Early Career

Val Kilmer's first screen role was opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in an ABC Afterschool Special. He played her character's boyfriend, who drives drunk with devastating results. Another of his earliest film roles was in the 1985 comedy film Real Genius, in which he starred opposite Gabriel Jarret.

Kilmer's real career breakthrough came the following year, when he appeared in Top Gun, one of the biggest box office hits of the 1980s. He played Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, the arrogant rival to Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

Notable Roles

Two years later, Kilmer starred as a mercenary swordsman in Willow, the fantasy adventure directed by Ron Howard. He also starred in the 1991 biopic of US rock band The Doors, channeling the spirit of singer Jim Morrison. In 1993's True Romance, Kilmer played a version of Elvis Presley who is a figment of Christian Slater's imagination.

In 1995, Kilmer delivered a memorable and chilling performance in Michael Mann's Heat, as the right-hand man of a criminal played by Robert De Niro. He also played one of his most defining roles as Bruce Wayne, the titular superhero in Batman Forever, opposite Nicole Kidman.

Later Career

In 1997, Kilmer appeared in The Saint as a high-tech thief and master of disguise who uses the moniker of various saints. Not all of Kilmer's films were box office hits, however. The Island Of Dr Moreau, released in 1996, was a critical and commercial flop. Red Planet, which was set on Mars, earned $33m on a budget of $80m in 2000.

In 2004, Kilmer played King Philip in Alexander, which co-starred Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great. Kilmer's stage roles included a 2005 stint in London's West End in The Postman Always Rings Twice at the Playhouse Theatre. Later that year, he appeared with Robert Downey Jr and Michelle Monoghan in the crime comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.