|
Washington DC [US], April 2 (ANI): Actor Val Kilmer, who is known for his roles in Top Gun,Willow, and The Door, passed away at the age of 65, reported Deadline.
Kilmer's daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed to the New York Times, asquoted by Deadline, that the actor passed away after battling pneumonia.Kilmer's early films included comedies like Top Secret! and Real Genius, aswell as a breakout role as LT Tom "Iceman" Kazansky opposite Tom Cruisein Top Gun (/topic/top-gun). The actor's leather-clad portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's TheDoors is still considered one of the best roles of an actor.After his outing as The Lizard King, Kilmer opted for scene-stealing costarring roles in Tombstone (1993), True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995).Regarding his character's popularity in 'Tombstone', Kalmer shared thathe used to hear his fans chanting his dialogues every time he went to anairport. In an earlier interview with Deadline, Kilmer said, "Someone sent me apoll recently where Tombstone snuck into the top 10 Best Westerns of alltime. I don't know if that film is a classic, but it has some elements of aclassic, like the cast and screenplay. I still can't go thru an airport withouthearing "I'm your huckleberry.' " Kilmer said the key to landing his iconic role of Doc Holliday in Tombstonewas the accent, a "dialect that didn't exist anymore." So he reached out todialect and speech coach Tim Monich for help."Within days, there was a tape at my doorstep of a true Southernaristocrat who spoke so slowly and precisely about the theater he hadrestored. The film would have been 6 hours long he spoke so slowly...so I had to hit a balance. The dialect was key. It informs even the walk, thethought process... his condescension," said Kilmer as quoted by Deadline. The star's next leading role came in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever(1995), which Kilmer originally hoped would be a"radical" take on the iconic superhero. That effort ultimately failed afterKilmer realized he would spend much of the film behind a mask andencased in foam padding."The trap was the suit," he later said, reported Deadline. His appearance in Batman Forever was precededby his role in the blockbuster film Top Gun, which starredTom Cruise in the lead role.It was a drama about Navy fighter pilots in training, in which Mr. Kilmerplayed the cool, cocky rival to the film's star, Tom Cruise. It was a role thatset a precedent for several of Mr. Kilmer's other prominent appearances asa co-star or a member of a starry ensemble. He reprised it in a brief cameoin the film's 2022 sequel, "Top Gun : Maverick."His single scene opposite Cruise proved powerful and provided anemotional center to the film."I was crying, I got emotional," Cruise later told Jimmy Kimmel about thescene. "For him to come back and play that character...he's such apowerful actor, that he instantly became that character again...you'relooking at Iceman," as quoted by Deadline. The actor was last seen in the film Top Gun : Maverick(2022). (ANI)
|
