KITT KITT KITT is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure TV series Knight Rider. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider, and the other as the Knight... |
television film based on 1980s TV series | |
| Conspiracy Conspiracy (2008 film) Conspiracy is a 2008 action/drama film released as direct-to-video on March 18, 2008. The film is influenced by the classic western film noir thriller Bad Day at Black Rock , which itself was an adaptation of a short story "Bad Time at Honda" by Howard Breslin.While Bad Day at Black Rock tells the... |
MacPherson | direct-to-video Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television... |
|
| Felon Felon (film) Felon is a 2008 American drama film about a family man who ends up in state prison after he kills an intruder. The film was written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and stars Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer and Harold Perrineau... |
John Smith | ||
| Delgo Delgo (film) Delgo is a 2008 computer-animated fantasy film. The film was produced by Fathom Studios, a division of Macquarium Intelligent Communications, which began development of the project in 1999.... |
Bogardus | voice only | |
| 2:22 | Maz | ||
| Columbus Day Columbus Day (film) Columbus Day is a 2008 crime drama starring Val Kilmer, Marg Helgenberger and Wilmer Valderrama.-Plot:A thief has just one morning to fix the damage done during the biggest heist of his career, all while attempting to repair his relationship with his ex-wife.John survives, and meets with his... |
John | ||
| The Love Guru The Love Guru The Love Guru is a 2008 comedy film, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba along with Romany Malco and Justin Timberlake. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote The Love Guru with Graham Gordy and produced it with Gary Barber. The film was released by... |
Himself | uncredited cameo | |
| XIII XIII (TV Mini-series) XIII: The Conspiracy is a Franco-Canadian 2008 TV mini-series based on the Belgian comic book series and game of the same title, originally by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, revolving around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. The series was directed by Duane Clark,... |
Mongoose | based on Belgian comic book XIII | |
| 2008–2009 | Knight Rider Knight Rider (2008 TV series) Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest.... |
voice of KITT | TV series based on the 2008 television film |
| 2009 | The Chaos Experiment | James Pettis | a.k.a. The Steam Experiment |
| Streets of Blood Streets of Blood Streets of Blood is a 2009 action-drama film starring Val Kilmer, 50 Cent, Michael Biehn and Sharon Stone. It is directed by Charles Winkler with a screenplay written by Eugene Hess based on a story by Hess and Dennis Fanning... |
Detective Andy Devereaux | ||
| American Cowslip American cowslip American Cowslip is the title of an independent feature film by director Mark David. It revolves around heroin addict, Ethan Inglebrink, whose life is centered around his garden and his group of eccentric friends. American Cowslip will be David's third film, following his debut, Sweet Thing , and... |
Todd Inglebrink | ||
| The Thaw The Thaw (film) The Thaw is a 2009 science fiction horror/thriller film directed by Mark A. Lewis starring Val Kilmer and Martha MacIsaac.-Plot:The film begins with the recording of a documentary as Doctor David Kruipen, a research scientist in the Canadian Arctic... |
Dr. David Kruipen | ||
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage.-Overview:... |
Stevie Pruit | ||
| Hardwired Hardwired (film) Hardwired is a 2009 film released straight to DVD starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside and Lance Henriksen.-Plot:In the not too distant future where corporations control nearly every aspect of human life, a man named Luke is involved in a car accident that claims the life of... |
Virgil | ||
| Fake Identity Fake Identity Double Identity is a crime thriller film directed by Dennis Dimster-Denk and starring Val Kilmer and Izabella Miko, originally titled Fake Identity. It was released in early 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray.-Plot:... |
Nick | a.k.a. Double Identity | |
| 2010 | The Traveler The Traveler (2010 film) The Traveler is a horror film released in 2010, starring Val Kilmer and Dylan Neal. Val Kilmer plays a stranger , who is interrogated for murder at a small town's police station by Dylan Neal, who plays a police detective Alexander Black.... |
The Stranger/Mr. Nobody | |
| Bloodworth | Warren Bloodworth | ||
| MacGruber MacGruber (film) MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, itself a parody of action-adventure television series MacGyver. The film stars Will Forte in the title role; Kristen Wiig as his love interest/partner, Vicki St... |
Dieter Von Cunth | ||
| Gun Gun (2010 film) Gun is a 2010 Direct-to-Video action film directed by Jessy Terrero, written by Curtis Jackson starring himself, Val Kilmer and James Remar... |
Angel | ||
| 2011 | Kill the Irishman | Joe Manditski | |
| Blood Out Blood Out (film) Blood Out is a 2011 American drama thriller film released direct-to-video. The film is written by Jason Hewitt and John A. O'Connell, starring Val Kilmer and Luke Goss, and is Hewitt's directorial debut.- Plot :... |
Arturo | ||
| 5 Days of War | Dutch Journalist | ||
| Twixt | Hall Baltimore | ||
| Riddle | Sheriff Richards | ||
| Spider-Man: Edge of Time Spider-Man: Edge of Time Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a video game developed by the Activision-owned developer Beenox, based on the superhero Spider-Man. The story was written by Peter David, and gameplay has a "cause-and-effect" system where one Spider-Man's actions will affect the other and vice versa. It was released on... |
Walker Sloan | video game |
External links
GeneralInterviews
- Maxim interview (January 2007)
- Tom Green Live (November 6, 2006)
- UGO interview (March 2004)
- Deal Memo interview (April 23, 2002)