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Trivia
Birth name: Val Edward Kilmer
Date of birth: 31 December 1959
Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, USA
Nickname: Val
Height: 6' 0½" (1.84 m)
Spouse: Joanne Whalley, (March 1988 - February 1996) (divorced) 2 children.
Attended Chatsworth High School with Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham.
Ranked #62 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of
All Time" list. [October 1997]
Dated Cindy Crawford. [1996]
Co-authored play "How It All Began", performed at the New York
Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, in 1981.
Was at the time the youngest student ever accepted into Juillard's Drama
Dept. His record has been eclipsed by current third year Julliard
student Seth Numrich who was admitted at 15.
Father of daughter Mercedes (1992) and son Jack (1995)
Graduated from Chatsworth High, California. [1977]
Wrote poetry for Michelle
Pfeiffer
A Led
Zeppelin fan.
Wanted to turn down Julliard but his classmate at Chatsworth High
School, Kevin Spacey, convinced him to accept.
Val convinced fellow actor Kevin Spacey to attend Julliard, after Val
had inspired him to become an actor in the first place.
So infuriated the late director John Frankenheimer on the set of The
Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) that Frankenheimer vowed to never work with
Kilmer again, and he never did.
While being let out of the metal cage during the filming of the
crossroad's scene in Willow (1988), the rope holding the cage up broke
and the cage landed on Kilmer's foot, nearly breaking it. Later on in
the film, Kilmer (who played swordsman Madmartigan) can be spotted
having difficulty walking.
Met first wife, British actress Joanne Whalley when they filmed the 1988
fantasy Willow (1988).
Is the fifth actor to play Batman.
Is part Cherokee Indian.
Did his own singing while playing Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991). The
real members of the band said they had difficulty distinguishing
Kilmer's voice from that of Morrison's.
Turned down a role in The Outsiders (1983) because he was working with a
theater company at the time, and if he had pulled out, the show would
have been cancelled and his fellow actors out of a job.
Got the role of Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995) after Keanu
Reeves, who was originally cast as Chris, backed out.
Out of all the actors to have played Batman, creator Bob Kane thought he
was the best.
Contrary to popular belief, he enjoyed playing Batman. In fact, he said
he enjoyed playing the role so much that he was eager to reprise the
role in Batman & Robin (1997), however he could not because he was
already committed to doing The Saint (1997).
During the sled riding scene in Willow (1988), he can be seen wearing a
black glove on his left hand.
Is the only blonde actor to have played Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Oliver Stone once considered him for the role of Alexander the Great in
his long delayed Alexander (2004) project. Kilmer plays the father of
Alexander, King Philip, opposite Colin
Farrell in the Alexander role instead.
Has a reputation as being difficult to work with, evidenced in part by
the The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) director's promise never to work
with him again.
Did not want to appear in Top Gun (1986), but was forced to do so
because of contractual obligations.
Appeared in Tombstone (1993) opposite Charlton Heston. Five years later,
he succeeded Heston in the roles of both Moses and God in The Prince of
Egypt (1998).
Does a variation on his trademark of twirling objects in Willow (1988) -
he twirls a sword during the fight in the snow camp.
At the time that they were filming The Doors (1991), Oliver Stone
considered Kilmer for the part of Alexander the Great in his long
delayed film project on Alexander the Great. Kilmer appears in the film
as King Philip instead.
Has played two legendary rock and roll musicians - Jim Morrison and
Elvis Presley.
He was 4' 11" when he entered high school. He acknowledged this on
the "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993).
Said that his daughter and her friends were very "blown away"
when they saw him in the Batman costume for the first time.
Described the Madmartigan character from the 1988 fantasy Willow (1988)
as being a "warrior on warrior skid row".
Admits in interviews that he is a horrible cook.
After filming his first film Top Secret! (1984), he went off and
backpacked around Europe.
Enjoys scuba diving.
Enjoys traveling.
Filmed his part as Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) in 1 day.
Friends with musician 'David Crosby (I)' .
Good friends with actor Frank Whaley.
Has lived in New Mexico since 1983.
His father, Eugene, died in 1993.
His first auditions were for commercials at 13 years old.
His parents divorced when he was 9 years old.
In 1995, Kilmer learned he was getting a divorce while watching CNN in a
hotel room. "It was no fun," he has said.
In the past he use to send taped auditions to filmmakers, figuring it
was much better (and have less pressure) then what he would have done in
a live audition.
Is of Swedish, German, Mongolian, Scottish, Irish and Cherokee ancestry.
Loves buffalos and owns (or owned) a few on his ranch in New Mexico.
Loves candles.
Poet Joyce Kilmer is his second cousin twice removed.
Stated in 1999 that At First Sight (1999) was his most challenging role
to date.
Turned down Patrick Swayze's role in Dirty Dancing (1987) because he
didn't want to be perceived as a "hunk".
Turned down roles in movies such as Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986),
Flatliners (1990), Backdraft (1991), Sliver (1993), Point Break (1991),
In the Line of Fire (1993) and Indecent Proposal (1993).
Visited Iraq briefly during the Gulf War in April 1998 with AmeriCares,
delivering supplies such as food, medicine and baby food.
He was in the Kalahari Desert in Africa researching a story he was
writing about witch doctors when he was offered the Batman Forever
(1995) Batman role.
Wrote poetry for actress Michelle
Pfeiffer.
Broke his arm while filming The Doors (1991), when he performed a jump
from the stage into the crowd and the stuntman failed to catch him. The
injury has left Kilmer with an abnormal growth on his right elbow. The
abnormal growth can clearly be seen many times in Heat (1995).
Was originally set to play the lead role in The Island of Dr. Moreau
(1996) but asked to switch roles because of his divorce.
Keith Campbell has doubled for him in many films.
Said that his divorce from British actress Joanne Whalley was the most
painful thing he ever experienced.
Warwick Davis, Kilmer's co-star in Willow (1988), says in his audio
commentary that the question he is most frequently asked is 'What was is
it like to work with Val Kilmer?'. Davis says he has very fond memories
of working with Kilmer, stating that Kilmer had a great sense of humor
and was very dedicated to the job.
Favorite band is Rage Against the Machine.
While the movie The Missing (2003) was being shot about 1 hour from his
New Mexico ranch, he called up his old friend, Ron Howard
[writer/director] and asked for a part. Ron gladly accepted and gave him
a part which only took 3 days to film. Kilmer's scene is close to 13
minutes long, not counting the DVD's deleted scene.
He and Elvis Presley, whom Kilmer portrayed in True Romance (1993), both
have Cherokee ancestry.
Shares his birthday with Tim Matheson.
Shares two roles with Peter Dobson. In True Romance, Kilmer plays Elvis
Prestley, a role Dobson played in Forrest Gump. Kilmer also plays Chris
Siherlis in Heat, which was a remake of L.A. Takedown, in which Dobson
played the role.
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