Actor Val Kilmer dies
At the age of 65
Hollywood actor Val Kilmer passed away on April 2 at the age of 65, according to The New York Times. Later, the news was confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes.
According to her, Kilmer died following a battle with pneumonia. She also revealed that in 2014, her father was diagnosed with throat cancer, which he later managed to overcome.
Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1959. Throughout his career, he appeared in dozens of films. He made his screen debut in 1984 in the Cold War-era spy parody Top Secret!.
In 1986, Kilmer was cast in Top Gun, an action drama about fighter pilot trainees, where he played the brash rival of Tom Cruise’s character. The film turned Kilmer into a globally recognized star.
He is also remembered for his leading role in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995), where he donned the cape and fought Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey).
That same year, he starred in Michael Mann’s cult crime thriller Heat, alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
Other notable roles include Thunderheart (1992), True Romance (1993), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Saint (1997), Wonderland (2003), Alexander (2004), and Twixt (2011).
Throughout his career, Kilmer was known as a difficult actor for directors and co-stars. His behavior was said to cause disruptions on set.
Joel Schumacher, who directed Batman Forever, described him as «childish and impossible,» while John Frankenheimer, who worked with Kilmer on The Island of Dr. Moreau, said he had no respect for the actor’s work ethic and «never wanted to work with him again.»
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