Top Gun, Heat, Alexander, Willow, Déjà Vu… The iconic actor Val Kilmer died at the age of 65 on April 1 in Los Angeles of pneumonia, aggravated by throat cancer that he had been battling for years. A look back at a career marked by success.
His films have grossed billions of dollars at the box office. Born in 1959 in Los Angeles, Val Kilmer entered the theater department of the Juilliard School of Dramatic Arts at the age of 21. But while he began his career on the stage, it was in the cinema that the artist really made his mark.
A highly successful debut
In 1984, when he was barely 25 years old, he landed the lead role in Top Secret. In this parody of spy films directed by the trio David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, the actor plays an American rockabilly singer, Nick Rivers, visiting the German Democratic Republic (GDR), where he sings his character’s songs, which even encourages him to release an album.
But it was in 1986 that Val Kilmer enjoyed real success. And it was a big risk, as he had turned down the role in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet to work in Top Gun with director Tony Scott and the film’s star, Tom Cruise.
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Featured Photo: © Paramount/Kobal
