The actor took only one turn in the famous batsuit. That film, “Batman Forever,” couldn’t be a more representative artifact of its era.

Fanboys recoiled, but the campy, colorful Batman Forever looks bolder than ever in a drab age for superhero movies—and the late actor's Caped Crusader was the ideal foil for manic villains Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones.

Val Kilmer has sadly passed away at the age of 65. He leaves behind countless broken hearts but also an incredible oeuvre of popular films. And exactly 30 years ago, in the summer of 1995, his lead performance in Batman Forever changed everything. Here’s why.

Val Kilmer lost his voice but never his spirit — he found new ways to inspire the world in the years leading up to his death at age 65.

Actor Val Kilmer, who starred in some of the biggest movies of the 1980s and 90s, including Top Gun and Batman Forever, has died at the age of 65. He also appeared in 1991's The Doors - playing the legendary band's frontman Jim Morrison - plus the Western Tombstone and crime drama Heat.

Val Kilmer poses at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1994. Editorial Fellow Fellow actors, industry figures, fans, and family are mourning the death of. Kilmer died from pneumonia at age 65 on April 1,

Kilmer, who died at 65 on April 1, was wholly comfortable in that sweet spot where ego and commitment intertwine.

Beloved actor Val Kilmer died from pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. He was 65 and had recently overcome a longstanding battle with throat cancer, which was not believed to have played a part in his death.

Val Kilmer, who starred in films such as "Top Gun," "The Doors," and "Batman Forever" while earning a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy for his intensity and temperament, has died, the New York Times reported.