# RIP Val Kilmer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 2, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494 "2025-04-02T04:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/1 "2025-04-02T04:16:57Z")
I am shocked to hear this. I did not know he was sick. I remember as a kid I wanted to be friends with Chris Knight in Real Genius. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/2 "2025-04-02T04:24:18Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I did not know he was sick. He had been dealing with throat cancer, and complications from that (including tracheotomies), for ten years. I loved him in _Real Genius_, too, as well as _Top Secret!_. It’s still breaking news, so the reports on the news sites don’t yet have many details. [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/actor-val-kilmer-star-batman-forever-dies-65-nyt-reports-2025-04-02/](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/actor-val-kilmer-star-batman-forever-dies-65-nyt-reports-2025-04-02/) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/3 "2025-04-02T04:29:55Z")
What a coincidence. I just had a dream where I saw myself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at me. Were his last words _I drank what_? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/4 "2025-04-02T04:33:33Z")
Ah geez. He died from pneumonia? Who dies from that anymore? (Him, I guess) I’m only a few years younger than him. Grew up watching his movies. Sad he is gone. I know most will remember him from “Top Gun” but I will remember him from “Top Secret.” ETA: And “Willow.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/5 "2025-04-02T04:35:56Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > He died from pneumonia? Who dies from that anymore? (Him, I guess) He’s not the first guy who fell in love with a woman that he met at a restaurant who turned out to be the daughter of a kidnapped scientist, only to lose her to her childhood lover who she last saw on a deserted island, who then turned out fifteen years later to be the leader of the French underground. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/6 "2025-04-02T04:36:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > He died from pneumonia? Who dies from that anymore? (Him, I guess) The elderly, people with weakened immune systems, and with underlying medical issues. Kilmer likely was in the latter two groups. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/7 "2025-04-02T04:36:15Z")
I enjoyed him in _Willow_ (we quote it in my home a LOT), and Tombstone, and had heard about some of his troubles, but no, I also did not expect his passing this soon. Then again, some celebs manage to keep their troubles to themselves better than others, and was unaware of the degree of health challenges that kenobi\_65 brought up. I guess I’ll put Willow on tomorrow one more time… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/8 "2025-04-02T04:38:23Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I guess I’ll put Willow on tomorrow one more time… I’ll be watching _Real Genius_ tomorrow night. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/9 "2025-04-02T04:43:27Z")
Who will be our huckleberry now? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/10 "2025-04-02T05:11:10Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > He died from pneumonia? Who dies from that anymore? About 11,000 people per day. 3rd leading cause of death worldwide (after heart disease & cancer). So a lot of people, especially children & the elderly. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/11 "2025-04-02T05:25:59Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I did not know he was sick. If you watch _Top Gun: Maverick_, he appears briefly and his character is dealing with a terrible illness and can barely speak. That’s because the actor was dealing with that in real life. He was such an iconic actor. It’s hard to even think about how many things I’ve seen him in. Such a staple of the 80s, but he kept going long after. And such a range, from villainous to heroic to slimy to funny. My favorite role of his today has to be Doc Holiday from _Tombstone_. That to me was his best role and probably one of the most iconic film characters ever done. But my favorite role from when I was a kid was when he played Madmartigan in _Willow_, as others have mentioned. I loved that film, especially because real quality fantasy movies were so rare at the time, and he played a great rogue-turned hero. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/12 "2025-04-02T05:30:22Z")
[“But—and I am only saying this because I care—there are a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market today that are just as tasty as the real thing.”](https://youtu.be/_k9gI58sHa0?si=ybtcMMxIV_72VPPX) Kilmer was erratic and arguably the second worst Batman, but he was great in the little seen _Spartan_ and the dead-on-arrival-but-arisen-as-a-cult-film _Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_ directed by Christmas action enthusiast Shane Black: [“Who taught you math?”](https://youtu.be/vHkSDJmSgqo?si=AZlwHR3ypoNKNK9l) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/13 "2025-04-02T05:42:41Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Kilmer was erratic and arguably the second worst Batman, but I never really thought about it before, but: while it’s not the most interesting portrayal to _watch_ (or, as you say, the second-most, or the third-most), I have to admit that variations on ‘weirdly calm’ seem like a genuinely valid take on how Batman and Bruce Wayne might act… ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/14 "2025-04-02T05:44:53Z")
Kilmer wasn’t a great Batman, but he was a fantastic Bruce Wayne. My favorite movie of his, that I’ve seen (I haven’t seen _Willow)_ is _Kiss Kiss Bang Bang._ RDJ: They call you Gay Perry. Still gay? Kilmer: Nah. I’m knee-deep in pussy. I just can’t shake the name. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/15 "2025-04-02T05:57:20Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > About 11,000 people per day. > 3rd leading cause of death worldwide (after heart disease & cancer). > So a lot of people, especially children & the elderly. And Christian Scientists, I suppose, although I don’t know where he was with that these days. And yes, comorbidities (like have a lot of structural work on your upper airway), can make pneumonia a dangerous condition. ‘This is funny’ ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/16 "2025-04-02T06:07:35Z")
Aw, man. I had the biggest crush on him growing up. I think my favorite of his was “The Saint.” Fun watching him play a whole buncha roles one after another. Oh, and he was really the only choice to play Jim Morrison and man, did he nail that role. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/17 "2025-04-02T07:41:09Z")
Aw, man. **Thunderheart** is one of my favorite movies. Time to have a mini movie marathon. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/18 "2025-04-02T08:08:33Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I guess I’ll put Willow on tomorrow one more time… I loved that movie. Not just for Kilmer, it was the first film I saw with Warwick Davis. It also was one of the first with really good CGI. When Willow transforms the sorceress through several forms before he gets it right, I was amazed. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/19 "2025-04-02T08:19:19Z")
Now the scenes in Top Gun: Maverick will be more poignant on re-watch. He also had a small role in Heat as well which is mostly forgotten since it is dominated by Pacino and De Niro. There is a documentary of his life called Val that just came out in 2021 where he discusses his life and his struggle with throat cancer (that is how I knew that he had it). `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494/20 "2025-04-02T09:56:17Z")
I thought he did a very good Jim Morrison in The Doors movie and was impressed that he did his own singing. What a multi talented actor. Sad to hear of his passing. 🥹 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-val-kilmer/1016494.md?page=2)