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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is
Val's real name?
Val's real name is Val Edward Kilmer. He was
named after a business associate of his father. Val has said that he
didn't much care for the name growing up, but likes it now because
it is unique.
- When and where was Val born?
Val was born on New Year's Eve 1959 in
Chatsworth, California (San Fernando Valley of the Los Angeles
area).
- What are Val's vital statistics?
Val has green eyes and our best estimate on his
natural hair color is dark blonde. His height has been a source of
major discussion on Planet Kilmer, but most agree he is
approximately 6 feet tall. His least favorite vegetable is stewed
tomatoes and his shoe size is 10 1/2. His favorite swimming stroke
is the crawl (in case you were wondering) and one of his favorite
bands is Led Zeppelin.
-
What is Val's
heritage?
Val is a mixture of Swedish, German, Mongolian,
Cherokee, Scottish, and Irish.
- What can you tell me about Val's
family?
Gladys, Val's mother, is a housewife who lives
in Arizona. His father, Eugene (an aircraft parts distributor
turned real estate developer), passed away while Val was filming Tombstone.
His father and mother were divorced when Val was nine. Val has an
older brother, Mark, and a younger brother, Wesley, who died in a
drowning incident when Val was 17.
Val was married to English actress Joanne Whalley in March of
1988. The marriage produced two children (Mercedes and Jack).
After seven years of marriage, Val and Joanne separated in 1995
and were divorced eight months later. Val is, apparently, a very
devoted father and has said that Joanne will always be his wife,
because she is the mother of his children.
- Who is Val dating now?
After the break up of his marriage, Val dated
super model Cindy Crawford for a time. He then dated Jaycee
Gossett for over three years, but most recently has had his name
romantically linked in the press to that of Darryl Hanna.
- What kind of a child was Val?
Val claims to have been an adventurous child -
kind of wild, spending all of his time racing motocross and
surfing (he started surfing when he was 10). At the same time, he
was also very shy. His favorite family vacation as a child was
when they went to Arizona and New Mexico. He has always loved the
desert. He had a paper route and, as a punishment, spent a day
counting rivets in his father's warehouse.
- Is it true that Val has buffalo as
pets?
Val has buffalo, as well as dogs, cats, llamas,
and horses. His first three buffalo were named: Bambi (named by
Mercedes as a foal), Jezebel ("because she looked liked a
hard-drinking gal, a kind of floozy who's been around"), and
James Brown (so named from dancing in the snow, with the icicles
giving him dreadlocks).
- Does Val smoke?
In the September 2001 edition of the Santa
Fean magazine, Val credited Christian Science for enabling him
to finally quit smoking.
- Where did Val receive his
education? What was his favorite subject?
Val attended Chatsworth High School in
California. His classmates included actress Mare Winningham (whom
he dated in high school). His favorite subject in high school was
history. He claims not to have been a very good student calling
himself "spiritually dyslexic." He devised tricks to
remember the things that didn't interest him.
Val received his BA degree from The Juilliard School of performing
arts in New York City where, at the age of 17, he was the youngest
student ever admitted to the drama division at that particular
time. Val says of his time at Juilliard, "I was never really
satisfied at Juilliard. There were things I had to do my own way,
even at the risk of getting kicked out. I said, 'Listen, if I get
hung up on something and it paralyzes me all day and it makes me
obsess on how to do a certain speech or scene, isn't that what the
school should be about?' They were right and so was I."
- What real-life characters has Val
portrayed on film?
Val has taken on the roles of Doc Holliday (Tombstone)
William Bonney (Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid); John Patterson
(The Ghost and the Darkness); Robert Elliot Burns (The
Man Who Broke 1000 Chains); Jim Morrison (The Doors);
Jean Mermoz (Wings of Courage); Elvis (True Romance,
although to avoid problems with the Presley estate, the
character's name was changed to "Mentor"); Moses and God
(animated - The Prince of Egypt); and Virgil Adamson (real
name Shirl Jennings - At First Sight); Bob Henry (based on
Frank Whaley's father, Robert Whaley) in Joe the King; and William
de Kooning in Pollock.
