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IMDbPro

Val Kilmer

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 50032
Val Kilmer
Take a closer look at the various roles Val Kilmer has played throughout his acting career.
Play clip0:55
Val Kilmer | Career Retrospective
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, who was a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. His mother, born in Indiana, was from a Swedish family, and his father was from Texas. Val studied at Hollywood's Professional's School and, in his teens, entered Juilliard's drama program. His professional acting career began on stage, and he still participates in theater; he played Hamlet at the 1988 Colorado Shakespeare Festival. His film debut was in the 1984 spoof Top Secret! (1984), wherein he starred as blond rock idol Nick Rivers. He was in a number of films throughout the 1980s, including the 1986 smash Top Gun (1986). Despite his obvious talent and range, it wasn't until his astonishingly believable performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) that the world sat up and took notice. Kilmer again put his good baritone to use in the movie, performing all of the concert pieces. Since then, he has played two more American legends, Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). In July 1994, it was announced that Kilmer would be taking over the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne from Michael Keaton.
BornDecember 31, 1959
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 31, 1959
IMDbProStarmeterTop 50032
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 9 wins & 13 nominations

Hollywood Icons, Then and Now

Hollywood Icons, Then and Now

Take a look back at these Hollywood icons in their early days to see how far they've come in their careers.
See the gallery
[object Object]
Photos

Photos556

Val Kilmer and Michelle Pfeiffer
Val Kilmer in Top Gun (1986)
Val Kilmer in Top Gun (1986)
Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Rick Rossovich, Tony Scott, John J. Connor, and Ken Nishino in Top Gun (1986)
Val Kilmer in Val (2021)
Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in Heat (1995)
Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Kurt Russell in Tombstone (1993)
Val Kilmer in Saturday Night Live (1975)
Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss in Red Planet (2000)
Val Kilmer in Red Planet (2000)
Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, and Simon Baker in Red Planet (2000)
Val Kilmer in Red Planet (2000)

Known for

Val Kilmer in The Doors (1991)
The Doors
7.2
  • Jim Morrison
  • 1991
Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue in The Saint (1997)
The Saint
6.2
  • Simon Templar
  • 1997
Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr., and Michelle Monaghan in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
7.5
  • Gay Perry
  • 2005
The Salton Sea (2002)
The Salton Sea
7.0
  • Danny Parker
  • Tom Van Allen
  • 2002

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy
    • Mark Twain
    • In Development
  • Riptide
    • Pre-production
  • Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
    Top Gun: Maverick
    • Adm. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky
    • 2022
  • Canyon Del Muerto (2022)
    Canyon Del Muerto
    • 2022
  • Val Kilmer, Ewan McGregor, Lorraine Bracco, William Fichtner, Penn Badgley, Vincent Pastore, and Shiloh Fernandez in The Birthday Cake (2021)
    The Birthday Cake
    • Uncle Angelo
    • 2021
  • Paydirt (2020)
    Paydirt
    • Sheriff Tucker
    • 2020
  • Neal Bledsoe in A Soldier's Revenge (2020)
    A Soldier's Revenge
    • CJ
    • 2020
  • Val Kilmer, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joey Lauren Adams, Tommy Chong, Shannon Elizabeth, Kevin Smith, James Van Der Beek, Jason Biggs, Jason Lee, Fred Armisen, Diedrich Bader, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Garman, Chris Jericho, Justin Long, Method Man, Joe Manganiello, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran, Donnell Rawlings, Redman, Joseph D. Reitman, Jake Richardson, Craig Robinson, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Molly Shannon, Harley Quinn Smith, Chris Hemsworth, Frankie Shaw, Kate Micucci, Melissa Benoist, David Dastmalchian, Treshelle Edmond, Alice Wen, Aparna Brielle, and Mickey Gooch Jr. in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
    Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
    • Bluntman
    • 2019
  • Cinema Twain (2019)
    Cinema Twain
    • Mark Twain
    • 2019
  • 1st Born (2019)
    1st Born
    • Biden
    • 2019
  • Val Kilmer in The Super (2017)
    The Super
    • Walter
    • 2017
  • Michael Fassbender in The Snowman (2017)
    The Snowman
    • Rafto
    • 2017
  • Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, and Rooney Mara in Song to Song (2017)
    Song to Song
    • Duane
    • 2017
  • Oneohtrix Point Never: Animals (2016)
    Oneohtrix Point Never: Animals
    • Video
    • 2016
  • Joel Courtney and Jake T. Austin in Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014)
    Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn
    • Mark Twain
    • 2014
  • Robot Chicken (2001)
    Robot Chicken
    • Man-E-Faces
    • The Borg (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2014
  • Dulé Hill and James Roday Rodriguez in Psych (2006)
    Psych
    • Detective Dobson
    • TV Series
    • 2014

Producer

  • Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy
    • producer
    • In Development
  • The Tree Is Still There
    • executive producer
    • Post-production
    • Short
  • Val Kilmer in Val (2021)
    Val
    • producer
    • 2021
  • Cinema Twain (2019)
    Cinema Twain
    • producer
    • 2019
  • Columbus Day (2008)
    Columbus Day
    • producer
    • 2008
  • Comanche Moon (2008)
    Comanche Moon
    • associate producer
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2008

Director

  • Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy
    • Director
    • In Development
  • Cinema Twain (2019)
    Cinema Twain
    • Director
    • 2019

Videos136

Everything We Know About 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Clip 3:17
Everything We Know About 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Val Kilmer | Career Retrospective
Clip 0:55
Val Kilmer | Career Retrospective
What We Know About 'Top Gun: Maverick'... So Far
Clip 2:35
What We Know About 'Top Gun: Maverick'... So Far
IMDbrief: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' & the Top 5 Music Biopics
Clip 2:15
IMDbrief: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' & the Top 5 Music Biopics
'The Batman': How Will Director Matt Reeves Reboot the Caped Crusader?
Clip 5:10
'The Batman': How Will Director Matt Reeves Reboot the Caped Crusader?
Hardwired
Clip 3:48
Hardwired
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Clip 1:45
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Clip 1:45
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Clip 1:25
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition
Double Identity
Clip 1:39
Double Identity
Double Identity
Clip 2:22
Double Identity
Double Identity
Clip 2:00
Double Identity

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Cameo
    • Facebook
  • Height
    • 5′ 11¾″ (1.82 m)
  • Born
    • December 31, 1959
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Spouse
    • Joanne WhalleyFebruary 28, 1988 - February 1, 1996 (divorced, 2 children)
  • Children
      Mercedes Kilmer
  • Parents
      Gladys Swanette Kilmer (Ekstadt)
  • Relatives
      Wesley Kilmer(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Poetry Book: My Eden After Burns
  • Publicity listings
    • 10 Interviews
    • 16 Articles
    • 3 Pictorials
    • 19 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Did his own singing while playing Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991). The real members of the band said they had difficulty distinguishing Kilmer's voice from that of Morrison's.
  • Quotes
    Upon playing Batman: "I've done an absurdly commercial cartoon and now I'm more likely to get hired for a job I couldn't get hired for before, because I hadn't done enough movies. It's so rare when an actor gets hired because he's right for the role - it just doesn't figure into it."
  • Trademarks
      In many of his movies, he twirls small objects (coins, pencils, etc.) with his fingers.
  • Salaries
      Blind Horizon
      (2003)
      $1,000,000

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