Mt. Rushmore- Val Kilmer
RIP to a legend. One of the most prominent actors of the 80s and 90s, Kilmer has many iconic roles in his career. Some of the honorable mention roles I’d like to honorably mention for Val Kilmer include: Madmartigan in ‘Willow,’ Doc Holliday in ‘Tombstone,’ Elvis in ‘True Romance,’ Chris Shiherlis in ‘Heat,’ & Perry van Shrike in ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.’ Now to highlight Kilmer’s top 4 most iconic roles.
Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in ‘Top Gun’- One of Kilmer’s earliest roles was as Tom Cruise’s rival in ‘Top Gun.’ Cruise’s Maverick is one of the coolest characters across films, and Kilmer’s Iceman is just as cold. The role would also be Kilmer’s last when he reprised it in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ which gave both Kilmer & the character a beautiful send off.
Jim Morrison in ‘The Doors’- One of the actor’s more praised roles, Kilmer took on the role of the titular bands iconic lead singer. The film faced criticism for historical inaccuracies, but many that knew Morrison personally alleged that Kilmer’s performance was spot on. He definitely has the look down, that’s for dang sure.
Batman in ‘Batman Forever’- Just about any actor that plays the caped crusader will have Bruce Wayne on their Mt. Rushmore. That extends to Kilmer who played the character in ‘Batman Forever,’ taking over the role from Micheal Keaton. Kilmer managed to balance both the roles of Bruce Wayne & Batman, which is one of the most crucial parts of playing the character. George Clooney would take on the role from Kilmer in ‘Batman & Robin,’ which is considered an all-time low for the dark knight.
Moses in ‘The Prince of Egypt’- This one may be a shock to some, but Kilmer’s vocal performance in ‘The Prince of Egypt’ is legendary. He brings such a weight to the role that is extremely rare in animated performances. While Kilmer does not provide Moses’s singing voice, he utters many iconic lines in one of the best Biblical film adaptations. The film is considered an all-time great animated film, as well as one of DreamWorks’ best, with Kilmer’s Moses playing a large part in the success.
