Tom Cruise Pays Tribute To Val Kilmer

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Before revealing new footage from his most recent “Mission: Impossible” film, Tom Cruise paid tribute to late “Top Gun” co-star Val Kilmer on Thursday at a CinemaCon event in a moment of silence.

At the start of his eagerly awaited keynote address at the annual industry summit in Las Vegas, Cruise said, “I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer.”

“I really can’t tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a person, and how grateful and honored I was when he joined “Top Gun” and then returned for “Top Gun: Maverick,” said Cruise.

Actor Val Kilmer addresses the “Twixt” press conference at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 12, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. The New York Times reported on April 1 that American actor Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65 after first achieving fame with “Top Gun” and later appearing in films as Batman and Jim Morrison.
(Photo by Jason Merritt / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP) &nbsp

Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1990s who rose to fame in the role of Iceman in the first film “Top Gun” in 1986, passed away at the age of 65, his family announced this week.

pneumonia was the cause of death. After being diagnosed in 2014, Kilmer had a battle with throat cancer and made his final appearance in the “Top Gun” 2022 sequel “Maverick” with a raspy voice. He was physically ill and had a raspy voice.

Cruise paused for a moment to reflect on the wonderful times we had while watching Kilmer on the big screen as he led the audience at Caesars Palace casino on Thursday.

Cruise addressed Kilmer, “I wish you well on your next journey.”

He thanked everyone for doing that, adding to the attendees: “Thank you all. He must appreciate it, I am certain.”

Kilmer’s breakout role was in “Top Gun.” He played the cocky, square-jawed, and largely silent fighter pilot in Tom “Iceman” Kazansky’s training, opposite Cruise.

In the long-awaited sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kilmer’s real-life health issues were incorporated into the character.

Tom Cruise (L) presents Christopher McQuarrie with the “director of the year” award at the Paramount Pictures presentation at Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 3, 2025. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP)

The final reckoning, the May 23 release date for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” was also announced by Cruise on Thursday.

Ethan Hunt, the ageless hero from Cruise’s film, is captured clinging to the wheels of a small biplane as it barrel rolls through the skies and descends a narrow canyon.

The trailer also featured numerous references to famous scenes from earlier in the eight-film blockbuster series, such as Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai and dangling between lasers.