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Val Kilmer family: All about ex-wife Joanne Whalley and children Mercedes and Jack
Val Kilmer was married to actress Joanne Whalley. Their marriage ended in divorce. The couple had two children: daughter Mercedes and son Jack.
Hollywood icon Val Kilmer, best known for portraying Jim Morrison in The Doors and Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever, has passed away at 65. Kilmer was married to actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met on the set of Ron Howard’s 1988 children’s fantasy film Willow. Their marriage ended in divorce.
The couple had two children: daughter Mercedes and son Jack, both of whom followed in their father’s footsteps into acting. Mercedes made her feature film debut in 2020’s Paydirt, while Jack appeared in films such as Palo Alto and Summer 03.
Who is Joanne Whalley?
The British-born actress Joanne Whalley made her Hollywood debut with Willow. She went on to star in the 1989 movie Scandal. Her filmography includes notable titles like The Virgin Queen, Life Line, The Man Who Knew Too Little, A Texas Funeral, The Guilty, 44 Inch Chest, and Twixt.
Whalley has also starred in several hit TV shows including The Singing Detective, The Edge Of Darkness, Child of Mine, Gossip Girl, The Borgias for Showtime, Jamaica Inn, Wolf Hall, and The White Princess, according to IMDB.
Who is Mercedes Kilmer?
Born on Oct. 29, 1991 in Sante Fe, New Mexico, Mercedes starred in the 2020 movie Paydirt, where she played the on-screen daughter of her real-life father.
"The producer called me up and asked me if I would play this role and I said, 'I don't know if you've found anybody yet to play my daughter, but I might have someone for you. Her name is Mercedes Kilmer and perhaps you'd be interested in meeting with her,' " Val recalled in an interview with PEOPLE. "Mercedes and the producer met, and they all had a ball."
Mercedes also served as an associate producer on Val, the 2021 documentary about her father, available on Prime Video.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2021, Mercedes said the "entire movie" made her emotional.
"I wouldn't say things surprised me about my dad. He's such an open person that I know very well," she told the outlet. "But it did really surprise me to see it with an audience. I'm so used to people not understanding my dad. I'm so used to his public image being different than the playful, funny person that we know."
Also Read: What was Val Kilmer’s net worth? Here's how much late actor was paid for Top Gun 1 & 2
Who is Jack Kilmer?
Born in June 1995, Jack Kilmer is Val and Joanne Whalley’s younger child. Just weeks after Jack’s birth, Whalley filed for divorce from Val, citing irreconcilable differences.
Jack followed his parents into the world of acting, starring in Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto and appearing in films like Pretenders (2018), Josie, and Summer 03.
He also served as an associate producer on Val and narrated the documentary, giving voice to his father’s story after Val’s voice was “affected by extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments for throat cancer.”
"It was interesting doing the narration because our goal was to get me to sound as natural as possible," Jack told the Los Angeles Times.
