I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir

by Val Kilmer, Will Forte (Reader), George Newbern (Reader)

Legendary actor Val Kilmer shares the stories behind his most beloved roles, reminisces about his star-studded career and love life, and reveals the truth behind his recent health struggles in a remarkably candid autobiography.

Val Kilmer has played many iconic roles over his nearly four-decade film career. A table-dancing Cold War agent in Top Secret! A troublemaking science prodigy in Real Genius. A brash fighter pilot in Top Gun. A swashbuckling knight in Willow. A lovelorn bank robber in Heat. A charming master of disguise in The Saint. A wise-cracking detective in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Of course, Batman, Jim Morrison and the sharp-shooting Doc Holliday.

But who is the real Val Kilmer? With I’m Your Huckleberry—published ahead of next summer’s highly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick, in which Kilmer returns to the big screen as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky—the enigmatic actor at last steps out of character and reveals his true self.

In this uniquely assembled memoir—featuring vivid prose, snippets of poetry and rarely-seen photos—Kilmer reflects on his acclaimed career, including becoming the youngest actor ever admitted to the Juilliard School’s famed drama department, determinedly campaigning to win the lead part in The Doors, and realizing a years-long dream of performing a one-man show as his hero Mark Twain. He shares candid stories of working with screen legends Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert De Niro, and recounts high-profile romances with Cher, Cindy Crawford, Daryl Hannah, and former wife Joanne Whalley. He chronicles his spiritual journey and lifelong belief in Christian Science, and describes travels to far-flung locales such as a scarcely inhabited island in the Indian Ocean where he suffered from delirium and was cared for by the resident tribe. And he reveals details of his recent throat cancer diagnosis and recovery—about which he has disclosed little until now.

While containing plenty of tantalizing celebrity anecdotes, I’m Your Huckleberry—taken from the famous line Kilmer delivers as Holliday in Tombstone—is ultimately a singularly written and deeply moving reflection on mortality and the mysteries of life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Film

9 pages, Audio CD

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Val Edward Kilmer was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), and later in the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991).
Kilmer starred in a variety of films, including the western Tombstone (1993) and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995). He also co-starred opposite Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) and went on to appear in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, marking his final film performance.
In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He subsequently underwent a tracheal procedure that damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with severe difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies, and died of pneumonia in 2025. In 2020, he published his memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir. The 2021 documentary film Val, which chronicles his health struggles and career, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Recognized as one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s, Kilmer's films grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide. In 1992, film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it."

Reviews

[SuperWendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A scattershot memoir that spends entirely too much time in the weeds. On one hand, Kilmer talking about his spirituality is kind of refreshing for a Hollywood memoir. On the other hand it's hard to not find him pretentious. He talks movies but doesn't really dig deep and as for his former girlfriends? Oh sure he name drops but if you expect him to unpack any of that baggage you're sorely mistaken. There's a lack of self-awareness that I found disappointing. If you've read any of the juicy bits that have leaked out in interviews and articles? Honestly you've already read the best parts. This could have been really good - instead it's meh with a side of annoying.

[Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my tender 16-year-old self’s heart.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Val Kilmer has passed away on 1st April 2025 may he rest in peace.
Val Kilmers' last great part was in Top Gun: Maverick in which hé played the Iceman again in which his vocals were done by AI. A very touching scene in my humble experience which gave the movie its gravitas.
I knew Kilmer as Iceman in Top Gun, Gay Perry in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and of course Batman( a really poor but camp Batman movie) Jim Morrison in the Doors & of course as Simon Templar aka the Saint.
Val Kilmer was a beautifull man and a very accomplished actor, he does not recognise his troublesome character he did have in the movie industry.
the biography shows Kilmers spiritual side and he does tell about his collection beautifull women, but never gives away too much about their private lives which extends too his children. To name a few less known female companions Cher, Cindy Crawford, Ellen Barkin.
He tells about his failures and passions, including Mark Twain. His insecurities and life. including his family life and loss of younger sibling Wesley, in and outside the movie industry. It is not a Kiss and tell book he respects people and does not throw with any scandal.
An enjoyable and easy to read story about a accomplished and special man who has left his movies to the world now that hé is gone.

Val Kilmer is no more but his movies and children will remain his legacy.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always had the impression that Val Kilmer is arrogant. I am surprised at the level of spirituality in the book. I wouldn’t have pegged Kilmer as religious. I get the impression Kilmer feels he is the smartest guy in the room.

