Val Kilmer's 10 Most Memorable Characters

LOS ANGELES, CA — From Iceman to Batman to Jim Morrison, Val Kilmer left his mark on generations of filmgoers.

The actor's death prompted an outpouring from fellow actors and filmmakers Wednesday. Though he had a reputation for being difficult on set, he was also famous for his deeply immersive, heartfelt performances. At 17, he was the youngest actor ever accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School at the time, and he was known for being an actor's actor.

Much of his career was captured in his 2021 self-made documentary "Val" which chronicled his career, personal life and health struggles. It was a critically acclaimed intimate, warts-and-all, look at the man behind the famous portrayals.

SEE ALSO:

• Val Kilmer, Beloved 'Top Gun,' 'Batman Forever' Star, Dies At 65
• Brolin, Coppola, Mann Pay Tribute To 'Firecracker' And Icon Val Kilmer

Today, we look back at his most iconic roles and the stories behind them.

Iceman: "Top Gun"

Iceman had a name to go along with those chiseled abs. It was Tom Kazansky. "Top Gun" solidified Tom Cruise as a superstar, but it was also Kilmer's breakout role. Not only did Iceman do wonders for beach volleyball, he uttered the line that would go down in cinema history: "You can be my wingman anytime."

Famously, Kilmer did not want to do “Top Gun.” He thought it was a silly, warmongering film, which he had a distaste for. Also, Iceman was not the deepest character on the page. But because of his contract with the studio, he didn’t have a choice, so he created his own depth and backstory of pain (deciding that his own father had ignored him) for the peacocking pilot who was obsessed with perfection and an antagonist to Tom Cruise’s Maverick. Plus, he appreciated the vision and energy of his director, Tony Scott.

He returned as Iceman in “Top Gun: Maverick,” a profoundly touching, realistic coda for a diminished but still proud military man.

Madmartigan: "Willow"

Kilmer played the anti-hero Madmartigan to perfection in Ron Howard's classic 1988 fantasy film "Willow." Madmartigan, a condemned criminal turned, "peck" pest turned protector of an infant princess, was the Kilmer's blockbuster leading role. He combined his movie star looks with the comedic timing honed in earlier films such as "Top Secret" to play the anti-hero everyone rooted for.

If his onscreen chemistry with co-star Joanne Whalley, who played enemy-turned-ally Sorsha, seemed to sizzle, that's because it did. The pair met on the set of "Willow" before marrying and having two children together.

Batman aka Bruce Wayne: "Batman Forever"

Kilmer had the requisite jawline to play the caped crusader, even if he didn't have the heart for it. In his documentary "Val" he compared the exaggerated performance necessary for the role to performing in a soap opera, adding that he felt hampered by the suit. “When you're in it, you can barely move and people have to help you stand up and sit down,” Kilmer said.

The actor said he sought to bring vulnerability to the role, no easy feat opposite campy villains Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Uma Thurman.

“Whatever boyish excitement I had going in was crushed by the reality of the batsuit,” he said in “Val." “It was frustrating until I realized that my role in the film was just to shut up and stand where I was told.”

In the end, he was more than ready to leave the caped crusader behind.

He went straight from the wrap on "Batman Forever" to the set of Michael Mann's "Heat" on the same day.

Chris Shiherlis: "Heat"

In the 1995 crime thriller, Kilmer gave a chilling performance opposite heavyweights Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and John Voight.

The film was a tense, action thriller and a hit.

Kilmer gives an all-timer of a supporting performance as De Niro’s right-hand man, getting schooled in the art of detachment. That “heat around the corner” scene also gave Kilmer one of his most memorable lines: “For me, the sun rises and sets with her, man.”

Working with that cast and director, he said in his documentary, was pure joy.

“While working with Val on 'Heat' I always marveled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character," Mann said of Kilmer's performance Wednesday. "After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

Jim Morrison: "The Doors"

If Iceman made Kilmer a star, it was his performance as the complex rock icon Jim Morrisson that made him an icon. From the outset, Kilmer immersed himself in the character. The role earned him critical acclaim and opened the door for a series of complex portrayals.

Actress Jennifer Tilly shared her impression of Kilmer's audition for the role on social media Wednesday.

"A long time ago, I was auditioning for the movie ‘The Doors’ It was kind of a cattle call. They paired together potential Jims with potential Pamelas. And they were running behind so we were spilling out of the casting office, sitting on the porch, the lawn, and the driveway. All of a sudden, a '60s convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors music at top volume. And a guy jumped out and strode inside: He had wild hair and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants. We all looked at each other like … Who is this guy? We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance. Well, of course, it was Val Kilmer and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance. Rip King," she wrote on X.

Doc Holliday: "Tombstone"

In another historical portrayal, Kilmer donned spurs and a six shooter and captivated as the hard-drinking Doc Holliday. He brought nuance to the role with a touch of the charm, grit and vulnerability that would characterize some of his later acclaimed performances such as another historical but lesser-known figure he portrayed in 2003's "Wonderland."

Kilmer said he always saw the movie as a love story between two men. For his death scene, he asked the art department to fill his bed with ice to ensure he was feeling equal discomfort with his character as he tells Earp to go live his life.

"Tombstone" became a cut classic and a fond memory for Kilmer. In his self-made documentary, "Val," Kilmer continued to appear at conventions and screenings of the film, memorably confessing that some stars would feel shame in earning a living off-long ago glory. However, he said it humbled him and inspired him to connect with fans touched by his performance.

Simon Templar: "The Saint"

In the 1997 caper Kilmer played a conman, high-tech thief and master of disguise who met is match when he falls for his target, a brilliant scientist (played by Elisabeth Shue) who cracked the formula for cold fusion.

The film did not earn critical acclaim, but it showed his range with action, vulnerability, countless accents, sex appeal and comedy.

Ray Levoi: "Thunderheart"

Among Kilmer's lesser known and most underrated performances, this one is a gem. The Neo-Western mystery is set in the 1970s, and Kilmer plays opposite Sam Sherpard as a slick FBI agent forced to confront his own past and Sioux heritage on a reservation haunted by the sins of the past and victimized by corrupt agents.

John Holmes: "Wonderland"

Based on the 1981 Wonderland Murders, Kilmer plays an addict and porn star caught in a grisly conspiracy. His performance walked a tightrope between vulnerability and duplicity. It was peak Kilmer in terms of complexity and his unique ability to repel audiences while still making them root for his flawed character.

Nick Rivers "Top Secret!"

In this lesser-known spoof and action comedy, Kilmer shows his comedic chops, playing a rock star turned spy floundering through East Germany. The clueless heart-throb role was a purely ridiculous and early precursor to his more serious rock star turns as Jim Morrison in "The Doors" and Elvis Presely in "True Romance."

“I approached the character the only way I knew how: With everything I had,” he said in the documentary “Val.” Though he spent months learning how to play the guitar, director Jerry Zucker said they thought it was funnier when he mimed it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.