Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer born December 31, 1959 is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984), then the cult classic Real Genius (1985), as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role in Willow.
During the 1990s, Kilmer gained critical respect after a string of films that were also commercially successful, including his roles as Jim Morrison in The Doors, Doc Holliday in 1993’s Tombstone, Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever, Chris Shiherlis in 1995’s Heat and Simon Templar in 1997’s The Saint. During the early 2000s, Kilmer appeared in several well-received roles, including The Salton Sea, Spartan, and supporting performances in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Alexander and as the voice of KITT in Knight Rider.
Kilmer, the second of three sons, was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Gladys (née Ekstadt) and Eugene Kilmer, an aerospace equipment distributor and real estate developer. Kilmer’s paternal grandfather was a gold miner in New Mexico the poet Joyce Kilmer is a second cousin of Kilmer’s.Kilmer grew up in the San Fernando Valley with his two siblings, older brother Mark and younger brother Wesley, but says that even as a child growing up in California he did not like it there. Kilmer, who was raised a Christian Scientist , attended Chatsworth High School — where he attended with Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham — as well as Hollywood’s Professional’s School. He also attended Berkeley Hall School, a Christian Science school in Beverly Hills, CA, from nursery school until graduation from the 9th grade. At the age of seventeen, he was at the time the youngest person to be accepted into Juilliard’s drama program.
His brother Wesley died as a teenager due to an epileptic seizure in a swimming pool. Kilmer did not think Christian Science treatment was responsible for his brother’s death as Wesley was alternated between medical treatments and Christian Science.
Warwick Davis, Kilmer’s co-star from the 1988 fantasy Willow, in his audio commentary for the film described Kilmer as a very funny man and a hard working, dedicated actor. Kilmer is also an avid musician, and released a CD in the fall of 2007, proceeds of which went to his charity interests.
Other actors have noted that he prepares for his roles extensively and meticulously. Kevin Jarre, the original director of Tombstone, said that Kilmer once told him, “I have a reputation for being difficult. But only with stupid people.” Irwin Winkler (director of At First Sight) talked about his decision to hire Val. “I’d heard the stories, so I checked him out. I called Bob DeNiro and Michael Mann, who’d worked with him on “Heat’, and they both gave him raves… I had a wonderful experience in spite of all the naysayers.” Jeffrey Katzenberg (director of Prince of Egypt) talks about the actor. “Val was one of the first people cast in The Prince of Egypt. He was there every step of the way; patient, understanding, and phenomenally generous with his time… (negative stories) have not a scintilla of credibility in my life. It’s not possible for someone to be more conscientious, more devoted, more generous, more collaborative.”
