Val Kilmer's Real Name: Val Edward Kilmer

Quick answer: Val Kilmer's full name is Val Edward Kilmer. He was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, California, and died on April 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. He worked under Val Kilmer—the civil form of his birth name.

Real name and early life

Biography.com identifies Val Edward Kilmer, born December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles (Biography.com). Kilmer is the family surname; Edward is the middle name. His parents divorced when he was young; a younger brother, Wesley, died as a teenager after an epileptic seizure, a loss Kilmer later said informed dramatic roles. He acted at Chatsworth High School, then entered Juilliard’s drama division at 17—then among the youngest students accepted—and began on New York stages before film.

Career highlights

Screen debut came in the spy spoof Top Secret! (1984), then Real Genius (1985). Fame arrived as rival Navy pilot Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun (1986). He portrayed Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), Elvis’s spirit in True Romance (1993), Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995), and Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995). Other credits include The Ghost and the Darkness, The Salton Sea, and voice work as Moses in The Prince of Egypt. After a 2014 throat-cancer diagnosis, tracheostomy and treatment permanently altered his voice; he documented the period in the film Val (2021) and memoir I’m Your Huckleberry (2020). His final major screen appearance was reprising Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). He married actress Joanne Whalley (1988–1996); they have children Mercedes and Jack. AP, Reuters, and BBC reported his death from pneumonia on April 1, 2025, at age 65 (AP; Reuters; BBC). Across billing, the professional name stayed Val Kilmer; the documented full name is Val Edward Kilmer.

Name notes for searchers

“Val” is his given first name, not a nickname for Valentine in standard biographies. Prefer Biography.com plus AP/Reuters/BBC for the 2025 death. Wikipedia is useful only as a pointer after those primaries.