RIP Val Kilmer

Just a couple of kids about to take the cinematic world by storm.

First, though, they costarred in a memorable ABC Afterschool Special episode in 1985 about the dangers of driving drunk. Watching the episode “One Too Many” now is a treat, as Michelle Pfeiffer’s and Val Kilmer’s magnetic screen presences are already a wonder to behold. Their stardom was undeniable, even then. That they both became superstars of cinema in the second half of the 1980s was inevitable.

Val Kilmer passed away this week after a bout with pneumonia. He was only 65. He’d had throat cancer previously. Before that, and for several decades, he simply crafted some of the finest performances in American movies. Chris Knight. Doc Holliday. Jim Morrison. Iceman. Batman. Gay Perry. Chris Shiherlis. The list goes on and on. An extraordinarily gifted actor with incredible range, Kilmer could toggle between heavy drama and light comedy with ease. He did it all, and he did it as well as anyone else in their prime ever has.

His movies have always meant a lot to me. He was often labeled difficult on set—Joel Schumacher was driven mad by him on Batman Forever (1995) and John Frankenheimer impugned his work ethic on the notorious bomb The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). None of that really mattered to me—making movies can be contentious stuff, and neither directors nor actors are always right, or always wrong. All that mattered was how electric Kilmer was onscreen. It’s right there in that cheesy Afterschool Special with Michelle. They were two shooting stars who made a little magic together, then brought that magic to some of the best performances of the last forty years.

Rest in peace, Val. You were good. Damn good.