Line #14 Creator/ValKilmer


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/val_kilmer.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''[[Film/{{Tombstone}} He's your huckleberry.]]'']]
3
4	->''"I'm a character actor, but I look like a leading man."''
5
6	Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor of stage and screen. He's known for playing Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in ''Film/TopGun'', Madmartigan in ''Film/{{Willow}}'', Jim Morrison in ''Film/{{The Doors\|1991}}'', Doc Holliday in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'', Bruce Wayne/Batman in ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Moses in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''. He ''really'' likes to prepare himself for his roles, as some of his fellow actors have noted.
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8	A UsefulNotes/LosAngeles native, Kilmer had the distinction of being, at 17, the youngest actor to be accepted into the Juilliard School's drama program for many years. For a time in the TheNineties, it looked as though he was on his way to becoming one of Hollywood's truly elite A-listers, especially following the success of ''Batman Forever''. However, his career began to suffer after he developed a reputation for being difficult on set and appeared in a string of films that performed badly at the box office. Although he enjoyed a brief resurgence in the TurnOfTheMillennium, with several critically-acclaimed turns in smaller projects, Kilmer's filmography started to be filled up with direct-to-DVD projects – this seems to be due at least in part to his unfortunate reputation of being difficult to work with. Roles in more mainstream films are painfully rare. He also developed projects and curricula about Creator/MarkTwain, a personal hero of his, including one-man shows in which he played him.
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10	His career was almost completely sidelined by throat cancer, which he kept hidden for over a decade. Complications have resulted in the continued use of a tracheotomy tube that prevents him from speaking louder than a squeak, which he has managed to circumvent with the use of an AI-generated voice resembling his former voice (you can listen to it [[https://youtu.be/OSMue60Gg6s here]]). He's since shifted his focus towards painting and outreach programs to encourage students to pursue the arts and theatre.
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12	Fittingly, like the real Jim Morrison, Kilmer is a musician as well, having released a CD in 2007.
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14	From 1988 to 1996 he was married to British actress Creator/JoanneWhalley, whom he [[RomanceOnTheSet met while filming]] ''Film/{{Willow}}'' (and would star opposite for a second time in the thriller ''Kill Me Again''). They have two children, daughter Mercedes and son Creator/{{Jack\|Kilmer}}, who is also an actor and occasionally works as his father's soundalike.
15	----
16	!!Notable Roles:
17	[[folder:Filmography]]
18	* Nick Rivers in ''Film/TopSecret'' (1984)
19	* Chris Knight in ''Film/RealGenius'' (1985)
20	* Lt./Vice Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in ''Film/TopGun'' (1986) and ''Film/TopGunMaverick'' (2022)
21	* Madmartigan in ''Film/{{Willow}}'' (1988)
22	* Jack Andrews in ''Film/KillMeAgain'' (1989)
23	* Jim Morrison of Music/TheDoors in ''Film/{{The Doors\|1991}}'' (1991)
24	* Ray Levoi in ''Film/{{Thunderheart}}'' (1992)
25	* J.T. Barker in ''Film/TheRealMcCoy'' (1993)
26	* Doc Holliday in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' (1993)
27	* [[Music/ElvisPresley Mentor]] in ''Film/TrueRomance'' (1993)
28	* Jean Mermoz in ''Film/WingsOfCourage'' (1995)
29	* Bruce Wayne[=/=]Franchise/{{Batman}} in ''Film/BatmanForever'' (1995)
30	* Chris Shiherlis in ''Film/{{Heat}}'' (1995)
31	* Montgomery in ''Film/TheIslandOfDrMoreau1996'' (1996)
32	* Patterson in ''Film/TheGhostAndTheDarkness'' (1996)
33	* Simon Templar in ''Film/{{The Saint\|1997}}'' (1997)
34	* Moses/God in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' (1998) (voice)
35	* Virgil Adamson in ''Film/AtFirstSight'' (1999)
36	* Willem [=DeKooning=] in ''Film/{{Pollock}}'' (2000)
37	* Robby Gallagher in ''Film/RedPlanet'' (2000)
38	* Danny Parker in ''Film/TheSaltonSea'' (2002)
39	* John Holmes in ''Film/{{Wonderland}}'' (2003)
40	* Lt. Jim Ducharme in ''Film/{{The Missing\|2003}}'' (2003)
41	* Bobby Scott in ''Film/{{Spartan}}'' (2004)
42	* Jake Harris in ''Film/{{Mindhunters}}'' (2004)
43	* King Philip II in ''Film/{{Alexander}}'' (2004)
44	* Perry Van Shrike/"Gay Perry" in ''Film/KissKissBangBang'' (2005)
45	* Paul Pryzwarra in ''Film/DejaVu2006'' (2006)
