Beege Welborn

One of the most iconic scenes ever.

And his movie debut turn as Nick Rivers in Top Secret is so stupidly sidesplitting, you can't believe they're the same guy.

As the BBC recalls, Roger Ebert once said basically that very same thing of Kilmer.

Val Kilmer, who has died at the age of 65, was often underrated as an actor.

He had extraordinary range: excelling in comedies, westerns, crime dramas, musical biopics and action-adventures films alike.

And perhaps his best performance combined his skills as a stage actor with a fine singing voice, to bring to life 1960s-counterculture icon Jim Morrison, in Oliver Stone's film The Doors.

Critic Roger Ebert wrote: "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Val Kilmer should get it.

"In movies as different as Real Genius, Top Gun, Top Secret!, he has shown a range of characters so convincing that it's likely most people, even now, don't realise they were looking at the same actor."

Way too young.

Beege ADDS: Oh, had to tack this one on - it's good.

A long time ago, I was auditioning for the movie “The Doors” It was kind of a cattle call. They paired together potential Jims with potential Pamela‘s. And they were running behind so we were spilling out of the casting office, sitting on the porch, the lawn, and the driveway.…

— Jennifer Tilly (@JenniferTilly) April 2, 2025

...And they were running behind so we were spilling out of the casting office, sitting on the porch, the lawn, and the driveway. All of a sudden, a sixties convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors Music at top volume. 

And a guy jumped out and strode inside: He had wild hair and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants. 

We all looked at each other like… Who is this guy?  We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance.  

Well of course it was Val Kilmer and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance. 

Rip King.