By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-04-02 07:41:21 | Updated at 2025-04-03 09:22:36
1 day ago
James Woods, 77, has joined the long list of well wishers who've issued statements following the death of Val Kilmer at the age of 65.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes announced that her father died on Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia in a statement to the New York Times.
The movie legend was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, requiring several surgeries including a tracheotomy.
The procedures significantly reduced his ability to speak for the rest of his life.
James Woods has issued a tribute to Val Kilmer after the actor died aged 65
Getty
Woods took to X to share his thoughts on the departed actor, writing: “His rendition of Doc Holliday in Tombstone was what every actor dreams of achieving.
“So many wonderful performances. Sad to lose him so soon. RIP Val Kilmer.”
The 77-year-old Once Upon a Time in America star was referencing Kilmer’s much-celebrated role in the 1993 western Tombstone alongside Kurt Russel, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton.
Kilmer portrayed the real-life character of the physician turned lawman and gunslinger Doc Holliday, who was suffering from Tuberculosis by the time of the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Woods praised Kilmer's portrayal of Tombstone's Doc Holliday
Walt Disney Studios / Disney
It is not the first time Woods has praised Kilmer for Tombstone; in 2021, he wrote: “I’m absolutely sure this performance was some of the best acting I’ve ever been privileged to witness.”
Kilmer made his name starring as antihero Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in the 1986 classic Top Gun.
"Tom (Cruise) said he wasn't going to make the movie without him,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer explained after Kilmer was reportedly reticent to take on the role.
The late actor returned to Iceman in 2022’s box office behemoth sequel Top Gun: Maverick, where his character mirrored Kilmer’s trouble with speaking in "heartrending” scenes with Cruise.
His return to Top Gun would prove to be Kilmer’s last acting role.
Outside of Top Gun, Kilmer was one of the most successful actors of the 1990s with seminal film critic Roger Ebert writing in 1992: "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".
He was celebrated for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors, before taking on the role of Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever.
His rendition of Doc Holliday in Tombstone was what every actor dreams of achieving. So many wonderful performances. Sad to lose him so soon.
RIP Val Kilmer. https://t.co/EHfqFhmSM4
In 1996, Kilmer starred alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the Michael Mann crime thriller classic Heat.
Kilmer had a similarly glittering career in dating, seeing celeb royalty like Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Carly Simon and Cher.
The star married Joan Whalley in 1988, whom he met while working on the film Willow. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Other stars have also come out in tribute to Kilmer, with Josh Brolin saying goodbye to his ‘pal’ on Instagram. “See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you,” the 57-year-old actor began.
“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There's not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
He added a series of love heart and broken heart emojis, followed by a diamond.