The chapters are short and take us very quickly through his childhood, attending THE Juilliard School and then he hits the high points of his film career along with the many romantic interests he’s had. There is poetry he’s written and the many references to his one man show “Citizen Twain.” Kilmer even founded an organization to promote literacy around Twain’s work. When I visited the website, there is no information about the curriculum he mentions in the book. Just a big DONATE button to click (which gets me thinking about that arrogance again).

The writing is not cohesive. He jumps from one topic to another and I didn’t always follow the logic.

I would say this memoir doesn’t do much to bring insight to Kilmer as a person or an actor. Much like his piercing eyes, it keeps you at a distance. I still think his portrayal of Doc Holliday is one of the best performances on film. This book just needed more to make it matter.

I would recommend watching the documentary "Val" on Prime. Particulary insightful now that this talented actor has died.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Iceman cometh

This book is interesting, insightful, entertaining, informative and intimate. I felt like the author was talking to me, telling me his story.

Kilmer does not elaborate on any of his many excellent movie performances but rather talks about his life: his ambitious but negligent father, his beautiful but distant mother, his brothers, his childhood and adolescent years, the women in his life, the loyal friends, his children.

The reader becomes part of that story, following Val from California to New Mexico, chasing his dreams, the ones he cherished and the ones he brought to life. There is success and failure, tragedy and comedy, love lost and love found, finding the meaning and purpose of life.

I have enjoyed a great many of his movies, including watching "Tombstone" enough times to risk being labeled as obsessed. But there was so much talent in that cast that you can't absorb it in one viewing.

So Val Kilmer goes from saying "I'm your huckleberry" in "Tombstone" to becoming Mark Twain, the creator of Huckleberry Finn, with great success.

I seldom bother to read celebrity memoirs, but I am glad I read this one.

3

[Kristi C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn’t necessarily my favorite memoir, but I appreciate the “voice” of Val Kilmer and the fact that he was still able to share his thoughts on his life that he felt he wanted to tell.

[Kelly Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping that this book would refute all of the rumors that Val Kilmer is an asshole - it didn’t; he came across pretty unlikable. And way too much spiritual mumbo jumbo for me.

[Susan (on hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars Rounded Up

I loved Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison and Doc Holiday in Tombstone so I was interested in learning more about him. Although this was an intelligently written book, it wasn't as entertaining as I had hoped - it was a little dry. I wasn't engaged and kept putting it down.

[Kerri Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time in a dive bar in my mostly sleepy hometown, a man I met in a short bathroom line tried to pick me up by telling me how beautiful my aura was. He described it in detail. It was majestic, he said. 

As part of his plan to woo me, he gifted me a tattered and yellowing paperback he'd picked up from a local thrift store insisting it was proof he was psychic. He wanted me to read it, convinced it would change my life the way it had changed his. 

A handful of chapters into this memoir, I realized: That guy could have been Val Kilmer. He wasn't, of course. But had he been Val, had I met Val Kilmer for any ridiculously random reason at any point in my life that memory would have been the first one unlocked for me—a visceral and amusing reminder of how thoroughly convinced of their own bullshit some people are and always will be. 

Kilmer the actor? Oh, I've always been a fan. [Even as I will forever maintain that all actors are more than slightly unhinged, by design.] 

Do I think anyone else could have played Doc Holliday as brilliantly as he did? Absolutely not. 

Would Top Gun have become such an iconic hit without him as Ice playing the perfect foil to Cruise's Maverick? Doubtful.

Will The Saint remain one of my all-time favorite movies, largely because he's so masterfully talented [and really quite funny] in it? Yes. I will love that movie forever. 

I'll even admit to scrawling "I heart Val Kilmer" on a napkin when I was in elementary school, tucking it safely in one of my first diaries. Decades later, I still have it, and the memory of one of my earliest crushes still makes me smile. 

The trouble with someone like Val Kilmer writing a memoir, though, is that no one in his life has seemingly ever told him he's even slightly full of shit, or misogynistic, or maybe should go easy on culturally [mis]appropriating histories to which he can lay no claim [though of course he does because privileged white dudes gonna be privileged white dudes].

Letting Val be Val aside, the trouble with someone like Val Kilmer writing a memoir is that, at a certain point, everyone helping him bring the book into the world gave up on editing it or making it flow, feel, and read even remotely like a cohesive narrative. 

