FromTop Gun’s Iceman toTombstone’s Doc Holliday, there are a ton of iconic performances that the late, greatVal Kilmerwill always be remembered for.Kilmer sadly passed awayon August 16, 2025, at the age of 65, leaving behind a legendary body of work. After rising to prominence with scene-stealing supporting roles in the 1980s, Kilmer became one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood throughout the 1990s. As Tinseltown’s most unsung leading man, Kilmer landed coveted roles like Robert De Niro’s right-hand man inHeatand the Dark Knight himself inBatman Forever.
Kilmer’s 2020 autobiographyI’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoirand the brilliant 2021 documentaryValshed some light on the actor’s early-career struggles, personal and professional setbacks, and recent battle with health issues. Through it all, Kilmer remained committed to his art and committed to serving his fans. As tragic as this loss is,Kilmer’s best moviesand the unforgettable performances he gave in them will live on forever. From Jim Morrison inThe Doorsto an imaginary Elvis Presley inTrue Romance, Kilmer gave a wide range of iconic performances throughout his career.
8Elvis Presley In True Romance
Surreal Cameo Brilliance
Not all of Kilmer’s most memorable roles were major players in their respective films; he could give an iconic turn in a cameo, too.Quentin Tarantino’s first completed screenplay,True Romance, revolves around a comic book geek named Clarence Worley, who falls in love with an escort, murders her pimp, and goes on the run with a briefcase full of drugs. In an homage to Woody Allen’s interactions with Humphrey Bogart inPlay It Again, Sam, all throughout the film, whenever Clarence is alone, he speaks to a hallucination of his idol, Elvis Presley, played by Kilmer.
“Clarence, I like you. Always have, always will.”
Kilmer’s Elvis impression is spot-on. He dials it up for comic effect, but not so much that it becomes a cartoonish impersonation.Kilmer’s Elvis is responsible for one ofTrue Romance’s best lines: “Clarence, I like you. Always have, always will.”
7Nick Rivers In Top Secret!
Absurdist Comedy Icon
Kilmer’s first ever film role is still one of his most memorable. Just under a decade before he would play Elvis himself inTrue Romance, he played an Elvis-inspired role inTop Secret!After the blockbuster success ofAirplane!, the comedy dream team of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker could do whatever they wanted for their follow-up film.WithTop Secret!, they chose a much more obscure target for cinematic satire: a mashup of Elvis musicals and Cold War spy movies.
In his first movie role, Kilmer stars as American rock star Nick Rivers, who travels to East Germany for a concert and gets swept up in the resistance.Nick falls in love at the drop of a hat and breaks into song and dance every chance he gets.Kilmer threw himself into the uniquely absurdist ZAZ brand of comedy, nailing every one-liner, slapstick gag, and over-the-top musical number.
6Jim Morrison In The Doors
Transformative Rock Legend
Long before music biopics were ten a penny, Kilmer starred as frontman Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’sThe Doors.The movie plays into Morrison’s public persona as a larger-than-life rock icon, and Kilmer seizes every opportunity to chew the scenery within that portrayal of the character. Kilmer’s mesmerizing portrayal of Morrison embodies the old adage that the brightest flames burn the fastest. Kilmer’s three-dimensional performance inThe Doorscaptures both Morrison’s positive and negative qualities. He leans into his free-loving hippie lifestyle, but he also leans into his interpersonal troubles and his morbid obsession with death.
5Gay Perry In Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Witty Detective Charm
Shane Black had a long history of creating iconic on-screen double acts —Lethal Weapon’s Murtaugh and Riggs were his invention — before he made his directorial debut with the criminally underratedKiss Kiss Bang Bang.Kiss Kiss Bang Bangis a tongue-in-cheek satire of hard-boiled detective fiction, but it’s also a hilarious buddy comedy pairing up Kilmer’s private eye “Gay” Perry van Shrike with Robert Downey, Jr.’s fledgling actor Harry Lockhart. Initially, Perry is hired to give Harry some on-the-job guidance before he screen-tests for a P.I. role, but they end up making a surprisingly effective crimefighting duo.
Kilmer showed off his rarely-seen comedic chops in this role.He shares hysterical on-screen chemistry with Downey as they bicker their way through deadly situations. Perry is constantly losing his temper due to Harry’s terrible impulsive decision-making, and Kilmer nails the deadpan delivery of every biting insult and exasperated rant.
4Bruce Wayne/Batman In Batman Forever
Brooding Superhero Complexity
AfterBatman Returnswas met with criticism for its overly dark tone and underperformed at the box office, Warner Bros. did a tonal 180 with the franchise.The studio brought in Joel Schumacher to replace Tim Burton in the director’s chair and bring a lighter, more family-friendly feel to the property. When Burton was ousted, Michael Keaton refused to don the cowl a third time, so the search was on for a new Caped Crusader — and Kilmer, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time, landed the part.
Schumacher’s take on the character, reviving the shamelessly campy tone of the ‘60s Adam West series in a modern blockbuster style, was deeply divisive.ButKilmer’s portrayal of Batmanwas widely praised. Kilmer nailed the Bat’s quips, but he also captured the brooding intensity and underlying sadness of his alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
3Chris Shiherlis In Heat
Intense Criminal Undercurrent
Michael Mann’s crime epicHeatfinally put Robert De Niro and Al Pacino on-screen together.But they only share a couple of scenes; De Niro’s most prominent scene partner in the film is Kilmer as his criminal cohort Chris Shiherlis.Heatsubverts the typical cops-and-robbers formula by humanizing the bank robber characters just as much as the cop characters.
The friendship between Kilmer’s Chris and De Niro’s Neil McCauley feels totally real.When Chris is having problems in his marriage, he can always rely on Neil to give him a place to stay and put a good word in with his wife. Kilmer is one of the actors whose dedication to weapons trainingmadeHeat’s shootout sequence so intensely realistic.
2Iceman In Top Gun & Top Gun: Maverick
Iconic Rival Turned Ally
One of the early roles that put Kilmer on the map was LT Tom Kazansky, better known by his callsign “Iceman,” in the action movie classicTop Gun.Iceman is the long-time rival of Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Over the course of the film, Maverick and Iceman gradually come to begrudgingly respect each other, leading to a perfect payoff in the third act. Kilmer’s portrayal of this character is pitch-perfect; he establishes who Iceman is without saying a word, exuding unbearable smarm as he chews gum with a smug grin.
But he shares a touching scene with Cruise in which Iceman gives Maverick some crucial guidance at a key turning point in his arc.
Kilmer reprised his role in the acclaimed sequel,Top Gun: Maverick. By this point,Kilmer had lost his voice due to throat cancer. But he shares a touching scene with Cruise in which Iceman gives Maverick some crucial guidance at a key turning point in his arc.That scene was a fitting swansong for this screen legend.
1Doc Holliday In Tombstone
Charismatic Western Hero
Kilmer gave a lot of great performances, but the one that defines his career will always behis turn as Doc Holliday inTombstone.Tombstoneis technically a biopic of Wyatt Earp, and Kurt Russell is the star, but Kilmer’s Holliday steals the show. Snubbing Kilmer for a Best Supporting Actor nomination has to be one of the most egregious decisions in Oscars history. Kilmer’s performance elevated a very good latter-day western into one of the genre’s all-time greats.
Throughout the film, Kilmer is burdened with depicting Holliday’s descent into illness and alcoholism. But he still manages to bring plenty of charisma to the character and steal every scene he’s in.Val Kilmergave a lot of terrific performances in his career, but his work inTombstonestands out as his crowning achievement.
