Mercedes Kilmer was born in the picturesque city of Sante Fe, New Mexico on October 29, 1991. As the daughter of well-known actor Val Kilmer and actress Joanne Whalley, she was introduced to the acting world at an early age. The couple divorced in 1995, when Mercedes was only four years old.
The Kilmer family has deep roots in the entertainment industry. Val Kilmer was born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles. Renowned for his roles in Hollywood hits such as ‘Top Gun’ (1986), ‘The Doors’ (1991), and ‘True Romance’ (1993), he expanded his creative reach by penning his memoir, ‘I’m Your Huckleberry,’ in 2020.
The Kilmer clan also includes Mercedes’s younger brother, Jack Kilmer, a Los Angeles-born model and actor whose career spans a variety of films and shows.
Mercedes completed her schooling at a private high school in Los Angeles, before launching her professional career in the entertainment industry. Her acting journey began in 2013, making her debut in the short film ‘Pool Party.’ Over the years, she has showcased her acting prowess in films such as ‘Pretty Face,’ ‘Ingrid,’ and ‘There Is No Gravity.’
Beyond her acting ventures, Mercedes harbors a love for music. Despite her own modest admission of not being a ‘real’ singer, she revealed her desire to bring her musical passion to the screen:
“I love music. I haven’t really deeply pursued it professionally. I don’t think I’m really, like, a ‘real’ singer, naturally. But I can imitate people, and I love to sing! What I would really love is to play a singer. I love music, and I would love to sing in a film and play a singer.”
In an instance of father-daughter collaboration, Mercedes acted alongside Val, in the independent film ‘Paydirt.’ She also served as a co-producer on ‘Val,’ an Amazon documentary exploring her father’s personal life and career.
Mercedes’ career has resulted in an estimated net worth of around $500K. Her earnings, derived primarily from her acting career, are estimated to range from $19K to $171K per year.
According to Val, he and Mercedes share many common interests which have played a key role in strengthening their bond:
“Ever since Mercedes was very young, we both shared a love for animals and the natural world, and this shared love has brought us together. We also loved taking riding lessons and jumping horses. We had an arena on the ranch in New Mexico. We would have endless adventures in the Wild, Wild West.”
They love shopping for clothes, going on hikes in the wilderness, and appreciating Native American rock art. Mercedes revealed the father-daughter duo shares a similar sense of humor and a creative spark:
“We have a similar sense of humor. My dad is very observant. We sometimes sit together on a bench and watch people for hours and will make observations when a couple walks by, such as, ‘Oh, that’s not his dog; it’s his girlfriend’s dog and he hates it.’ This is what makes him such a good actor. We are both very creative and love to write. Dad wrote as well as starred in Citizen Twain, a one-man show about the life of Mark Twain.”
As the actor recalls, memorable family trips often involved camping in Ojai, California. Val’s insistence on knowing and understanding the land around their home instilled a deep sense of connection to their surroundings in Mercedes from a young age.