Val Kilmer's Daughter Mercedes Is All Grown Up. Here's What Her Life Is Like Now

Val Kilmer was one of Hollywood's most talented stars throughout his career, delivering incredible and memorable performances in hits including "Top Gun," "Tombstone," "Heat," and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," to name just a few. He gained fame early, in just his 20s, which led to a short-lived romance — and life-long friendship — with Cher. Then, in 1987, Val met his future wife, English actor Joanne Whalley, on the set of a cult classic fantasy flick, "Willow." The pair married the following year, then welcomed two children together, daughter Mercedes Kilmer (born in October 1991) and son Jack Kilmer (born in June 1995).

The year after Jack was born, Val and Joanne called it quits on their marriage. He made sure to stay close with his children, though, and both Mercedes and Jack grew up to be totally stunning. While he raised them largely out of the spotlight, considering their parents' fame, it's not surprising that both kids gravitated toward careers in show business. Jack followed directly in his dad's footsteps, but Mercedes moved more toward different avenues of artistic expression, including acting and music.

After undergoing treatment for throat cancer, Val's health began to decline in his later years. The "Batman Forever" actor died in April 2025, at the age of 65, due to pneumonia. Mercedes and Jack released a statement to People at the time, sharing, "We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated." In fact, Mercedes has continued to celebrate her dad's legacy every chance she's gotten.

Val Kilmer made his film debut in 1984 with the zany movie "Top Secret!" Suddenly, the aspiring, 24-year-old actor was suddenly the leading man in a major studio comedy. He starred in the cult comedy "Real Genius" the following year and was a certified movie star by 1986, thanks to his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in 1986's "Top Gun." In contrast, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, began her modest acting career with several short films before making her feature debut in 2020's crime caper, "Paydirt." For that film, she got the chance to act alongside her famous father.

Speaking with Screen Rant in August 2020, Mercedes made it clear that she'd spent a great deal of time intentionally trying to forge her own path when it came to her career and artistic endeavors. "I've consciously and unconsciously tried very hard to separate my work from my parents, just for, you know, to develop the best art possible," Mercedes explained, later adding, "I think that has been a challenge ... As an artist, you want to draw from your own individual experience, and it's hard if you don't get to have one."

However, "Paydirt" seemed to intentionally blend art with real life by casting Mercedes as the daughter of Val's character, a hardboiled detective hunting down a band of professional thieves. Their dynamic for the film was unique and ultimately fulfilling for the young actor. "It was a very rewarding experience, creatively, not only to work with my dad, but to literally play my dad's daughter," she told Screen Rant. "There were so many meta levels and it was exciting for me, as an actor."

Since appearing in the film "Paydirt" alongside her famous father, Mercedes Kilmer has largely stayed away from film sets and spent a great deal more time in music studios, instead. In July 2020, she opened up about her music aspirations when she sat down for an interview on the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" podcast. Mercedes explained that she'd been using her free time amid the COVID-19 shutdowns to really explore that aspect of her creativity.

"I've always loved to sing and I hopefully am going to do more of that. I've been working on a lot of music during the pandemic," Mercedes shared, adding that she was hoping to release some music soon. In the years since, she's made a name for herself in the Los Angeles music scene, and has been sharing clips of her performances on Instagram, as well as snippets of her original tunes and some of her soulful covers.

In February 2025, Mercedes took to Instagram to share a video of herself performing at a benefit show that was raising money for musicians impacted by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. "It's an honor to offer some of my songs to the city that inspired them and the community that's made it possible to perform and record them," Mercedes captioned the post. "Ever since I had the crazy idea to do this with my life I've had to constantly remind myself that people in fact do make a living playing music and can still have stable, loving, prosperous homes despite the dominant logic of this world and the precarity of the artist's life."

The use of AI in Hollywood has been a point of contention for several years, with many actors worried that the technology will cost them their livelihoods. So, there was some backlash when an AI-generated facsimile of her father, Val Kilmer – which appeared to look much younger than Val did at the time of his death — appeared in the indie drama "As Deep as the Grave." However, Mercedes has been defending her father's AI appearance, and she told the "Today" show in April 2026 that Val had wanted to appear this way in an effort to help other actors.

"My dad was very passionate that this is the time, before these laws are written, to make sure that there's a structure for compensation, to make sure that actors get paid on par with what they would get paid if they were physically doing it," Mercedes said. She added that Val first saw the technology as a way to "overcome the limitations of his illness," but eventually believed it was an opportunity to "set precedent" and help other actors as the technology evolves and becomes more prominent.

Mercedes was sure to add that she understands the concern that many young creatives feel regarding AI and the threat it poses to their careers. However, she stressed that her dad was interested in making sure the technology was used ethically, and that it was a project he simply couldn't do in his lifetime. "I wouldn't just put his likeness in something without his permission," Mercedes explained, adding, "This project gave us an opportunity to make sure if someone in the future uses his likeness unauthorized, we can say, 'Oh no, look, this is what you're supposed to do.'"