Who is Val Kilmer? From early life to ‘Batman' fame - All about Hollywood's iconic star | 10 points

Hollywood lost its iconic actor Val Kilmer on Tuesday, April 1. Best known for his role as Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever" and Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's “The Doors”, the actor passed away at the age of 65 in Los Angeles after suffering from severe pneumonia.

• Val Kilmer's daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed the news about the actor's death to The New York Times.
• Prior to pneumonia's fatal attack, the legendary actor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered. A documentary about the actor's life that screened at Cannes in July 2021, showed him needing a breathing tube.

• Val Kilmer opened up about his battle with throat cancer for the first time during a December 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Narrating his ordeal, the actor revealed that he had undergone a procedure on his trachea which made his voice raspy and left him short of breath.
• The report further noted that the actor’s two-year fight with throat cancer had “taken its toll” on the family.

Val Kilmer early life

• Born in 1959, to real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor, Val Kilmer went on to become a celebrated Hollywood actor. Following his schooling from Hollywood's Professional's School, he joined Juilliard's drama program.
• He set off his acting career began with stage performance, and theatre shows. During his initial days, he played Hamlet at the 1988 Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He debuted in the entertainment industry with 1984 action-comedy film ‘Top Secret!’

Val Kilmer career

• The 1986's Top Gun actor, who starred in several other 1980s favourites stepped out from the spotlight following recent health issues and made his last public appearance for his TwainMania Foundation in early June 2019.
• The breakthrough in Val Kilmer's professional acting career came with his role as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991). Other notable roles were that of Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993).
• Val Kilmer took over the role of Batman from Michael Keaton and featured in 1995 Batman Forever.
• Val failed marriage to actor Joanne Whalley ended in divorce. He is survived by two children, Mercedes and Jack.