Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65, causing many to reflect on his memorable romance with Joanne Whalley.
The legendary US actor who rose to fame after starring as Iceman in the 1986 Tom Cruise action film and later played Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever, died from pneumonia.
Hollywood stars have paid tribute to Kilmer, including The Goonies and No Country for Old Men actor Josh Brolin. His children – Jack and Mercedes – shared the news of their father’s death with the New York Times.
Kilmer shared his kids with Joanne Whalley, who he met on the set of Ron Howard’s children’s fantasy film Willow in 1988.
The actor was passionate about his family, which he was very open about throughout his life. Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2012, he recalled turning down, ‘ten really great directors just because I was trying to be responsible to my family or my marriage.’
He said, ‘I just didn’t pay attention to business. I can’t be a responsible parent and only be there three or four months a year.’
Kilmer remained close to his children, even after his divorce from Whalley, telling People in 2020: ‘I am just madly, wildly entertained by them.’
He continued: ‘My only gripe is that I never see them enough, so I never get enough of the wild entertainment that everyone else gets, but they’re really, really, entertaining.’
Here’s everything you need to know about Val Kilmer’s tumultuous romance with Joanne Whalley and his family life with their two children.
When did Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley get married?
Kilmer and Whalley got married in 1988 and it was both of their first marriages.
The pair met on the set of Willow, which also starred Warwick Davis, Billy Barty, and Jean Marsh.
Davis portrayed a magician who teams up with a fantastical warrior (Kilmer) to protect a young baby princess from an evil queen (Marsh).
Whalley played the part of Sorsha, who ends up falling in love with Kilmer’s character. The pair translated their onscreen chemistry into something real and tied the knot in a private Santa Fe ceremony not long after meeting.
Prior to marrying Whalley, Kilmer dated stars like Daryl Hannah, Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, and Cher, but the highly public relationships never lasted more than a few months.
Kilmer admitted that he was fascinated by all women, describing them as ‘butterflies’ in his 2020 memoir.
‘I’ve always found women infinitely more interesting than men,’ he wrote in the book, entitled I’m Your Huckleberry. ‘Perhaps that’s why we’ve always gotten along. We are big oafy elephants … and they are butterflies.’
Whalley was born and raised in the UK and Kilmer describes the way his more expressive American habits made him and Whalley an unlikely pair.
He wrote: ‘”You get crushes on everything, Val.” My ex-wife Joanne once told me in her proper English manner. “You have a crush on your organic garden.”‘
Who are their children?
Whalley and Kilmer welcomed their daughter Mercedes, who is now 33, in 1991 and their son Jack, 29, in 1995.
Kilmer has been close to his children throughout his life, with Mercedes even credited as an associate producer on the Prime Video documentary Val, which details her father’s life.
Mercedes told Entertainment Tonight that she knew her father so well prior to the documentary, that not much of it surprised her.
She said: ‘I wouldn’t say things surprised me about my dad. He’s such an open person that I know very well,’ she explained.
‘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.’
Mercedes also told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that she was always aware she had famous parents. ‘It was about navigating how other people perceived us rather than any kind of reckoning,’ she said.
‘My dad is such a smart and creative person that I love hanging out with, even if he wasn’t my dad, too,’ she told People in 2020.
Both Mercedes and Jack have dabbled in acting, with Mercedes even once playing Kilmer’s onscreen daughter.
Jack appeared in Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto, which also starred James Franco, the 2018 drama Pretenders, which was directed by Franco, as well as Josie and Summer 03.
Jack is also credited as an associate producer on the 2021 documentary Val.
Both children were everyday parts of their father’s life as he dealt with health issues from throat cancer in recent years.
Jack told People in 2021 that there are things they do every day to soothe his father’s ‘vocal cords and to repair them, but they’re very damaged.’
He continued: ‘It’s funny I don’t notice it anymore. I’m so familiar with his voice that maybe I hear his old voice when I’m talking to him. But he doesn’t seem like he’s in pain when he speaks. Sometimes you can’t shut him up.’
He concluded: ‘It’s hard, but that’s life. We appreciate every day we get to see him and be around him.’
Why did Joanne Whalley and Val Kilmer divorce?
The couple split in 1995, with Whalley citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for their divorce.
According to The Times, Joanne had difficulty with ‘constant rumours about his on-set romances’ and her husband’s heart throb status.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Kilmer was blindsided by the split.
He learned he was ‘getting a divorce while watching CNN in a hotel room,’ the publication reported.
He later said the divorce was ‘the second most expensive in New Mexico,’ with the split coming just two months after Jack was born.
Did Val Kilmer ever remarry?
Kilmer never remarried, and in fact had very few notable romances after the end of his marriage.
He opened up about his lack of partner in his memoir, writing: ‘I haven’t had a girlfriend in 20 years. The truth is I am lonely part of every day.’
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