Show Notes
Ranked #62 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
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 Juilliard's drama department. His record has been supplanted by Juilliard student
Seth Numrich, who was admitted at 15 in 2002.
While being let out of the metal cage during the filming of the crossroads 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.
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 the role of Ponyboy 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.
Contrary to popular belief, he enjoyed playing "Batman" despite his poor working relationship with
Joel Schumacher during the production of
Batman Forever (1995).
During the sled riding scene in
Willow (1988), he can be seen wearing a black glove on his left hand.
Is the only blond 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.
Did not want to appear in
Top Gun (1986) but was forced to do so because of contractual obligations.
Does a variation on his trademark of twirling objects in
Willow (1988): he twirls a sword during the fight in the snow camp.
Admits in interviews that he is a horrible cook.
After his first film,
Top Secret! (1984), he went off and backpacked around Europe.
Enjoys scuba diving and traveling.
Has lived in New Mexico since 1983.
His first auditions were for commercials at 13 years old.
His parents divorced when he was 9 years old. His father, Eugene, died in 1993.
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 used to send taped auditions to filmmakers, figuring they would be much better (and less pressure) than live auditions.
Loves buffalo (and owns several on his ranch in New Mexico).
Stated in 1999 that
At First Sight (1999) was his most challenging role to date.
He turned down
Kyle MacLachlan's roles of
Dune (1984) and
Blue Velvet (1986). In the latter case, he dismissed the script as "pure pornography". It turned out to be a different version to the final film. He regretted turning it down.
Volunteered to work with AmeriCares in 1998, with whom he visited Iraq in April 1998 to deliver 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.
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 left elbow that can clearly be seen many times in
Heat (1995).