My Five Favorite Val Kilmer Roles

I woke up this morning to the sad news of actor Val Kilmer's passing at the age of 65. As a relatively unsung character actor, even I was a bit surprised when I was reminded of just how many times, he starred or co-starred in a movie I enjoyed. So, I decided it would be worth the time to list my five favorite Val Kilmer roles in his memory.

Madmartigan (Willow, 1988) - 

Technically, Warwick Davis is the star of this movie, but Kilmer's Madmartigan is the reason it is one of my all-time favorite action fantasies. He brings a great blend of heroism and comedy to the film that sometimes outshine the movie's namesake.

Nick Rivers (Top Secret, 1984) -

Ironically, I was just thinking to myself "it's been ages since I've seen this movie, I should take the time to watch it again." This film was Kilmer's first and his performance as the rock star turned resistance fighter is a big reason why it's a classic.

Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky (Top Gun, 1986) - 

Here's the thing about Top Gun, Tom Cruise's Maverick is the hero of the movie. However, he's also kind of an ass. In fact, probably the only reason why he was the hero was because Kilmer's Iceman was just slightly more of an ass. Sometimes that is all a movie needs, and this film picked the right actor for the job.

Doc Holliday (Tombstone, 1993) -

I like this Kilmer portrayal much for the same reasons Madmardigan is one of my favorites. Kilmer's Holliday is able to handle himself in a fight but also manages a bit of comic relief to keep the movie from becoming too gritty.

Det. Dobson (Psych, 2014) -

OK, this is a television role rather than a movie role and even then, it probably was much more of a cameo than anything else. Heck, I couldn't even find a YouTube clip of it. However, after several seasons of Det. Dobson being mentioned as an off-screen character, only to finally show him for the series finale, the casting choice was brilliant, and Kilmer pulled it off to the appropriate laughs.

Honorable Mention - Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky (Top Gun: Maverick, 2022)

I am quite a bit behind on my movie watching and have not yet seen this film, which is why it is only an honorable mention. However, I hear Kilmer killed it and, even if he didn't, the fact he made his final film appearance despite his health issues deserves recognition and was a fitting end to a great career.