Top Gun: Maverick is one of the highest-grossing films of all time, with a worldwide total of $1.48 billion. The cast included Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris in addition to Tom Cruise, who reprised his role as U.S. Naval Aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Seeing Cruise reunited with Val Kilmer’s Tom “Iceman” Kozansky on television was undoubtedly the most thrilling reunion for fans. We’re going to take a look at Val Kilmer’s life and career, from his difficult upbringing to his early fame, and tragic health problems to his remarkable recovery.
Val Kilmer Net Worth
American actor Val Kilmer has a $10 million fortune. Kilmer has established himself as one of the most famous actors in Hollywood because to his extensive resume of film and television roles. His filmography includes hits including Top Gun, Batman Forever, The Doors, Tombstone, and Heat.
In the middle of the 1990s, Val Kilmer was one of the most paid actors in the world because of his roles in several extremely successful blockbuster films. Unfortunately, Val’s blockbuster career and payments dried up because of his reputation for being difficult to work with.
In 1996, at the pinnacle of his success and wealth, he got divorced, further destabilizing his financial situation. In 2015, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which not only severely limited his ability to act but also silenced him permanently.
What Was Val Kilmer’s Salary While He Played Batman?
After Michael Keaton hung up the cape and cowl, Val Kilmer was paid $6 million (about $11.4 million today) to portray the titular role in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.
Batman & Robin, while campier in tone than Tim Burton’s earlier pictures, was nonetheless a significant box office success. Kilmer famously turned down a role in the sequel, with George Clooney taking his place in the critically panned Batman & Robin.
What are Some of Val Kilmer’s Best-Known Performances?
Though his role as “Iceman” in Top Gun was a huge break in Hollywood, Kilmer’s stardom (and earnings) skyrocketed in the ’90s.
The Saint, an adaptation of the spy TV series, earned Kilmer $7 million, and The Island of Dr. Moreau, in which he starred alongside Marlon Brando, earned him $6 million, both during his peak years as an actor.
Although The Saint made money at the box office, neither film was well received by reviewers. The latter in particular had a notoriously and bitterly rough production. Aside from his role as “Gay Perry” in Shane Black’s 2005 criminal comedy Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Kilmer’s movie career never again hit the highs of the mid-’90s, while consistently earning critical accolades.
Val Kilmer’s Impressive Hollywood Paychecks
For his work on “Batman Forever” in 1995, Val received $7 million. About $12 million in current dollars. Both The Saint ($7 million) and The Island of Dr. Moreau ($6 million), which co-starred his hero Marlon Brando, brought in huge sums of money for him in 1997.
With a total of $13 million, he was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid performers that year. In today’s dollars, a salary of $13 million in 1997 would be equivalent to about $20 million. With At First Sight, Val made $9 million in 1999, the equivalent of about $14 million in today’s money. Unverified reports claimed that Kilmer earned $400,000 for reprising his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick.
Val Kilmer’s Investment Strategy
Although the media is more interested in talking about Kilmer’s next film roles, his under-the-radar financial decisions are certainly commendable. By going in a different direction, he has made making money look as easy as browsing an art gallery filled with real estate and autobiographies.
The Sale of Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Ranch
Val had planned to turn his former 6,000-acre New Mexico ranch into a resort, ranch, and bed & breakfast at one point. He put the entire estate up for sale in 2009, asking $33 million. He made a deal with an oil billionaire couple in October 2011 to sell about 5,300 acres for $18.5 million.
A second share was sold by Val Kilmer in the years that followed. He still has ownership of about 160 acres.
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