On April 1, 2025, the world lost the actor, writer, poet, and artist Val Kilmer. When actors die, the headlines are quick to pull out the flashiest titles to garner a high click rate. Kilmer’s death is no exception to this trend; most press coverage refers to his highest-grossing roles in Batman Forever and Top Gun. But the man was more than a rote list of box office successes. Join us as we take a closer look into Val Kilmer’s life and the miraculous art that shaped it.
It All Started on the Stage
If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it.
— Roger Ebert, Thunderheart Movie Review & Film Summary (1992)
Val Kilmer was the youngest student ever admitted to the Juilliard acting program. His command of the stage — and, later, the screen — was stupendous. His longtime acting hero and inspiration was the incomparable Marlon Brando; as such, Kilmer’s performance style was quite similar. This incredible devotion — heart and soul — to every role is what cemented Val Kilmer as one of the great acting legends.
One of the last roles Val Kilmer ever played was Mark Twain in his original play Citizen Twain. This one-man show was a love letter to the acclaimed writer, who was a personal favorite of Kilmer’s. Though the tour was cut tragically short by Kilmer’s throat cancer diagnosis, he eventually adapted one of the recorded performances into a touring film called Cinema Twain.
A Poet’s Spirit and an Iron Pen
I believe I am on a flight that, day by day, is generated by the poetry of my heart.
— Val Kilmer, I’m Your Huckleberry
In 2020, Val Kilmer released his memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry. This time capsule of the late actor’s life was full of juicy gossip, exclusive images, and touching personal struggles. Though Kilmer lost his speaking voice due to his illness, his internal voice could never be silenced. The nearly 300-page book is full of wisdom and admirable determination.
Val Kilmer was also a poet, known for always having a notebook on hand to jot down his thoughts. He auditioned for Juilliard with an original poem entitled Sand. Kilmer’s collected poems have been published three times in My Edens After Burns (1987), Jack’s Gandhi: Poems (2007), and Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman (2021). Though the first two collections are now out of print, Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman can still be purchased directly from its publisher, A24.
Picking Up the Brush (Again)
I suddenly saw my designs as my means of survival.
— Val Kilmer, I’m Your Huckleberry
In the wake of his cancer diagnosis, Val Kilmer was fraught with a need to create art. In his memoir, he talks of his time in the hospital when he was struck by inspiration to turn to visual art: paintings, collages, prints, and more. Kilmer’s younger brother, Wesley, who tragically died from an epileptic seizure at the age of 15, was also a gifted artist during his young life. He imagined Wesley visiting him in that room and coaxing him to return to their shared love of painting. Kilmer’s paintings have since been displayed in numerous galleries, including HelMel Studios, which he founded in 2018.
Val Kilmer was a multi-talented artist who was underappreciated many times throughout his career. Thankfully, the last few years of Kilmer’s life were marked by a rejuvenated hunger for his excellence, partly due to the release of his memoir and his critically acclaimed documentary, Val, which can be streamed here on Prime Video. Though many obituaries will encourage you to think of Val Kilmer through the lens of celebrated characters like Iceman, Doc Holiday, and Batman, we hope you will always remember the generous, fearsome, and captivating man behind all of them.
Kilmer is survived by endless friends and his two cherished children, Mercedes and Jack.
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