Actor Val Kilmer to speak at William Woods University commencement

3/22/2012 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

Egads! GADZOOKS!!! Instead of heading to the bat cave, Val Kilmer is headed to William Woods University.

One of the most prolific actors of his generation, Kilmer, who starred in the 1995 film, Batman Forever, will speak at WWU s commencement May 5. He is a friend of the university president s husband.
 
Kilmer s memorable roles include Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone s The Doors, Doc Holliday in Tombstone and Simon Templar in The Saint.
 
From his work in Spartan, back through his work with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the Heat, to his early work with Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Kilmer has worked with many of film s most respected directors and actors.
 
Kilmer entered Juilliard s drama program at 17; at the time, the youngest person to be accepted.  His professional acting career began on stage, and he still participates in theater.
 
He made his feature film debut in the comedy Top Secret, which he followed up with Real Genius and his breakout role as the Iceman in Top Gun.
More recently, Kilmer starred in the horror film, The Traveler, and the new Francis Ford Coppola horror thriller, Twixt.  

His latest project is a film that focuses attention on two important people from the 19th century, Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy. 

Starring as Mark Twain in the movie, Kilmer also wrote the screenplay, describing the film about the lives and relationship of Mary Baker Eddy and Mark Twain as "a quirky, tender, tragicomic portrait of two contrasting lives, set against the backdrop of Gilded Age America."

While in Missouri, Kilmer will travel with William Woods University representatives to Hannibal. There he will speak May 2 at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
 
The faculty of William Woods University voted to present an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree to Kilmer during the commencement exercises, recognizing his creative abilities and his contributions to art and theater.
 
Prior to Kilmer s appearance at William Woods, the university has scheduled a series of his films:
 
March 30: Top Gun (2-5 p.m., Library Auditorium)
The top grossing film of 1986, it is one of the great pop culture touchstones in American cinema.
 
April 6: The Doors (2-5 p.m., Library Auditorium)
In 1991, Oliver Stone, Academy Award-winning director released his biographic take on the controversial and talented rock music icon, Jim Morrison of The Doors. 
 
April 13: Tombstone (2-5 p.m., Gladys Woods Kemper Center for the Arts, room 112)
The 1993 western explores issues and circumstances based on the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ariz., in 1881.
 
April 20: Batman Forever (2-5 p.m., Library Auditorium)
Kilmer headlines a star-studded cast, including such Hollywood luminaries as Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey.
 
April 27: The Saint (2-5 p.m., Library Auditorium)
A $70 million action-espionage vehicle centered on a challenging and unconventional protagonist who is a thief, a master of disguise, and who chooses not to kill his adversaries.