The Heartbreaking Life of Val Kilmer

The Heartbreaking Life of Val Kilmer

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the heartbreaking life of Val Kilmer.

Born on New Year's Eve, 1959, Val Kilmer had a relatively normal childhood. He was raised in Los Angeles by his parents Gladys and Eugene, who provided the family with a good income by distributing aerospace equipment and developing real estate. Unfortunately, the Kilmer family started to collapse in the late ‘60s. Gladys and Eugene divorced when Kilmer was between the ages of 8 and 9 years old, and he became estranged from his father.

Kilmer attended various schools around Los Angeles, including Chatsworth High School, where he was classmates with future superstar Kevin Spacey. Both were involved in the school’s drama department, and it was clear that the two teenagers had a love for entertaining and talent that heralded their future success.

Unfortunately, Kilmer suffered another personal setback when he was 17 years old. His younger brother had battled epilepsy throughout his life and suffered a seizure while relaxing in the family’s jacuzzi. While he survived the seizure itself, Wesley Kilmer passed away while being driven to the hospital. Shortly after the family tragedy, Kilmer moved out east to attend New York’s Juilliard School.


Kilmer began his professional career in theatre, performing off-Broadway with the likes of Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn and co-writing his own play that was performed at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He soon transitioned to film and quickly made a name for himself by starring in the spy spoof “Top Secret!” and dating pop star Cher. His mainstream breakthrough came in the summer of 1986, when he starred as Lt. Iceman Kazansky in “Top Gun” opposite Tom Cruise. It was the highest-grossing movie of 1986, making just over $350 million at the worldwide box office. His career peak would last the rest of the ‘80s and well into the ‘90s, starring in the likes of “The Doors,” “Tombstone,” and “Heat.” In 1995, Kilmer would make his first and only appearance as Batman in Joel Schumacher’s “Batman Forever” opposite Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as The Riddler.


It was also around this time that Kilmer began developing a reputation, and not a good one. As Kilmer’s star grew, so too did his notoriety. “Batman Forever” director Joel Schumacher referred to Kilmer as “childish and impossible” in an Entertainment Weekly article, and he is famous for displaying a disagreeable and arrogant attitude while filming the 1996 disaster “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Director John Frankenheimer stated, “I don't like Val Kilmer, I don't like his work ethic, and I don't want to be associated with him ever again,” and upon the completion of Kilmer’s scenes, Frankenheimer is said to tell the crew, “Now get that bastard off my set.”


And while all accounts point to Kilmer acting obnoxiously, his behavior may be explained by the incredible stress he was suffering at the time. For one thing, Kilmer had recently fallen out with his older brother, Mark Kilmer, following their father’s death in 1993. They were allegedly fighting over Eugene Kilmer’s will and properties. His seven-year marriage with Joanne Whalley was also falling apart, and the two embarked on a messy divorce in the mid ‘90s. Kilmer allegedly learned of the divorce while filming “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” resulting in his cold and unpleasant conduct. The divorce was finalized in February of 1996, but they continued custody negotiations over their two children. Everything was going wrong for Kilmer, and it came through in his behavior.


“The Island of Dr. Moreau” was considered both a critical and financial catastrophe, and it may have permanently tarnished Kilmer’s career. Never again would he reach the heights of his late ‘80s to early ‘90s stardom, minus a few bright spots like “The Prince of Egypt” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”

And if it wasn’t personal problems, it was financial ones. In the early 2010s, it was reported that Kilmer owed the IRS half a million dollars in back taxes, forcing a lien to be placed on his more than 5,000-acre ranch in New Mexico. Despite owning the ranch for more than two decades, Kilmer was forced to sell most of it to a rich oil executive. Kilmer retained just 14 acres and sold the ranch for half of its asking price.


In early 2015, rumors began circulating that Kilmer had been suffering from a terminal form of cancer. Ever the stoic and private man, Kilmer publicly denied the rumors, stating through Facebook, “Thank you for all your sweet support. But I have not had a tumor, or a tumor operations, or any operation” [sic] . However, he did admit to suffering from “a complication” that required him to visit the ICU. The details remained hazy, and Kilmer refused to elaborate.

A few years later, Kilmer was conducting an Ask Me Anything on Reddit when he admitted to once having the disease, writing, “I did have a healing of cancer”. Later details revealed that Kilmer had suffered from throat cancer and had undergone both chemotherapy and two tracheostomies. Unfortunately, both the cancer and the harsh medical procedures have left Kilmer with both shortness of breath and a quiet, raspy voice, making his words very difficult to interpret. He is also required to use a feeding tube, as eating is impossible.


To make matters even worse, Val’s daughter Mercedes was hit by a car while Val was receiving cancer treatment. She was taken to the exact same hospital as her father, and his son Jack visited both at the same time. He later told The Hollywood Reporter, “I was just...miserable...sitting next to [those] two.” Luckily, the injuries didn’t prove too serious, and Mercedes made a full recovery.

Regardless, Kilmer is taking it all in stride and continues to hold a positive outlook. He recently appeared on “Good Morning America” and claimed, “I feel a lot better than I sound.” He also wrote in his autobiography “I’m Your Huckleberry,” “I have been healed of cancer for over four years now, and there has never been any recurrence. I am so grateful.”

In the midst of all these personal, financial, and health troubles, Kilmer remains thankful for the gift of life.