Top Gun actor Val Kilmer has died from pneumonia aged 65.
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He made his feature debut in the Cold War spoof Top Secret! in 1984 but it was his role in Top Gun two years later that made him a household name. Kilmer starred as the antagonist Navy pilot Iceman opposite Tom Cruise.
He would reprise the iconic role nearly four decades later in the smash-hit sequel Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Kilmer also garnered praise for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors and crime noirs True Romance and Heat.
He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever in 1995 and an ailing Doc Holliday in cult-favourite western Tombstone in 1993.
Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but apparently had recovered.
He died on April 1 in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told The New York Times.
Tributes are pouring in with actor Josh Brolin writing on Instagram: "See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker."
An Instagram page dedicated to the movie Top Gun: Maverick wrote Kilmer's "indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations".
Kilmer was notoriously demanding to work with, even admitting in his 2020 autobiography that he had "alienated the head of every major studio".
Carla Mascarenhas
Carla Mascarenhas is a journalist with Explore Travel and The Senior. She specialises in deep issues affecting Gen X and beyond, and the latest in travel news. Contact her on carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