46	* Mason Lancer in ''Series/Numb3rs'' (2007)
47	* Inish Scull in ''Series/ComancheMoon'' (2008)
48	* Bogardus in ''WesternAnimation/{{Delgo}}'' (2008) (voice)
49	* John Cologne in ''Film/ColumbusDay'' (2008)
50	* John Smith in ''Film/{{Felon}}'' (2008)
51	* Stevie Pruit in ''Film/TheBadLieutenantPortOfCallNewOrleans'' (2009)
52	* Virgil in ''Film/{{Hardwired}}'' (2009)
53	* The Stranger/Mr. Nobody in ''Film/TheTraveler'' (2010)
54	* Dieter von Cunth in ''Film/MacGruber'' (2010)
55	* Hall Baltimore in ''Film/{{Twixt}}'' (2011)
56	* Don Diego de la Vega / Franchise/{{Zorro}} in Blackstone Audio and Hollywood Theater of the Ear's full cast adaptation of ''The Mark of Zorro'' (2011) (voice)
57	* Himself, in the viral Internet video that announced the production of a new ''Music/TenaciousD'' album (2012)
58	* Bravo in ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'' (2013) (voice)
59	* Det. Dobson in ''Series/{{Psych}}'' (2014)
60	* Gert Rafto in ''Film/{{The Snowman\|2017}}'' (2017)
61	* Walter in ''Film/TheSuper'' (2017)
62	* Reboot Bluntman in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobReboot'' (2019)
63	* As himself in the documentary ''Film/{{Val}}'' (2021). His son Jack reads the narration from Val's perspective as Val himself can't talk very well any more.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	----
67	!! His works provide examples of:
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69	* AuthorAppeal: A lot of his later work revolves around Creator/MarkTwain because he's a huge fan of Twain's work.
70	* TheCastShowoff: Often plays singers and musicians. His very first role had him singing, while the actual surviving members of Music/TheDoors had trouble telling his vocals from the real Jim Morrison's.
71	* DyeingForYourArt: Lost quite some weight for both ''The Doors'' and ''The Salton Sea''.
72	* LoopingLines: Starting with ''The Snowman'', most of his dialogue has been looped due to his battle with throat cancer. Well, except for ''Film/TopGunMaverick''.
73	* MethodActing: He's famous for his intense involvement in his roles. Because of the preparation work he does, it was noted that he was the first actor to understand that Batman is the true identity and that Bruce Wayne is the false persona.
74	* MoneyDearBoy: Some of his work, particularly in recent years doing direct-to-video fare with [[OddFriendship friend]] Music/FiftyCent.
75	-->I've done a lot of jobs that were just for money or [[AwesomeDearBoy were just the best things around at the time]].
76	* MrFanservice: Back in his heyday. He was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male for ''Tombstone'', and won it for ''Batman Forever''.
77	* PrettyBoy: In his heyday, he was the epitome of this trope with his blonde hair, full lips and smooth, almost effeminate features.
78	* SmallNameBigEgo: [[http://whatculture.com/film/10-famous-actors-who-are-notoriously-difficult-to-work-with.php/11 Built himself a reputation]] [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3614594/A-solitary-man.html for it.]] Creator/JoelSchumacher declared that "Val did me two great favors. When I wanted him to be Batman, he said yes. Then he created a situation which allowed me not to have him play Batman again". Creator/JohnFrankenheimer was even crueller ("There are two things I will never do 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.") [[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/val-kilmer--the-hollywood-bad-boy-done-good-7766422.html Apparently he's mellowed out]], culminating in some AdamWesting playing himself in Creator/HarmonyKorine's ''The Fourth Dimension''.
79	* ThoseTwoActors: He has done two films with Creator/MichaelFassbender whom he is good friends with in real life.
80	* VocalDissonance: His beautiful appearance in his prime was a notable contrast to his exceptionally deep and smooth voice.
81	* VocalEvolution: He was noted for his deep, smooth voice. This became noticeably strained in TheNewTens because of a tumor pressing against his vocal cords. Post-surgery complications have left him reliant on a tracheotomy tube and rendered his voice into a rasp.
82	* WrittenInInfirmity: He [[RoleReprise reprised his role]] as Iceman in ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', and his throat cancer and the troubles to speak its treatment left him with (see above) were written in the film, as he's seen typing what he wants to say to Maverick (Creator/TomCruise) on a screen then briefly talks with his now-raspy voice. [[spoiler:Kilmer's subsequent recovery from the cancer did manage to subvert this to some extent, even avoiding becoming a case of TheCharacterDiedWithHim.]]

Context Creator / ValKilmer