For some, he was the intrepid Madmartigan; for others, he was Iceman in the '80s classic Top Gun. Val Kilmer died this Tuesday, April 1st, at the age of 65. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, announced the news, stating that he had been suffering from pneumonia.
The actor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but recovered. He appeared in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, still bearing the scars of the disease. He had partially lost the use of his voice. This is his final appearance in front of the cameras.
A high-flying career
Born on December 31, 1959 in Los Angeles, he grew up in the Chatsworth neighborhood. At 17, he applied to the legendary Julliard School in New York and became one of the youngest students in the drama program. There, he experimented with stage and performance art before making his Broadway debut in 1983 in John Byrne's The Slab Boys, starring Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.
However, his career took a turn in 1986, when Tony Scott cast him in his first blockbuster. Opposite Tom Cruise, he played Maverick's arrogant rival, Iceman. This role in Top Gun marked the beginning of a unique career for Kilmer. Later, he crossed paths with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the heist film Heat in 1995, and played Jim Morrison in The Doors by Oliver Stone in 1991. But two roles have particularly marked his career and, more broadly, popular culture.
Madmartigan
An idea has been running through George Lucas's head since the 70s. The father of Star Wars wants to create a fantasy universe, a genre that is still struggling to establish itself in cinema. He then approached Ron Howard to direct the story of a young Nelwyn who takes in a princess destined to dethrone the horrible regent Bavmorda.
Warwick Davis was given the lead role and an intrepid traveling companion: Madmartigan. Val Kilmer steals the show, he is charismatic and mischievous. While the film didn't meet with critical and commercial success, Willow became a nostalgic object for generations of viewers brought up on famous works like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Released too early, before Peter Jackson put these imaginary writings at the center of the Hollywood industry's concerns, Willow offered Kilmer the opportunity to become an icon once again. He was a natural in this role, which he was supposed to reprise for the Willow series before his son made a brief vocal appearance to conclude the first season, these health problems preventing him from returning entirely. Batman, forevermore In 1995, he was invited to don the Batman costume for Joel Schumacher. He stars opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey in what will be one of the least appreciated adaptations of the Dark Knight's adventures. While his performance is not particularly singled out, many agree that he makes a good Batman, Schumacher's approach is radically different from Burton's and his gothic aesthetic and is not well-liked.
Later, it will be revealed that the filming was particularly tense. Joel Schumacher confided in 2019 that his film “suffered from the behavior of two of its main actors, Val Kilmer and Tommy Lee Jones. Kilmer was excessively fussy and capricious.” Kilmer would pass the baton in 1997 for Batman and Robin, giving George Clooney the opportunity to take on the character imagined by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. In 2022, the rebel icon was given a documentary by Leo Scott and Ting Poo. Using archive footage, Val painted an uncompromising portrait of the artist whom Entertainment Weekly described in 1996 as a man “Hollywood loves to hate.”
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