Profile of Val Kilmer on Famous Like Me

Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959, Los Angeles, California, USA) is an American actor.

Overview

Known for roles as diverse as the Elvis-like teen idol Nick Rivers in Top Secret! to real-life legends Doc Holliday, cultural hero Robert Elliot Burns, and rock idol Jim Morrison, to larger-than-life characters Bruce Wayne/Batman and Simon Templar, the Saint. In the 2002 film The Salton Sea, he plays Danny Parker, a jazz trumpeter who infiltrates a group of crystal meth addicts and becomes one himself in an attempt to avenge the senseless death of his wife.

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Kilmer is one of three sons born to Gladys and Eugene Kilmer, the others being older brother Mark and younger brother Wesley. The family is of mixed ancestry including Scottish, Swedish, Irish, German, Mongolian, Sephardic Jewish and 1/8th Cherokee ancestry. When he was 17 and just about to start studying at Juilliard Drama School in New York, Wesley drowned in the family's own swimming pool. Recently, Kilmer and director D. J. Caruso explored the theme of loss together in their film release The Salton Sea. Caruso also lost a brother in an accident.

Kilmer's ex-wife is Joanne Whalley, an actress and former lead singer of Cindy & the Saffrons. The two met while working together on the film Willow. They have two children, daughter Mercedes and son Jack. Their marriage lasted from March 1988 to February 1996.

Kilmer is regarded as "difficult" by some in the industry, such as directors John Frankenheimer (The Island of Doctor Moreau), Ron Howard (Willow) and Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever). Frankenheimer reportedly became so angry that he had Kilmer physically escorted from the set, later commenting "At my age there are two things I will never do, climb Mount Everest or work with Val Kilmer ever again!" However, he has been commended by other directors and co-stars, who see him as a very committed and hard-working actor and easy to get along with.

In 2004, Kilmer returned to the theatre to play Moses in a Los Angeles musical production of The Ten Commandments produced by BCBG founder Max Azria. The production, which was not a critical success, played the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Kilmer had already voiced Moses for the animated movie The Prince of Egypt.

Recently, Kilmer was in negotiations with Richard Dutcher (God's Army, Brigham City) for the lead role in his 2005 film Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith. He was initially cast in the part and was excited about playing the Mormon church founder, but had to back out due to other acting obligations. Following something of a decline in his film career and a noticeable weight gain, Kilmer is again looking fit and is starring in The Postman Always Rings Twice on the London stage, which is receiving excellent critical reviews, as are Kilmer and his costars.

Partial filmography

• Top Secret! (1984)
• Real Genius (1985)
• One Too Many (TV) (1985)
• Top Gun (1986)
• The Murder in the Rue Morgue (TV) (1986)
• The Man Who Broke 1000 Chains (TV) (1987)
• Willow (1988)
• Hamlet (Colorado Shakespeare Festival) (1988)
• Kill Me Again (1989)
• Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid (TV) (1989)
• The Doors (1991)
• Thunderheart (1992)
• Tis Pity She's A Whore (Joseph Papp Public Theatre, New York) (1992)
• The Real McCoy (1993)
• True Romance (1993)
• Tombstone (1993)
• Wings of Courage (IMAX) (1995)
• Dead Girl (1995)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• Heat (1995)
• The Island of Doctor Moreau (1996)
• The Ghost & the Darkness (1996)
• The Saint (1997)
• Africa Unbottled (TV documentary) (1998)
• The Prince of Egypt (1998)
• At First Sight (1999)
• Joe the King (1999)
• Red Planet (2000)
• Pollock (2000)
• Run For the Money (TV) (2002)
• The Salton Sea (2002)
• Wonderland (2003)
• Spartan (2004)
• Mindhunters (2004)
• Alexander (2004)

Upcoming projects

• Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (2005)
• Delgo (2005)
• A License to Steal (2005)

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Val Kilmer