So instead of an interesting memoir it reads like a descent into literal and metaphorical madness—doubling as a poignant record of Val's prolific and bizarre dating history, because: why not, right? 

The number of women who were and are literal angels in his life? Well, I lost count there were so many. [Kilmer would have killed in the early days of LiveJournal.] 

And then there was the paragraph where he said he'd never found his [then] wife more beautiful than when she was giving birth because "A woman being all that she can be? That's it for me, man." 

I likely would have tossed the book into a fire as kindling at that point had there been a fire nearby, and had I not been so invested in what nonsense was going to come out of his mouth and onto the page next. 

[Five stars for sheer pomp and circumstance minus three stars for utter vanity and so many sentences and paragraphs that make absolutely no sense = Two stars for what is surely one of the best titled memoirs in history, and one of the most terribly written.] 

[mad mags]

This might be the social distancing talking, but I can't look at this book cover without that scene from The Office replaying on a loop in my head.

Dwight: What do you want?!?!
Darryl: To look good for Val!
Dwight: Val Kilmer?!? I don't buy it. That doesn't make any sense.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f1196d3f...

[Frances]

I can't rate this. It was one of the weirdest memoirs I've ever read.

[Jquick99 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cher. Eddy. Twain. Brando. Enough already.

How about....discussing more about why you don’t have a voice (blood, ambulance, tracheotomy, chemo, it’s gone!) and prognosis (and how you feel about this), your recent fatness (yep, we all saw photos of him from a few years ago and were shocked to find out it’s him. There’s even a website based on this. How did this attention feel to the former Adonis?), what’s it like to (kinda) suddenly be well known after making Top Gun...

Why bring up romances (Angelina Jolie, can’t remember the other mentions) but yet NOT tell us more than a vague name drop?

He remembers things when he was still in his crib? And when he was 3 yo? Yeah...right.

The author doesn’t want to be forthright and say anything negative about anyone.
There is only one time he named a name and said something negative (minorly) about Director John Frankenheimer, who passed away 18 years ago. Thus, it’s ok to speak his mind about him.

DISCLOSURE: NOT an obsessed, hero worshipping fan of the author. I’ve read several 5 star reviews where it seems the author has a strong fan base.

[Phyllis Runyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir written by Val Kilmer. I have always loved his acting, he did so many movies, but he is more than that-a poet, an artist, a singer, son, husband, father, friend. I have seen many of his movies. I think the first was Willow-then I was hooked-Top Gun, Tombstone, I absolutely loved him in that one.I read the book DOC by Mary Doria Russell and it's Val kilmer's portrayel as Doc Holladay, that's how I picture him in the book. The Doors- that was some damn good acting. Val Kilmer researched Jim Morrison, read everything about him, studied his music. He BECAME Jim Morrison and also sang all the music for the movie. Nobody IMO could have done it better.
He has had an interesting life and I hope he continues to act. I will be looking up other movies he has done.

[Katherine Coble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I...
Let me explain why this gets 5 stars.

First off, I should say to those of you trying to decide if you should read this that it is likely not what you expect. Despite the book’s title there is only a brief recounting of the making of Tombstone, and most of that carried a tinge of resentment. Despite prominent sales of Tombstone-related paraphernalia on his website and FB page it would seem that Kilmer is weary of his association with that iconic film. So for all the other Tombstone fans out there, this is NOT the autobiography you’re looking for.

To be honest this is probably not the autobiography ANYBODY is looking for. Because it is in no way typical. Parts of it are downright bizarre.

I look at it this way, and my 5 star rating is because this is either one of the most extraordinarily open, genuine books about an artist’s life OR it is a magnificent feat of performance art via the written word. If the latter it exceeds even Andy Kaufman for the sheer brass of it.

But if the former...if this is an artist’s written accounting of their life thus far, this stands head and shoulders above any other celebrity autobiography. Carrie Fisher arguably has held the crown for awhile, but where most of her works are recollections of dry detachment this book by Kilmer is a brave and intimate revelation. I mean that it its most religious sense, because Kilmer’s faith and practice of Christian Science is the thread that runs through the entire book. This is the life story of an artist with a deep faith. At points he reminds me of William Blake, seeing angels in trees.

The book is often peculiar. The accounts are often maddening. But I don’t feel as if Kilmer held back the essence of his Self. Details, yes. There’s not much insight for those looking into the craft of an acknowledged acting genius. And there’s little detail about his cherished films. So don’t expect any of that. Do expect to feel as though you’ve had the experience of a few lovely dinners with a deeply religious artist.


