'Top Gun' Star Dies at 65

Val Kilmer, the charismatic star of Top Gun and Real Genius died this week at the age of 65. Kilmer was a major star in the 1980s and 90s, and he made a return to acting in 2022 in Top Gun: Maverick. He had been battling cancer for several years before his death. Read on for details.

Via Variety.

Val Kilmer, who played Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever,” channeled Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone‘s “The Doors” and starred as a tubercular Doc Holliday in “Tombstone,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles. His daughter Mercedes told The New York Times the cause was pneumonia. He was 65. He had been battling throat cancer for several years.

Kilmer’s reps did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

The baby-faced blonde actor had a solid run as a leading man with a volatile reputation in the ’80s and ’90s, starring in “Top Gun,” “Real Genius,” “Willow,” “Heat,” and “The Saint.” He returned briefly to screens in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick” although he could no longer speak due to his cancer.

In 2021, a documentary on his life, “Val,” was released. His son provided the actor’s voice and the film utilized hundreds of hours of video he had recorded over the years, giving a revealing look at the sets he worked on and showing the actor to be an introspective thinker with an artist’s soul.

Kilmer took over from Michael Keaton for Joel Schumacher’s 1995 “Batman Forever,” receiving mixed reviews for his take on the Dark Knight.  He was replaced by George Clooney for 1997’s “Batman & Robin,” a notorious flop that nearly killed the franchise. The New York Times said of “Batman Forever,” “The prime costume is now worn by Val Kilmer, who makes a good Batman but not a better one than Michael Keaton.”

After reportedly turning down a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders,” Kilmer broke out with a starring role in 1984 spy spoof “Top Secret!,” in which he played a rock star and sang his own songs. Following his turn as a brainy college student in the 1985 sci-fi comedy, “Real Genius,” he became a major star, appearing opposite Tom Cruise in the worldwide hit “Top Gun.” Kilmer met his future wife, actress Joanne Whalley, on the set of Ron Howard’s fantasy film “Willow,” and then appeared with her in “Kill Me Again” in 1989.

Get the rest of the story at Variety.