Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984), then the cult classic Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988).
Some of his other notable film roles include Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), "Mentor" Elvis Presley True Romance (1993), armed robber Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995), Bruce Wayne / Batman in Batman Forever (1995), Simon Templar in The Saint (1997), astronaut Robby Gallagher in Red Planet (2000), a meth-using informant in The Salton Sea (2002), FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra in Déjà Vu (2006), and Dieter Von Cunth in MacGruber (2010).
Kilmer was born December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, the son of Gladys Swanette (née Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, an aerospace equipment distributor and real estate developer. His mother was of Swedish descent. His father's ancestry included English, Scots-Irish, French and German. His parents divorced in 1968 when he was 8 years old. Kilmer's grandfather was a gold miner in New Mexico, near the border with Arizona. In 1977 Kilmer's younger brother Wesley drowned in a swimming pool at age 15; their father died in 1993.