________
Note about me: I am a devout practitioner of Christianity. My religion differs in many aspects. But I respect his consistency of faith nevertheless.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have decided on a new strategy when it comes to memoirs: I'm going to read the earliest reviews (usually people who hoard Net Galley advanced copies and then read 2-4 pages and quit so they can post a review) and read the book if the first few reviews say "I was really excited to read this but it's so BORINGGGGGGGGGGG." Because if you find this book boring, you're boring. Period. Kilmer is definitely pretentious (no man who admits to carrying ULYSSES around--even on dates with Cher--can be considered otherwise) and he shoots for the moon sometimes with his poems, but HOT DAMN he's got some interesting things to say. And the stuff about his brother who died young is just heartwrenching. I'm a big fan of his acting and I loved reading about how he approached his art. A damn fine memoir. It gets five stars to counteract you lazy asses who quit reading a book but STILL FIND THE AUDACITY TO GIVE IT A REVIEW. Shame!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love autobiographies and I think Val is a gifted actor but this book was..not good.

[Jay Pruitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm Your Huckleberry was enjoyable largely from the perspective of being able to stand in the shoes of one of my favorite actors. Performances such as Tombstone and The Doors show the breadth of his talent. It was also fun to read about the multitude of beautiful women who've claimed Val as their lover (Cher, Cindy Crawford, Daryl Hannah, Angelina Jolie, to name a few). Having said that, Kilmer tends to "wax poetic" a bit much for my taste.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could only make it through a few chapters, but I will say this is one of the strangest celebrity memoirs I have ever attempted to read! If you really want to dig deep into Val Kilmer's spiritual approach to life, here it is. Bravo to the publisher for releasing such an odd duck.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the bookstore on an absolute whim. I didn't even know he'd written a book! But it's not shocking that it would catch my eye, since Val Kilmer has long been one of my favorite actors. I've always thought of him as off-kilter, extremely intelligent, and funny, so I figured his book might be similar.

I was totally right. This doesn't feel like a memoir so much as spending a couple of days listening to Kilmer reminisce about his family, his career, and his love life. Happily, he never goes into any kind of racy details about that last item. He never says mean or snide things about any of the women he dated, or his ex-wife Joanne Whalley. He's remarkably gentlemanly, in fact. You get the idea that he is dazzled by women, but has no real idea what they want or need out of life or a man. Which was kind of fascinating, in a somewhat sad way.

I was really happy that most of the book was a sort of behind-the-scenes tour of many of his famous movies, because that's what I wanted the most from it. And he definitely delivered. I think the only movie of his that I love that he didn't cover at all here is Spartan (2004). So that was immensely satisfying. Do I wish he would have delved more deeply into a few of them? Yes. But what is here is very fun. And I got to learn some of his thoughts on Hamlet and what it was like to play the title character onstage, which you know thrilled me.

Val Kilmer was raised a Christian Scientist, and he talks a LOT about his particular religious beliefs in this book. They're a little peculiar to me, but I definitely respect his commitment to serving his fellow humans with love and compassion and generosity. He also explains his battle with throat cancer and his struggle to discover a new way of acting now that his golden voice is gone.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Described by Kilmer as entry into the “pinball machine of my mind,” we certainly do feel like pinballs being bounced around throughout this memoir. His thoughts go here, there and back to here, and sometimes over there and there's many, many mentions of Cher. The few parts he gets a little deeper into his feelings and thoughts were not enough and he glazes over more of the things you wish you could hear more of. Instead, there seems to be more cataloguing of the many women he's had relationships with - super models, mega movie stars, legends, etc.

I listened to it, and although understandable why he couldn't read it himself, I wish it had then only been Mare Winningham that had narrated the entire book. She is one of his earliest relationships and she read her parts with great emotion which I could believe more knowing she knew him. I don't know what the relationship was to the two other men narrating, or why we had to have 3 people for this.

The very last chapter is one where you wish there had been more of - his life now. I enjoyed it, did find some of it superficially covered, but overall I enjoyed it. I ended up switching back and forth between book and audiobook for the pictures and to better visualize his poems.

[Jerry Hilts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a few hours of my life I'll never get back.

[no elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

didnt realize how much val kilmer operates on his own wavelength, like kind of absolutely deranged, totally endeared himself to me w/ this. cher loves this man and i trust her with my life! she can't be wrong!!!

