Trained at Julliard and initially finding work as a stage actor, Kilmer took his craft seriously, and in his peak years held all of his roles with equal weight, whether it was a prestige drama like “Heat” or a silly comic book blockbuster like “Batman Forever.” His choices in projects, especially later in life when he spent years playing his hero Mark Twin in live stage shows, reflected someone who burned with a passion for acting. And he had a swagger to him that sometimes felt more like a rock star than a film idol — and he played plenty of rock stars in his career, from his film debut “Top Secret” to his acclaimed portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s biopic “The Doors” to a memorable cameo as Elvis Presley in “True Romance.” In 1996, Entertainment Weekly infamously published a cover story calling him “The Man Hollywood Loves to Hate.” His not particularly gracious behavior on the sets of his “Batman” film or (particularly infamously) “The Island of Dr. Moreau” became the stuff of Hollywood legend.
Author: Wilson Chapman
Published at: 2025-04-02 23:00:00
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