- What fictional characters has Val
portrayed on film?
Val has portrayed teen-age alcoholic Eric (One
Too Many); rock singer Nick Rivers (Top Secret!); brilliant
but eccentric student Chris Knight (Real Genius); cool as
ice pilot Iceman (Top Gun); dashing fantasy hero
Madmartigan (Willow); down-on-his-luck gumshoe Jack
Anderson (Kill Me Again); wanna-be detective Philippe Huron
(Murders in the Rue Morgue); Native American FBI agent Ray
Levoi (Thunderheart- which was based on a true incident);
bungling, loveable thief J.T. Barker (The Real McCoy);
totally wacko psychiatrist Dr. Dark (the unreleased in the U.S.A.
film Dead Girl); crime fighting superhero Bruce Wayne (Batman
Forever); super villain Chris Shiherlis (Heat); the
inexplicably odd Montgomery (The Island of Dr. Moreau); and
the suave con-man Simon Templar (The Saint).
- What movies and plays has Val been
in?
Our Filmography section has a complete list of
Val's acting accomplishments.
- Which role is Val's favorite?
In a July 9, 1995 Parade magazine
article, Val said he liked being Doc Holliday. He may have a
different answer if asked that question today.
- What does Val think of himself as
an actor?
Val has said, "There are only three
reasons to do a movie: the cast, the director, the role." He
goes on to say, "Like I say, you live in a minute of screen
time, but to prepare for that minute takes much more than a day.
You'd better be excited about what those moments are, even if
they're the hardest moments. Or the smallest." In a June 1995
article of Harper's Bazaar magazine, Val calls himself
"not a good actor-actor" because he doesn't feel that he
can pretend to like costars he doesn't like. He said, "Every
year I debate how I can tell stories-- which is how I look at
movie acting--in a way that's less taxing for me personally."
He added, "I'm not good at this stuff [interviews], or taking
pictures, or selling movies, or being in them. And being
recognized for them is is excruciatingly painful--to the point
that I've done very little work because of it."
- What is the name of the piece that
Doc plays on the piano in Tombstone?
The piece is Chopin's Nocturne in E minor,
op.72 No1: Andante. Val has said that he doesn't play the piano -
that he practiced that one piece for months for the movie.
- What is the translation of the
Latin duel between Doc and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone?
The translation is as follows:
Doc: In vino veritas. (In
wine there is truth)
Johnny: Age quod agis. (Do what you
do)
Doc: Credat Iudaios Atella, non ego.
(Let Atella trust the Jews, I will not)
Johnny: Iuventus stultorum magister.
(Youth is the teacher of fools)
Doc: In pace requiescat. (May he rest
in peace)
- Is Val involved with any civic
activities?
Val is an ardent supporter of Native American
affairs and an advocate of environmental protection. He supports
Lead or Leave, a non-partisan youth political awareness campaign,
and Habitat for Humanity, an organization that raises money to to
construct house for low-income families. In addition, in May of
1998, Val accompanied and assisted the AmeriCares (the
international disaster relief organization) mission to Baghdad.
The mission carried nearly 90,000 pounds of medicines and medical
supplies for the Iraqi people. In 1999 Val continued his support
of Native American culture by producing and directing a
promotional video for the Native American Preparatory School.
He also works locally with both Warehouse 21 (a teen center for
the arts) and The Wildlife Center in New Mexico. Val not only
contributes to both these organizations financially, but he is
personally involved and even allows many of the Center's
rehabilitated animals to be released on his property.
- What does Val do to relax?
He fishes, goes horseback riding, and reads a
lot.
- Where does Val live?
During their married days, Val and Joanne lived
on a ranch in New Mexico (where his pet buffalo roam). In an
interview since that time Val states that he has bought a larger
ranch near there. His home is featured in the April 1998 issue of
Architectural Digest. No matter what you read, one fact remains
constant: Val is a very private person and appears to prefer a
life that is removed from the "Hollywood movers, shakers, and
powers-that-be".
- Where can I write to Val?
At the current time, there is no known address
to which a fan can write and expect the letter to actually get
through to Val Kilmer.
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