God wants us to walk... but the devil sends a limo

...so said Val Kilmer, who has died aged 65, about being trapped in the Hollywood fame machine. But his reputation for being difficult obscured a talented man haunted by the tragedy of losing his young brother

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AS HOLLYWOOD mourned tormented genius Val Kilmer last night, behind studio doors many remembered him as the movie capital's bête noir. Despite his many successes in hit films from Top Gun to Batman Forever, The Doors to Tombstone 65-year-old Kilmer, who died of pneumonia, was also one of Hollywood's most polarising figures.

He earned a reputation as "difficult" and many directors flatly refused to work with him. Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher called him "psychotic" and "one of the most psychologically troubled people I've ever worked with". Plans for Kilmer to return as the Caped Crusader in several sequels were quietly quashed.

John Frankenheimer, who directed Kilmer in the critically savaged 1996 remake of The Island of Dr Moreau, said there were two things he would never do: "Climb Mount Everest and work with Val Kilmer again."

The notoriously difficult Marlon Brando, his co-star in Dr Moreau, found Kilmer impossible to work with. Ron Howard, who directed Kilmer in 1988 fantasy hit Willow, branded him "frustrating" and "immature", although paying tribute to him yesterday, the director said he "was incredibly fortunate to collaborate with Val a number of times over the years", praising the actor's "amazing" filmography and "awesome range"

In truth, behind Kilmer's troubled presence on film sets lay a private anguish. After years of studying acting to perform complex roles, he was trapped by his leading man looks in movie parts that he felt were unworthy of his talents.

"It was all silly to me," he once confessed. "I'd been preparing to do Hamlet for 10 years."

Instead, his sudden success in Hollywood propelled him into starring roles that, to his chagrin, often involved taking off his shirt and smiling while looking tough.

It brought fame and fortune, but the artistic challenges he craved did not present themselves.