Film star Val Kilmer dies aged 65

Val Kilmer, the actor who starred in Top Gun and Batman while earning a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy, has died aged 65.

His daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press he died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles surrounded by family and friends. California-born Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered, she said.

The actor, who played Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise in 1986, previously admitted he didn't want the role which made him famous. But he said he begged to be part of the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, even going as far as contacting the producers and creating "heartrending scenes with Iceman".

It would be his final acting role. Kilmer had a colourful romantic past, having dated Hollywood stars including Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Carly Simon and Cher.

He starred in Willow in 1988 and married his British co-star Joanne Whalley. The couple had two children before they divorced in 1996.

Kilmer portrayed Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors. He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann's 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

Kilmer was one of the best-paid actors in the 1990s, and in 1992 film critic Roger Ebert wrote: "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it." The actor made his film debut in the spy spoof Top Secret! in 1984 before appearing in the goofy comedy Real Genius in 1985 - a year before he rocketed to fame in Top Gun. 'I make no apologies' Over the years, Kilmer had numerous spats with directors and co-stars and gained a reputation for being temperamental, intense, a perfectionistic, and sometimes egotistical.

In an interview in 2003, Kilmer said: "When certain people criticise me for being demanding, I think that's a cover for something they didn't do well. I think they're trying to protect themselves.

"I believe I'm challenging, not demanding, and I make no apologies for that." Kilmer famously clashed with co-star Marlon Brando during the notoriously troubled production of "The Island of Dr. Moreau.