Everyone Forgets That Val Kilmer Was One Of The Best Comedy Actors Of The '80s

Movie stardom rarely occurs overnight. Yes, there is typically a film where the star "arrives," but this performance usually comes after a series of supporting turns in movies or TV shows where they've swiped a scene or two. Eddie Murphy rocketed to fame via "48 Hrs.," but this came as no surprise to anyone who'd been watching him kill it on "Saturday Night Live." It might've felt like Peter O'Toole exploded out of nowhere in "Lawrence of Arabia," but his portrayal of a too-credulous guard in "The Day They Robbed the Bank of England" put moviegoers on notice that he was a special talent. And Julia Roberts popped in ensemble films like "Satisfaction" and "Mystic Pizza" before becoming America's sweetheart in "Pretty Woman."

When I rolled out of bed on the morning of June 22, 1984, Val Kilmer did not exist. When I came home from the movies that night, he was one of the biggest stars in the world to me.

As rock-and-roll sensation Nick Rivers in "Top Secret!," Kilmer was a revelation. He had Elvis Presley's swagger, a veteran comedic actor's flawless timing, and a singing voice that could've easily landed him a recording contract had he pursued one. Most importantly, from my 10-year-old perspective, he'd been anointed by three of my filmmaking gods: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. This was their follow-up to the ZAZ team's instant classic "Airplane!," which made it my most anticipated movie of the summer. And Kilmer flat out aced the assignment, effortlessly strutting a fine line between silly and cool. He was so not Mel Tormé.

I was fairly certain I'd found a new favorite movie star — or, at least, an actor whose presence signaled guaranteed belly laughs à la Eddie Murphy. When Kilmer delivered a brainiac variation on his clown game as Chris Knight in Martha Coolidge's "Real Genius," the age of Val seemed to be upon us. Kilmer, however, had other ideas.

Over the next several decades, the Julliard-trained actor — who passed away on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65 — would occasionally flash his comedy chops. For the most part, though, Kilmer focused on serious roles into which he could vanish. He became an actor's actor (and, by his own admission, a bit of a diva). He was always interesting and often brilliant, but there were no more Nick Rivers or Chris Knights. While I'm grateful for every single performance he left us, I wish to hell he'd done more comedy because he was uniquely spectacular at it.

"Top Secret!" is now regarded by people with immaculate taste (i.e. "Weird Al" Yankovic) as one of the funniest movies ever made. In 1984, however, critics and audiences had a hard time wrapping their minds around an ingeniously ridiculous spoof that targeted Elvis musicals, World War II spy flicks, and "The Blue Lagoon." The madcap comedy also had the misfortune of hitting theaters while the formidable blockbuster trio of "Ghostbusters," "Gremlins," and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" were dominating the multiplexes. Even though Paramount moved its release date to give it a little space from the openings of those films, moviegoers avoided it.

"Top Secret!" began to find its audience when it hit home video and pay cable, at which point the Good News about Kilmer began to spread. In a 2014 oral history of the film posted by ScreenCrush, Kilmer admitted that Nick proved elusive for him. As a classically schooled actor who'd honed his craft on the likes of Shakespeare and Chekhov, Kilmer came at the character like he would Hamlet or Treplev. He told ScreenCrush that he resisted his directors' insistence that he cut loose and have fun. Looking back, he regretted his approach, adding, "Message to young actors: When your bosses tell you to have more fun, believe them and do it. It doesn't happen that often!"

Kilmer's struggles are nowhere to be found on screen. Depending on the joke-driven whims of the ZAZ boys, his Nick can be perceptive, seductive, rakish, chivalric, or dim as dirt. We believe Nick could masterfully illustrate a blurred landscape from a speeding train. We completely buy that he could win over a ballroom full of snooty socialites (and Nazis!) with his rollicking rendition of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti." And we fully accept that Nick is resourceful enough to procure a stunningly elaborate marital aid called The Anal Intruder in prison.

There are so many wonderfully unexpected flourishes to Kilmer's portrayal of Nick. My favorite moment might be his graceful segue into an Elvis-like drawl as he shares the tragic tale of how he was raised by department store employees after getting lost from his momma in a Macy's as a young boy. This leads to his performance of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" redone as a radio jingle for the store, which concludes with one of the most achingly romantic lyrics ever crooned: "Shop at Macy's, and love me tonight."

Like Leslie Nielsen in "Airplane!," Kilmer miraculously grounds "Top Secret!" (as much as he can) by playing Nick as an absolutely real person reacting as anyone would when faced with the film's absurd complications. It is a magnificent debut. And he might've topped it a year later in "Real Genius."

As Pacific Tech physics wunderkind Chris Knight, Kilmer gives a master class in insouciance. He takes the aggressive edge of Bill Murray's approach to this kind of winningly unflappable protagonist and dials up the sex appeal to a degree that prime Chevy Chase could never match. Knight, like Groucho Marx, cannot be verbally out-dueled. He has a witty rejoinder for every stuffy utterance, and even when all hope appears lost (like when the excimer laser is seemingly destroyed), we have complete faith that he'll skillfully dodge a decisive defeat.

"Real Genius" was also a box office misfire, but it quickly became one of the most quotable comedies of the 1980s when it hit heavy rotation on HBO. This movie was a productivity killer. Whatever you were supposed to be doing would have to wait until you saw Jerry Hathaway's house burst forth with popcorn. And Kilmer's lovably flip Knight was the reason you hung around.

It is impossible to pick a favorite Kilmer moment from "Real Genius," but right now I'm thinking about his sit-down with Hathaway (a delightfully detestable William Atherton) after the professor threatens to flunk his arrogant protege unless he makes remarkable process on the laser by the end of the school year. Chris knows he's over a barrel on this, but before he leaves he very seriously informs Hathaway that there are decaffeinated coffees on the market that are "just as tasty as the real thing." The humorless Hathaway responds, "I'm not kidding, Chris." Then Kilmer executes possibly the most off-handedly hilarious retort I've ever seen. Watch the scene for yourself.

That's the ineffable comedic magic of Kilmer, which he shared sparingly throughout the rest of his brilliant career. I wish he'd let the imp out to play more often (and in better movies than "The Real McCoy" or "The Saint"), but I will savor these two films for the rest of my days. My god, he was something.