[Lady Alexandrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very generous 3 stars! Because Val Kilmer despite all his flaws (and believe me they are many) was still Val Kilmer.

I am totally shocked by this memoir. How a man could be so vain? How could he so completely lack self-awareness ? How could he get away with it all his life?

This memoir was very strange. There was a clear dichotomy between the real world and the world as Val Kilmer saw it. Mostly, it was about how handsome and great Val Kilmer was, a real genius! And how many beautiful women he dated. Clearly he wanted to impress, I felt like one of the woman he wanted to woo. He wanted this memoir to be poetic, spiritual, intellectual and deep, bless him. And the sad result is this. I felt sorry for him, but I felt even sadder for his editor. Val Kilmer will be remembered for his roles as a brilliant actor, but this memoir is better left unread.

[britt_brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. This was not great. I loved Val Kilmer as Ice Man. And even though Batman Forever sucked, I’ve seen it so many times because he was smokin’ back then. Anyway, this was a lot of “be impressed by the female celebrities I’ve boned” and “I’m so much more talented that others.” Blah.

[Fran Cageao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Mr . Kilmer is not one of your pretty face "movie star", he is a brilliant actor, artist and humanitarian. Initially, the memoir starts out slow and I am not sure of the relevance of his early life to his present day genius. The author takes you through his evolution and search for Love to finally discover his internal Love. Despite all his failures and successes he emerges as a soulful being. I read this memoir in a day and appreciate the lesson ....love thyself. Bravo Mr.Kilmer.

[Wendi Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one is bad. Val is still overflowing with all the narcissism and navel gazing that characterized every interview I’ve ever read with him. Even as a memoir, his self aggrandizing is astounding. Quick synopsis:

1. Val Kilmer
2. Cher
3. Christian Science
4. Val Kilmer
5. Val Kilmer is the greatest person ever
6. Val Kilmer is the living embodiment of Jim Morrison
7. Val Kilmer has had sex with hot women, according to Val Kilmer
8. Mary Baker Eddy

Saved you a read.

[Margaret Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, for me, was a wonderful insight into the man he was. Intelligent, well read and a very good actor who took on some challenging roles. Like many in his field he really studied and researched each character role to be the best he could be. He took on B grade movies just to pay the bills and I’ll bet now he’s gone they become classics.

He had many loves in his charismatic life and some still stuck by him while he was ill like Cher. We never hear about that side of things only the media trash. Acting as Jim Morrison was a highlight and Doc Holliday in Tomestone. But for me Iceman in Top Gun he was made for that part. It’s so very sad seeing him in Top Gun:Maverick as it was hard to see how cancer had destroyed him. He had lost his voice only able to say a few words if he put his finger in the hole in his throat to try to speak. They used AI for his voice in the movie and it was an emotional scene between him and Tom Cruise as Maverick. His belief in God until the end was inspiring despite what he was going through and his love for his two children was his greatest achievement. His love for her mother was so strong he even wore her turquoise jewellery after she passed away just to feel her close.

RIP Val Kilmer… you fought until the end and despite your religious beliefs you tried everything medically possible just to live for your children and show them how hard you fought.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP Val Kilmer. You did it your way!

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was... interesting. I didn't know much about Val other than the movies I'd seen about him but a lot of this book was which celebrity women he's been with, how good he is at everything, his career, all the roles he's turned down, bizarre poetry, and a lot of spiritual beliefs about LOVE and seeing angels and having premonitions. In chapter one he said that he had a crush on all his readers but I can't say I necessarily return that feeling. It was interesting learning some Hollywood stuff BUT... he came across as pretty pompous. So much name dropping and wild claims about how he could do anything. I would rate this as a 2, but I'm bumping it up to a 3 because of the entertainment value and pictures.

[Dpwarzyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Twaddle. Pawp. Phuff. I dove into this book hoping to find the kind of candid insights I found reading Rob Lowe's books, which were interesting and detailed. It was slow going so I started skimming. He was such an arrogant prick I skimmed faster. Then I started searching for words like "Tombstone" or "Doc Holiday" hoping to find something of titillating Hollywood interest. Nothing.
He's a dope. He's a devoted cult member of some silly, minor religion and it colors everything brown. It's a shit stain of a book. I want to slap him. If you think you want to read this stick a pin in your eye, it will be a more pleasant experience.