Val Kilmer: His Life and Work

When you heard the news earlier this month that Val Kilmer died, your mind likely jumped to an image of him from one of his movies. Iceman from Top Gun was no doubt the one that most people conjured. Or was it Doc Holliday from Tombstone? Or Jim Morrison from The Doors? Or Madmartigan from Willow?

If you need evidence of Kilmer’s lasting impact on the film world, that should be enough. Even the most casual of movie-watchers can easily replay a scene in their head from one of his many memorable roles (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang being a personal favorite … if you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth your four bucks to rent).

On this episode of Cinebuds, Dori and Kpolly take a beautifully heartbreaking trip through Val Kilmer’s filmography by sharing their personal connections to his work and delving into his illustrious career — with a slight bias you’d expect from kids of the ’80 and ’90s, as our hosts are.

Was Kilmer the most unsung leading man of his generation? Does that sell him short from a career perspective considering his theater work and Grammy nomination? We start to answer those questions in this episode.