Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, who found fame portraying American singer Jim Morrison in The Doors, breathed his last on Tuesday. As reported by The New York Times, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed pneumonia as the cause of death. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered. Kilmer was 65.
Born on December 31, 1959, Kilmer’s love for performance arts was first portrayed not through a screen, but on stage, featuring in multiple off-Broadway productions. He also starred in the Broadway production of The Slab Boys, starring alongside Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, and Jackie Earle Haley.
His on-screen debut came with Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker’s Top Secret!, but it was Tony Scott’s blockbuster action flick Top Gun, where he portrayed LT Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, that catapulted him into stardom.
Kilmer later embodied legendary American singer Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. After seeing Kilmer’s performance in the western film Tombstone, filmmaker Joel Schumacher decided to offer him the role of billionaire superhero Batman in Batman Forever, following Michael Keaton’s departure from the franchise.
His other notable works include Heat, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Prince of Egypt, Spartan, Alexander, and Planes. His final theatrical appearance fittingly brought his career full circle, as he reprised his role in Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the film that initially launched him to fame.
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Kilmer’s legacy was accompanied by an illustrious career having spanning over 80 films and 15 television shows.
He is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley.
