Today, Val Kilmer is a world famous actor. He became famous for many excellent films and received a lot of prestigious awards. In addition, the actor won more than one female heart with a wonderful baritone and his own collection of poetry. Therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that many fans of Val’s talent are interested in his biography and career.
Actor's childhood
The actor's full name is Val Edward Kilmer. He was born on December 31, 1959 in the city of Los Angeles (USA, California). By the way, he was the second of three children in the family. He has a brother, Marco, who is a year older than Val. In 1961, Wesley's younger brother was born. Unfortunately, at the age of sixteen, the younger brother died in the pool from an epileptic seizure. The tragic death of a loved one left its mark on the character of today's famous actor.
Gladys mother was a housewife, and father Eugene worked in the construction and real estate sectors. When the boy was nine years old, his dad made an unsuccessful investment, which led to the collapse of his financial condition - after which Val's parents divorced. The actor spent his childhood in the San Fernando Valley. He successfully graduated from Chatsworth High School, where he studied with Mayor Winningham and Kevin Spacey. After that, he entered the Hollywood School of Professionals, where he became one of the best students.
And when the guy was seventeen years old, he became the youngest student at the Juilliard School of Dramatic Arts.
The beginning of an acting career
To begin with, it is worth noting that the actor first appeared in front of the camera at the age of 12 - then he starred in a fast food advertisement. But later, while studying, Val was seriously carried away by theatrical productions. Since 1981, he has been playing on the stage, and two years later he appears on Broadway.
It is worth noting that the young Val Kilmer preferred classical works. He often participated in the production of Greek tragedies and Shakespeare's plays, including Macbeth and Richard III. In 1988, the young artist even takes part in the famous Shakespeare festival, which was held in Colorado - here he brilliantly recreates on stage a complex and controversial image of Hamlet.
The film "Top Secret!" and universal recognition
The first film debut took place in 1984. It was then that the country first learned about who Val Kilmer is. The filmography of the famous actor began with the comedy "Top Secret", where he played the rock singer Nick Rivers. By the way, almost all the songs in the film were performed by Val.
This picture was a rather successful parody of various film creations, including The Blue Lagoon and The Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, the film gave the young actor an opportunity to show his talent and get roles in more serious projects.
Val Kilmer: filmography
In 1985, the actor received another major role - in the comedy "The Real Genius," he played the child prodigy Chris Knight. And in 1986, he first starred in an action movie with Tom Cruise. The film "The Best Shooter", where he got the role of Tom Kazansky, brought him popularity.
In 1988, the actor starred in the movie "Willow". A year later, a criminal detective appeared on the screens, where Val got the role of the private investigator Jack Andrews.
In 1991, another successful picture came out called "Dorz", telling about the life and work of a popular rock band. Here Val brilliantly played lead singer Jim Morrison. By the way, the actor recorded all the songs of the legendary group on his own. And although the film did not find recognition among critics, the audience was delighted.
In 1993, Val appeared again on the screen, but this time as Barker in the popular film “The Real McCoy” with Kim Basinger. In the same year, he gets the role of Elvis in the film Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino's “True Love”.
“Batman forever” and a new impetus in career development
Success in the acting profession allowed Val to get more serious and famous roles. For example, in 1995, the filming of a new film from the cycle of stories about the famous Batman began. And the role of the protagonist was Val Kilmer. “Batman forever” made the actor famous, because the role of a serious millionaire, exterminating evil at his leisure, was to his face.
Later, other paintings followed. In 1996, he played Montgomery in the sci-fi thriller The Island of Dr. Moreau. In the same year, he worked on Stephen Hopkins's film “The Ghost and Darkness,” where he played the young engineer John Patterson, who was sent to build a bridge in Africa.
In 1997, the film “Holy” was released, where the actor got the main role of the elusive thief Simon Templar, who decides to abandon criminal activity.
Acting career in 2000
In 2000, two films were released with the participation of this actor. He starred in the fantastic film Red Planet and played Willem de Kooning in the drama Pollock. And in 2002, he got the role of Tom Bath Allen in the crime drama “The Salton Sea”.
He also starred as Frank Cavanaugh in the dramatic thriller Blind Horizon. In 2003, the premiere of the action-packed western about life in New Mexico “The Last Raid”, where Kilmer played Lieutenant Jim Ducharm, took place. And in 2004, he appeared before the audience in the guise of a government agent, Bobby Scott, in the political thriller Spartan.
In the same year, the actor played the father of Alexander the Great in the historical film “Alexander”. At the same time, he participated in the filming of the thriller "Mind Hunters." Quite successful for Kilmer’s career was the 2005 black comedy “A Kiss Through,” where he played detective Gay Perry. The actor also got a small role in the popular film “Deja Vu”.
And in 2008, four films were released at once with the participation of Val Kilmer - “Knight of the Roads”, “XIII: Conspiracy”, “Criminal” and “Delgo”. The next year, 2009, was also productive, as the actor participated in the filming of films such as Firmware, Thaw, and also played the role of Jimmy in the thriller The Greenhouse Experiment.
New films with the famous actor
In recent years, new films with Val Kilmer have appeared on the screens quite often. For example, in 2010, he played the role of Dieter von Kant in the comedy Super MacGruber.
And in 2011, the premiere of the historical military film entitled “5 days of August”, which tells about the conflict in South Ossetia in 2008, took place. Val got the role of a Dutch journalist here.
In the same 2011, the actor participated in the filming of the crime drama "Irishman", where he was offered the role of Joe Manditsky.
Further, actor Val Kilmer appeared as the writer of Hall Baltimore in the mystical thriller Between. During the creative crisis, the writer moves to a small town, where he begins his own dangerous investigation of the brutal killings.
And in 2012, the actor played Bill McCormick in a horror film called "Seven Feet." As you can see, Val Kilmer is a diverse actor who has appeared in films of various genres during his career. It is his ability to transform on the screen that makes the artist so popular and in demand in the film industry.
Val Kilmer: personal life
Val is a handsome, charming and courageous man who never lacked female attention. And during his career in print, all the time, both truthful and far-fetched rumors appeared about his romance with celebrities.
For example, in 1984, information appeared about the novel of the actor with the cult singer Cher. And in 1988, on the set of the movie "Willow," he met Joanna Wally, who soon became his wife. At the end of October 1991, the daughter of a star couple was born, who was named Mercedes. And four years later, in 1995, their son Jack was born. Unfortunately, marital relations have cracked. Eight months after the birth of his son, his parents announced a divorce.
After that, Val Kilmer (photo) for a long time maintained a romantic relationship with the famous model Cindy Crawford. And in 1998, it became known that the girl of the actor was Jaycee Gosset. In addition, in journal articles regularly appeared information about Val’s turbulent romance with Angelina Jolie, then with Drew Barrymore, as well as with Daryl Hannah and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Awards and nominations of the actor
Today, Val Kilmer is a fairly famous and successful actor. For example, since 2003, he has received several rather prestigious awards. In particular, he won the Camerimage, Maverick Tribute Awards and Capri Legend Awards.
His play in the film “The Salton Sea” was also highly appreciated - for this role he received the Prism Prize. And the satellite award went to the actor in gratitude for the work on the film “A Kiss Through.”
Of course, not all Val films were so successful. Three times he became a nominee for Golden Raspberry, in particular for the films Saint, Ghost and Darkness, as well as Alexander. However, this not too prestigious award he never received.