Val Kilmer was one of the most versatile actors of his time. Sadly, the movie world lost him this week at the age of 65. But that gives us no better time than to revisit some of his most defining roles: Nick Rivers, Iceman, Doc Holliday, and one that truly blew the doors off: Jim Morrison. 1991’s The Doors might have the greatest Val Kilmer performance of all, playing the doomed lead singer of the titular band in a way that feels unmatched in the realm of biopics. So how did he pull it off?
Val Kilmer became a full-blown chameleon to play Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, immersing himself in the music, style and vibe of the singer, who died in 1971. Part of this involved spending half a year ensuring he would nail that trademark Lizard King vibe, losing weight to match Morrison’s bony chest. According to James Riordan’s biography of Oliver Stone, more came through the music itself, with Kilmer studying around 50 songs. For those unfamiliar with just how short-lived yet prolific The Doors really were, they only had 52 studio songs off of their six albums before Morrison’s death.
Through music and speech patterns (with the help of a former Doors producer and members of the band), Val Kilmer absolutely mastered Jim Morrison in a way that still remains one of the most enrapturing performances of a real-life pop culture figure ever. And for it…he was basically snubbed. There would be no widespread industry appreciation, with the likes of the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards leaving him off of any ballots. The highest nomination he would get was for Best Male Actor at the MTV Movie Awards. (It would actually be MTV that proved to appreciate him more than any other, later nominating him for Tombstone, Batman Forever, Heat, and even MacGruber in various categories.)
As for other real-life figures Val Kilmer portrayed in his nearly 40-year career, you’re talking everybody from the aforementioned Wild West legend Doc Holliday to King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley to painter Willem de Kooning to porn star John Holmes. And now I really wish we had gotten him in a biopic of Mark Twain…
Where would you put Jim Morrison in The Doors among Val Kilmer’s best performances?
