Last Updated on February 27, 2024
Who is Val Kilmer?
Anyone who is a fan of 1980’s and 1990’s movies will know all about this legend of the screen. Val Kilmer is an American actor who has been in a host of famous movies like ‘Top Gun’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Batman Forever’ to name just a few. While he has not been as active recently as he once was, in the 1990s, he was one of the highest-paid actors on the planet! Today, he is worth around $25 million, but how did he amass such a fortune? Stick around to find out.
Fun Facts
• Val made a massive $7 million in the mid-1990s for his role in Batman.
• In 1997 alone, he would make over $13 million in total from working on ‘The Saint’ and ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’.
• He currently owns a whopping 160-acre piece of land in Mexico
• Val was the youngest person to be accepted into the Julliard School of Drama division.
• He was asked to play a lead role in the 1983 movie ‘The Outsiders’, but instead, he took to the Broadway stage!
• He played the voice of K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider, starring David Hasselhoff.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Val Edward Kilmer |
Popular Name: | Val Kilmer |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | December 31, 1959 |
Age: | 63 years |
Parents: | Gladys Kilmer and Eugene Kilmer |
Siblings: | Wesley Kilmer and Mark Kilmer |
Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Swedish/German/English/American |
Education: | Chatsworth High School, Juilliard School’s Drama Division |
Marital Status: | Single |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
Children: | Jack Kilmer and Mercedes Kilmer |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | $25 Million |
Source of Wealth: | Actor |
Height: | 6ft (1.83m) |
Weight: | 93kg |
Early Life
Born on New Year’s Eve in 1959, Val Kilmer grew up in Los Angeles. However, his life was not easy, and he had to endure a difficult time as a child and into early adulthood. For one, his parents divorced when he was eight years of age, leaving him young and with a broken home. Then, when Val was 19, his younger brother passed away. His father would also pass away in 1993, when Val was 34.
Val seemed to find his calling for the acting profession when he was in Chatsworth High School. One of his classmates was Kevin Spacey, and Spacey would end up being a big influence on Val, who followed him to the Julliard School of Drama and became the youngest ever member.
The Dream Job
It was at Julliard where Kilmer’s career began, during which he co-authored and performed How It All Began, a play that debuted at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Kilmer was heavily involved with theatre in this early stage of his career, and he even turned down major film roles like a lead role in ‘The Outsiders’ to remain in the theatre world. In 1983, he joined Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn in the off-Broadway production Slab Boys.
Soon after this, Kilmer would produce his own poetry and would not appear on camera a whole lot. In saying that, in 1984, he would appear in the action-comedy movie ‘Top Secret’, when his career took off!
His next significant film role came with the 1985 comedy Real Genius, in which he played the lead.
Although he was a popular leading man at this stage of his career, his fame skyrocketed to a whole new level with the release of 1986’s Top Gun. The film put Kilmer alongside Tom Cruise in a starring role and grossed over $345 million worldwide.
After the success of Top Gun around the world, it should come as no shock that Kilmer found it easy to find acting jobs. Kilmer’s career continued to ascend when he booked the role of Batman in Batman Forever. Although the film received mixed reviews, the box office numbers were astounding. Val Kilmer was singled out by the co-creator of Batman, Bob Kane, who said that Kilmer provided the most accurate portrayal of the superhero’s comic book persona.
After this, Kilmer would have a few hits and misses in his acting career, starring in “box-office bomb” ‘Red Planet’ in 2000, and having more success with roles in ‘Déjà vu’ and the recently released ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.
Personal Life
Despite being single, Val has been very popular with women over the years, particularly in his younger years. He seemed to enjoy dating more mature women and was part of a few high-profile celebrity couples with Cher and Ellen Barkin for example. Kilmer met his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley, on the set of Madmartigan in 1988. After having two children, the couple separated in 1996. In his recent memoir named ‘I’m Your Huckleberry’ Val has actually stated that it has been over 20 years since he has had a girlfriend, which shows his commitment to his work.
Val: The Documentary
Val released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on August 6, where Kilmer’s legacy is documented.
Additionally, the film explores the more intimate moments in Kilmer’s career and his personal life. The documentary also revealed a more comical side to the actor’s methods, with the official description labelling him an “artist and a complex man.”
Directed by Ting Poo and Leo Scott with executive, the documentary premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, which received a standing ovation from those in attendance.
Val Kilmer Real Estate
Val previously owned a 6,000-acre ranch in New Mexico, which he wanted to turn into a resort/ranch/bed and breakfast. However, in 2009 he listed the entire property for sale for $33 million. In October 2011, he reached a deal to sell roughly 5,300 acres to an oil billionaire couple for $18.5 million. Kilmer sold a second portion at some point in the following years and still owns around 160-acres of the property, which is a considerable amount, and this sale is likely to have helped Val’s net Worth grow even more!
Val Kilmer Net Worth
As of 2023, Val Kilmer is worth over $25 million, thanks to his various lead acting roles and his selling of real estate.
Val Kilmer Quotes
“I don’t make any pretence about being normal. I’m not.”
“It’s important to be yourself. What art does for everyone helps you understand yourself in a distilled way, whether it’s a painting or a scene in acting or a joke. It distils something about everyday life that can be important to you. I saw the horizon. It’s out there. And though I may not ever be able to touch it, it’s worth reaching for.”
Conclusion
Val Kilmer will always be one of the most famous actors of the 1980s and 1990s. His commitment to his work is admirable, and his determination to follow his dreams is something that many people can take inspiration from.
From a young age, Val knew that he had something special, and as the youngest-ever member of the Julliard School of Drama, others knew that he had something special too. With a current net worth of $25 million as well, it is safe to say that he has made the most of that special career, and is enjoying his time to himself!