American actor Val Kilmer has a net worth of $25 million. Kilmer is one of the most famous faces in the entertainment industry, and his extensive film and television resume has earned him an amazing reputation. The films “Top Gun,” “Batman Forever,” “The Doors,” “Tombstone,” and “Heat” are among his most renowned works. In the mid-1990s, Val was one of the highest-paid actors in the world due to his performances in a series of high-budget blockbusters.
Early Years
Val Edward Kilmer was born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1959. At the age of eight, Val’s parents split, and when he was 19 years old, his younger brother passed away. The family tragedy continued in 1993 when Val Kilmer’s father sadly passed away.
Kilmer attended a Christian Science school until the ninth grade before transferring to Chatsworth High. Kevin Spacey was one of Kilmer’s classmates in high school, and Kilmer followed in Spacey’s footsteps by being accepted to the Juilliard School. Val Kilmer was the youngest person ever accepted into the renowned acting school at the time.
Personal Life
Early in his career, Val Kilmer developed a reputation for being extremely well-liked by women. He also drew attention by dating much older women, like Cher and Ellen Barkin. In 1988, Kilmer met his first wife, Joanne Whalley, while filming Madmartigan. In 1996, after having two children, the couple divorced. Val Kilmer is a Christian Scientist who has participated in numerous films with religious themes.
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Career
Kilmer’s acting career began with his studies at Juilliard, where he co-wrote and played How It All Began at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Kilmer’s early career was dominated by the theatre, and he rejected major cinema opportunities to remain in the theatre industry. In 1983, he appeared alongside Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn in the off-Broadway play Slab Boys.
During this time, he continued to expand his writing muscles and wrote My Eden After Burns, a collection of his poetry. Today, this is one of the most sought-after and scarce poetry books, and used editions can cost hundreds of dollars. At this stage in his career, Kilmer rarely appeared on camera, and his sole non-theatre roles were in advertisements and drinking and driving education videos.
The appearance in the action-comedy Top Secret! effectively established his film career. In the 1985 comedy Real Genius, he was cast in his next major cinematic role. Although he was a popular leading man at this point in his career, his popularity exploded after the release of Top Gun in 1986. Kilmer co-starred with Tom Cruise in the film, which grossed over $345 million worldwide.
Kilmer was free to take his pick of roles on TV dramas like The Murders in Rue Morgue and films like Kill Me Again and Billy the Kid following the success of Top Gun. During the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, he returned to his theatre roots with a performance of Hamlet.
The 90s began for Val Kilmer with his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors. He received significant acclaim for his convincing Morrisson impression, particularly from former members of The Doors. Kilmer’s projects during the next few years included a range of action pictures and Quentin Tarantino’s True Romance. Particularly, his performances in Tombstone and Heat brought him fame.
Kilmer’s career continued to rise after he was cast as Batman in Batman Forever. Despite conflicting reviews, the film’s box office statistics were remarkable. Bob Kane, the co-creator of Batman, cited Val Kilmer as the actor who most accurately portrayed the comic book character of the superhero.
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In 1996, Kilmer joined the cast of The Island of Dr. Moreau, an ill-fated film whose chaotic production has become legendary in the film industry. Later, he played in a variety of action flicks before starring in The Saint, a picture that highlighted Kilmer’s extraordinary range and poetic abilities. He concluded the decade by appearing in films such as The Prince of Egypt, Joe the King, and At First Sight.
Red Planet was one of the largest box office flops of all time, and it marked the beginning of the 2000s for Kilmer. A handful of independent, low-budget films with restricted distribution followed. Kilmer performed in films such as Spartan, Wonderland, The Missing, Mindhunters, and Alexander over the subsequent few years. The latter film’s box office performance was barely profitable.
Kilmer appeared in the 2006 picture Deja Vu, which was a massive box office triumph. In addition, he spent the latter half of the decade appearing in crime films such as Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and Streets of Blood.
Kilmer began the 2010s with a handful of roles in horror films, including The Traveler and Twixt. He was cast in Song to Song and The Snowman in 2017. In 2018, it was reported that Kilmer would reprise his legendary 1980s role in Top Gun: Maverick, a reboot of the original film.
