For some he was difficult to work with, for others he was a dedicated craftsman, but actor Val Kilmer was a performer everyone in Hollywood had an opinion on. A dedicated method actor, Kilmer’s more extreme efforts at preparation included taking an ice bath before playing Doc Holliday’s death from tuberculosis in
Tombstone, wearing leather pants all the time and asking castmates and crew to only refer to him as "Jim" when playing Doors frontman Jim Morrison in
The Doors. The Los Angeles native trained at Juilliard and quickly picked up theatre roles before making his film debut in 1984 spy spoof
Top Secret! One of his more iconic roles — hotshot pilot Tom "Iceman" Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in 1986’s
Top Gun — almost did not happen. Kilmer had turned the part down, but relented after the director promised his character would improve from the initial script. By the early 1990s, Kilmer had made a name for himself as a dashing leading man, but his career almost foundered on the rocks of 1995’s
Batman Forever — his sole turn as the Caped Crusader was much derided, something which the actor blamed on a suffocating Batsuit. Kilmer subsequently mixed arthouse and big box office films, as well as pursuing passion projects:
Citizen Twain, a one-man stage show where he played author Samuel Clemens, was one notable example. A talented musician and published poet, Kilmer was also a visual artist. Val Kilmer died on April 1 aged 65. — APL/agencies
