What is Val Kilmer's net worth? 'Batman Forever' star was one of the highest-paid actors in '90s
Val Kilmer is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors of this generation and he has the credentials to the aforementioned statement. Kilmer has been a part of the industry since 1984 and garnered a lot of success with movies like ‘Top Gun’ and ‘The Doors’.
His role in the ‘Top Gun’ made him a star and a household name. He and Tom Cruise developed a good relationship while filming, becoming really good friends. Kilmer worked with various Hollywood A-listers in his illustrious career and his legacy is going to be documented in the upcoming documentary ‘Val’. The documentary would feature some of the most intimate moments of Kilmer’s professional career as well as personal life.
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With so much experience in acting, Kilmer has made a fortune for himself and his children. Let’s dig a little deeper to know more about the actor and how much he has earned over the years.
Early life and career
Born on December 31, 1959, Val Kilmer was the oldest son in the family and became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the Juilliard School's Drama Division. His parents divorced when he was eight and his life came crashing down when his younger brother drowned in a Jacuzzi at age 15.
He picked himself and took up acting as a career. In 1981, while at The Juilliard, Kilmer co-authored and starred in the play ‘How It All Began’. The actor turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film ‘The Outsiders’, as he had prior theatre commitments. Kilmer starred alongside Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’ and made him a star. His impeccable acting gave him major roles in various other projects and gave another extraordinary performance in Oliver Stone’s ‘The Doors’. He portrayed the character of iconic musical personality Jim Morrison.
In 1995, Kilmer would go on to play the legendary comic-book character Batman in the movie ‘Batman Forever’. Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script. The film turned out to be a box office success and $336.6 million globally. The character made him an instant star in pop culture and was labeled as one of the best actors to play the caped crusader.
However, he decided not to return for another Batman feature film and George Clooney replaced him as the Dark Knight.
In 1996, Kilmer joined the cast of ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’, an ill-fated film that has become legendary in the film world for its turbulent production. One year later, he starred in ‘The Saint’, a film that showed off Kilmer's impressive range and his poetic skills. The 2010s began for Kilmer with a number of roles in horror movies such as ‘The Traveler’ and ‘Twixt’.
In 2018, it was announced that he will be reprising the role of Lieutenant Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in the ‘Top Gun’ reboot titled ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.
Salary Highlights
His impeccable acting in movies like ‘Top Gun’ and ‘The Doors’ made him a huge star, but it was ‘Batman Forever’ that took his popularity to a whole new level. With that, his salary also increased. He received $7 million to play the Caped Crusader. The amount is the same as $15-$20 million in today’s time.
Meanwhile, in 1997 he earned $7 million for ‘The Saint’ and $6 million for ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ which co-starred Marlon Brando. That year, he made $13 million in earnings and became one of the highest-paid actors of that year.
Real Estate
The actor was the owner of a 6,000-acre ranch in New Mexico and wanted to turn it into a resort. The property had 7 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms. However, due to some tax problems, the ranch went on the market that same year, and it finally sold in early 2011, at a drastic reduction from the original $33 million asking price.
Kilmer sold a second portion at some point in the following years. He still owns around 160-acres of the property.
Achievements and Awards
Kilmer received his first nominations for the movie ‘The Doors’. He was nominated for the Best Actor at the Chicago Film Critics Association Award. Meanwhile, in 1995, he was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for ‘Heat’.
The actor received his first major award for the movie ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ at the Saturn Awards. He was awarded the Best Supporting Actor trophy during the event.
Charity
Kilmer made several trips to New Orleans to help in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. He is also a supporter of Native American affairs and an advocate of environmental protection.
What is Val Kilmer’s net worth?
The actor has been working since the 1980s and with roles in movies like ‘Top Gun’, ‘The Doors’, ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘The Saint’, he made quite a lot of money during the mid and late 90s. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his net worth is estimated at around $25 million. Most of his earnings have come from the field of acting. With the release of ‘Val’, the actor’s name has once again come into the limelight. The documentary had its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and received a standing ovation.
‘Val’ will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on August 6.