10 things you didn’t know about Val Kilmer’s life and career

Legendary actor Val Kilmer passed away on Tuesday at the age of 65 after suffering from pneumonia, as per The New York Times.

Kilmer is known for his mastery in acting, as the talented actor was loved by audiences in any role he played. Whether a sarcastic FBI officer, an alcoholic gambler, or a mercenary in a fantasy land, he prepared and tried to portray all his characters perfectly.

The talented actor appeared in many films, plays, and shows and was a popular name in Hollywood, but he still had to go through several personal and professional problems.

In this article, we have listed 10 things about Val Kilmer’s life and career that you might not be aware of.

10) Youngest Juilliard student

Did you know Val Kilmer was one of the youngest students accepted at Juilliard?

After graduating from school, Kilmer wanted to become an actor and go to the best drama school. He initially applied to RADA in London but was rejected as they don’t accept students under 18. He then applied to the next best school, Juilliard, and was accepted at the age of 17 in their Drama division, becoming one of the youngest students at Juilliard.

9) Declined a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders

Val Kilmer rejected many films in his career, such as Blue Velvet, Point Break, and Dune, due to various reasons.

However, one role that he thought he would not have rejected was Coppola’s coming-of-age film The Outsiders. He said in an old interview with The Irish Times that he rejected the role because he was busy with theatre at that time.

He stated:

"I turned down a role in The Outsiders, because I was doing Shakespeare at the time and I thought it was right to stay with the play. I don't think I would have made the same choice now. Because great careers came out of that. Tom Cruise and a whole bunch of actors."

8) Tragedy in the family

Soho Beach House Hosts The Last Ten Years: Tracey Emin In Conversation With Alastair Gordon During Art Basel Miami Beach 2017 - Source: Getty

Val Kilmer was born on New Year’s Eve in1959 in LA. His family life was not as smooth as his parents got divorced when he was 8. However, the death of his younger brother Wesley, who died in a Jacuzzi after an epileptic attack at 15, affected him the most.

In a New York Times interview, Kilmer talked about his brother, who was brilliant and an aspiring filmmaker. He also stated that he still missed him. He said:

"I miss him and miss his things. I have his art up. I like to think about what he would have created. I'm still inspired by him."

His role as Danny Parker in the movie The Salton Sea was grieving with loss of his wife. This personal tragedy helped him understand and portray Parker's emotions

7) He was known for being difficult to work with

Due to Val Kilmer’s rigorous work ethic to always trying to achieve perfection in his roles, some people in Hollywood allegedly had difficulty working with him.

For instance, Kilmer and his co-star Tom Sizemore reportedly didn’t get along as they were seemingly not even on speaking terms with each other. Moreover, he also reportedly didn’t get along with some of his directors, such as John Frankenheimer and Richard Stanley, who directed The Island of Dr. Moreau.

In 2003, Kilmer addressed these issues in the Orange County Register newspaper. He said:

"When certain people criticise me for being demanding, I think that's a cover for something they didn't do well. I think they're trying to protect themselves. I believe I'm challenging, not demanding, and I make no apologies for that."

6) He fully immersed himself in Jim Morrison’s role

"Alexander" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Source: Getty

Val Kilmer portrayed the rock and roll legend and counterculture figure Jim Morrison in the film The Doors.

Kilmer went to extreme lengths to bring authenticity to his characters. For his role as Jim Morrison, Kilmer styled himself as Morrison for a year and also learned all the lyrics of his songs before his audition. He was so convincing as Morrison that even the members of the band The Doors could not reportedly differentiate between Kilmer’s and Morrison’s voices.

5) Considered running for Mayor of New Mexico

Did you know that the Batman Forever legend once thought about running for mayor?

In 2009, Val Kilmer shared with The Associated Press that he might run for Mayor in 2010 after Democrat Bill Richardson’s term ends. He said:

"I'm just looking for ways to be contributive. And if that ends up being where I can make a substantial contribution, then I'll run."

4) American rock band Bowling for Soup named a song after Val Kilmer

Cher And Val Kilmer At The 36th Tony Awards - Source: Getty

Did you know Val Kilmer has a song named after him by a rock band? The American rock band Bowling for Soup has a song called Val Kilmer in their album The Great Burrito Extraction Case, which was released in 2006.

The song is one of the most catchy songs in the album and also has many references to Kilmer’s films, such as Real Genius and Top Gun.

3) Val Kilmer initially refused to do Top Gun

This might come as a surprise to many - Kilmer initially refused to play the iconic role of Iceman in the 1986 Top Gun.

He wrote about his disinterest in his memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry. He wrote:

"I didn’t want the part. I didn’t care about the film. The story didn’t interest me."

He also wrote:

"I read the lines indifferently. And yet, amazingly, I was told I had the part. I felt more deflated than inflated. I had to get out of there."

However, he had to do the role, as reported by People, due to contractual obligations with his studio.

2) Throat cancer diagnosis

Kilmer had been dealing with throat cancer for two years, as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.

However, he initially denied suffering from cancer. Moreover, due to his Christian Scientist beliefs, he did not want to go for cancer treatments but then obliged and underwent chemotherapy, which helped in curing his throat cancer.

1) Top Gun: Maverick was his final performance

Val Kilmer’s return as Iceman was emotional for many people, including star Tom Cruise, who, during a 2023 Jimmy Kimmel Live interview, talked about how emotional he got after seeing Kilmer as Iceman. He said:

"I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, I love his work."

Kilmer returned to this iconic role after battling health issues for so long. The cocky and cool fighter pilot became his final performance on screen.