Val Kilmer dead: Hollywood legend who was in Top Gun and Batman passes away aged 65

Hollywood legend - best-known for his roles in and The Doors - has died at the age of 65.

The actor, whose career spanned more than four decades, passed away in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, his heartbroken family confirmed today. following a journey with throat cancer, diagnosed in around 2015.

Kilmer, was known for his role as Iceman – Tom Cruise's character, Maverick's, rival – in the 1986 hit movie and as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995). The star also famously played musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors, in which he received critical acclaim. His success led to his own documentary entitled Val on Amazon Prime, in which Kilmer spoke candidly about his career and cancer journey.

Following the diagnosis, the actor underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and had a tracheostomy - a procedure to create an artificial hole in this neck - to help him breathe. Yet, despite his ill health, Kilmer continued to act until 2022, reprising his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick that year, which was his final acting role.

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Kilmer leaves behind his two children; Jack and , also both actors, to the press in a statement today. was the pneumonia. Kilmer worked with his daughter in Paydirt in his final acting years.

When he burst onto the scene in his early 20s, Kilmer, originally from Los Angeles, earned a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy. He was then one of Hollywood's most prominent leading men in the 1990s, during which time he impressed in The Doors, True Romance and Batman Forever among other huge films.

But he had several spats with directors and co-stars, who had accused Kilmer of "being demanding". His career was further dented by his roles in a series of flops, notably Dead Girl with Marlon Brando and then big budget action flick Red Planet in 2000.

In an interview towards the end of his colourful career, Kilmer 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."

The actor's cancer diagnosis rocked the industry and his vocal cords were so damaged that he had extreme difficulty speaking. It forever altered his speaking voice.

Kilmer said in his documentary in 2021, in which he was seen speaking into a voice box: "I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel. I can't speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]." A voice box device is most commonly a battery-operated machine that produces sound to create a voice, and is used to help those suffering with throat cancer communicate.

The actor, , explained some of the other challenges. In the programme, he added: "You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat. It's an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me."

Although the determined star was since declared cancer free, he experienced other challenges to his health and had no acting roles after the return of Top Gun. The revival was well-received and won multiple awards. The film was nominated for four BAFTAs, including Best Cinematography but narrowly missed out on each in 2023.

It was a fitting final hoorah for Kilmer, who was born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1959, and began acting in high school. He became the youngest student accepted into the drama division of the famed Juilliard School in New York.

Phillip Noyce, who directed him in The Saint, told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1997 that Kilmer "is plagued by a bad image, but most of it is unjustified. The real Val Kilmer is a lamb. And he is the hardest-working actor I've ever seen."

That drive and work ethic remained throughout the star's career - even showing it through his health struggles - and so he was able to forge more than 40 years in the industry. During which, Kilmer married British actress Joanne Whalley, but they divorced eight years later in 1996. His relationships with various other high-profile actresses, included singer Cher and model Cindy Crawford. Kilmer leaves behind Jack and Mercedes.