Val Kilmer has always kept close ties to the theatre throughout his career. His 2010 solo performance, Citizen Twain, was particularly notable. Over the years, Kilmer has also appeared as a guest star or in recurring roles on a variety of television programs. Distinguished examples are Entourage, Psych, and Knight Rider. Kilmer provided the voice for KITT, a self-aware AI placed in a car, in the latter show.
How Much Is Val Kilmer’s Net Worth in 2022?
Val Kilmer’s estimated net worth in 2022 is approximately $25 million. Kilmer was one of the most known and sought-after actors of the 1990s, even though his acting career has stagnated in recent years due to a severe health setback. Kilmer has made the most of his income through side enterprises, theatre, and the sale of a big New Mexico property.
Is Val Kilmer Still Acting?
Even though the terrible loss of his commanding, distinctive voice was a severe setback to Kilmer’s career, the actor has continued to work on a variety of current projects, which has only increased his fan base’s admiration. Kilmer was the subject, star, and writer of the renowned documentary Val, which premiered at Cannes 2021 and is now available on Prime Video.
Then there is, of course, Top Gun: Maverick. Kilmer says in his upcoming autobiography that he “begged” producers to include him in the mega-budget sequel, and he credits Cruise with playing a key role in making it happen. The summer of 2022 is predicted to be dominated by Top Gun: Maverick, which has earned rave reviews from critics. According to reports from the Cannes Film Festival, Kilmer’s appearance is noteworthy.
How Did Val Kilmer Become Famous?
Val Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles to Gladys Swanette and Eugene Dorris Kilmer. Val was 8 years old when his parents divorced. In 1977, Val’s 15-year-old epileptic younger brother Wesley drowned in a jacuzzi, which was an even worse tragedy. Wesley, who was Val’s partner until his terrible demise, is continually creating home videos and plays.
Val continued to nurture his artistic side, and he finally became the youngest person ever accepted into the acting program at Juilliard School. Kilmer’s heart always remained on the stage (he turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders owing to theatre commitments), but he made his big-screen debut in the mid-1980s with the comedy Top Secret! and Real Genius.
The hit film Top Gun by Tony Scott marked a tipping moment. The classically trained actor first declined the role that became his mainstream breakthrough. 1986’s highest-grossing film was the Tom Cruise-led action romance that dominated the zeitgeist and was constantly cited.
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Salary Features
Val received $7 million for Batman Forever in 1995. That is equivalent to almost $12 million today. In 1997, he received $7 million for The Saint and $6 million for The Island of Dr.
Moreau, which starred Marlon Brando, his acting idol. That year, his combined earnings of $13 million made him one of the highest-paid performers in Hollywood. In 1997, earning $13 million was equivalent to earning almost $20 million now. At First, Sight earned Val a career-high $9 million in 1999, or almost $14 million in current currency.
How Much Did Val Kilmer Make for Batman?
Kilmer was paid $6 million (about $11.4 million now) to replace Michael Keaton in the titular role of Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Batman & Robin, which had a campier tone than Tim Burton’s earlier films, got mixed reviews but was a box office success. Famously, Kilmer declined to feature in the sequel (he was replaced with George Clooney in the maligned Batman & Robin).
What Happened to Val Kilmer’s Voice?
In 2015, throat cancer caused Kilmer to lose his voice following two tracheotomies and chemotherapy. It was a horrible setback for the famed actor, who is also known for his voice work in The Prince of Egypt and several video games. Nonetheless, in 2021 Kilmer collaborated with the British software company Sonantic to imitate his voice using artificial intelligence, using existing film and old recordings.
Real Estate
Val once owned a 6,000-acre property in New Mexico that he intended to convert into a resort/ranch/bed and breakfast. In 2009, he listed the entire property for 33 million dollars. In October 2011, he secured an agreement to sell around 5,300 acres to a couple of oil billionaires for $18.5 million. Kilmer sold a second share somewhere in the years that followed. He still owns approximately 160 acres of the land.