Described by some as Hollywood's most difficult leading man, the hazel-eyed, lush-lipped, handsome blond Val Kilmer also has his share of advocates to offset the howls of his surprisingly vocal detractors, few of whom, despite their issues with him, would argue that his best work ranks him right up there with Hollywood's elite leading men. He has described his father as "very eccentric and headstrong", so clearly the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Kilmer's intransigence led to the firing of directors Kevin Jarre ("Tombstone" 1993) and Richard Stanley ("The Island of Dr. Moreau" 1996); helmsmen Russell Mulcahy ("The Real McCoy" 1993), Joel Schumacher ("Batman Forever" 1995) and John Frankenheimer ("The Island of Dr. Moreau" 1996) have no use for him; but Oliver Stone ("The Doors" 1991) and Michael Mann ("Heat" 1995) sing the praises of the intelligent and talented man with an admitted "reputation for being difficult, but only with stupid people." An actor of eclectic tastes, he steered his own career path, passing on hits like "Blue Velvet" (1986), "Dirty Dancing" (1987), "In the Line of Fire" and "Indecent Proposal" (both 1993), while choosing to live outside the Hollywood community (first in NYC and later in New Mexico) did not help to capitalize on his breakout success in "Top Gun" (1986).