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Quick Facts
- NAME: Val Kilmer
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor
- BIRTH DATE: December 31, 1959 (Age: 53)
- EDUCATION: Hollywood Professional School, The Juilliard School
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California
- Full Name: Val Edward Kilmer
- AKA: Val Kilmer
- ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn
Best Known For
Val Kilmer is an actor known for such films as Batman Forever, The Doors and Top Gun.
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Play NowVal Kilmer. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:54, May 26, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051.
Val Kilmer. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051 [Accessed 26 May 2013].
"Val Kilmer." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 26 2013, 04:54 http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051.
"Val Kilmer," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051 [accessed May 26, 2013].
"Val Kilmer," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051 (accessed May 26, 2013).
Val Kilmer [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 26] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051.
Val Kilmer, http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051 (last visited May 26, 2013).
Val Kilmer. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/val-kilmer-9542051. Accessed May 26, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in 1959 in Los Angeles, California, Val Kilmer made his film debut in the spy spoof Top Secret! in 1984. After a string of supporting parts, including "Ice Man" in Top Gun, Kilmer received his breakthrough role in 1991: as rock icon Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors. After Batman Forever and a string of unmemorable films,
he lent his voice to the animated film The Prince of Egypt and later starred in The Salton Sea.
Early Years
Val Edward Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, California. The son of an aerospace equipment distributor and real estate developer, Kilmer began acting in high school with friend Kevin Spacey. He later attended the Hollywood Professional School and the Juilliard School in New York City, where he was the youngest student to be accepted to the drama division.
Acting and Directing
After performing on stage in New York, in 1984, Val Kilmer received his film debut in the spy spoof Top Secret!. After a string of supporting parts, including the roommate in Real Genius and "Ice Man" in Top Gun, he received his breakthrough role in 1991: as rock icon Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors. The film allowed the actor to show off another talent, as his own singing voice was recorded for the soundtrack.
Kilmer followed this success by portraying other American legends in his next two films: gunslinger Doc Holliday in Tombstone and the spirit of Elvis in True Romance. It was during this period in his career that Kilmer earned a reputation for being difficult to work with. The actor notably clashed with Michael Apted while working on Thunderheart, and with Joel Schumacher during the filming of Batman Forever. In 1995, after refusing to repeat the Bruce Wayne role, Kilmer broke his Batman contract and signed on for the crime thriller Heat, along with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. In 1996, he co-starred with Michael Douglas in The Ghost and the Darkness.
During the late 1990s, Kilmer delivered a string of less-than-successful performances, including in the films The Saint, At First Sight and Joe the King. After lending his booming voice to the role of Moses in the animated film The Prince of Egypt in 1998, he returned to form as a tormented drug addict in The Salton Sea (2002).
In 2004, Kilmer portrayed Philip II of Macedon in Alexander, appearing alongside Angelina Jolie and Colin Farrell, and later played FBI agent Paul Pryzwarra in the 2006 film Deja Vu, starring Denzel Washington. The actor went on to earn notable roles in Conspiracy (2008), Double Identity (2009) and The Traveler (2010). He later moved to filmmaking, beginning directing work on a drama entitled Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy, in which he'll also perform—as legendary American writer Mark Twain.
Personal Life
Val Kilmer's affairs off-screen have kept the media on watch, and have included liaisons with Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Cindy Crawford.
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