In July 2021, Val Kilmer’s documentary Val aired on Amazon Prime. There, the actor opened up about his life and battle with throat cancer. “My name is Val Kilmer. I’m an actor,” his son Jack Kilmer narrates at the beginning of the film. “I was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. Though I healed quickly from the extensive radiation and chemotherapy, what followed has left my voice impaired. I’m still recovering, and it’s difficult to talk and be understood.” The Top Gun star has been living with a hole in his throat through which he breathes and speaks using a voice box.
In 2015, Kilmer admitted to being admitted to the hospital but only revealed the real reason three years later. Michael Douglas, whom he worked with on The Ghost and the Darkness, revealed in 2016 why the Batman Forever star had been MIA. “Val was a wonderful guy who is dealing with exactly what I had, and things don’t look too good for him,” he said of Kilmer’s illness. “My prayers are with him. That’s why you haven’t heard too much from Val lately.” Fast forward to now, the former heartthrob has visibly lost his boyish charms. Some say it’s aging while others believe it’s related to his cancer. Here’s what really happened to Kilmer’s face.
Updated on February 20th, 2023 by Abigail Thomas: Val Kilmer was once known as an action star. He starred in films such as Top Gun and Batman Forever. He was a well-loved actor during the peak of his career, but a diagnosis of cancer completely changed his outlook on life. Kilmer suffered from throat cancer, which left his voice severely damaged and forced him to use a feeding tube. The drastic change in his lifestyle, paired with radiation and cancer treatment, caused his appearance to also change. Though Kilmer continued to act after the diagnosis, he has been primarily out of the spotlight. That all changed in 2022 when he returned to the role of Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, which is now nominated for the Oscar Award for Best Picture.
Val Kilmer’s Pre-Cancer Weight Gain
Before we get to Kilmer’s present appearance, let’s trace how the changes in his looks began. In 2007, the actor gained some weight and was labeled “Fatman” by the media. For almost half a decade, the Tombstone star was subject to public scrutiny. Around that time, he also went off the radar after doing a series of low-budget films. Until 2011, Kilmer spent his days in a ranch he bought in Mexico. He reemerged in 2012 after selling the ranch, looking skinnier than ever. Again, the press had a lot to say about the actor’s transformation.
His weight loss made headlines, just as his weight gain did. “Val Kilmer is half the man he used to be … and we’re told he shed the pounds the old fashioned way with determination … and walking his ass off,” TMZ wrote then. “We’re told ‘Iceman’ looked in the mirror and realized he had let himself go … and decided to change everything. There was no personal chef or magic diet pill … just healthy eating and exercise, especially long walks on the beach by his home in Malibu … which doesn’t suck.” Oh, those harsh tabloid days…
The Start Of Val Kimer’s Throat Cancer Battle
Kilmer was taken to the hospital in 2015 due to a “cancerous tumor.” He initially denied Douglas’ claims that he had cancer. But in 2018, he finally opened up about having a tracheotomy due to throat cancer. It then made sense why he looked and sound different during his tour as Mark Twain in the one-man play Citizen Twain in 2017. It’s also the reason he started wearing scarves around his neck. In 2020, the actor announced that he had been cancer-free for four years. This was after undergoing chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. He also shared that he was now using a feeding tube to feed himself.
In his recent public appearances, you’ll notice that Kilmer’s head seems like it’s too heavy for his neck. It’s the main reason his facial structure changed in the last few years. It’s a perfectly natural result of all the operations he’s gone through.
As The New York Times said of Kilmer’s looks: “He’s 61 now. He is still so handsome. His hair is still blond. His eyes are still the unimaginable green of Oregon grass right after the rain. His jaw is still the main event — the nasolabial area of his cheek bookending the inferior jowl so that his superior jowl appears sunken and his face takes on romantic geological proportions.”
What Val Kilmer Has Said About His Current Life
“I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel,” Kilmer said in his documentary. “I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]. You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat. It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.” Still, the actor remains optimistic about his future. “I have behaved bizarrely to some,” he said of his being difficult to work with in the past. “I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed. I am blessed.”
Kilmer was able to return to his iconic role of Iceman in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. His ability to perform was impaired due to the damage to his voice, but he loved returning to the franchise alongside Tom Cruise.