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Kilmer in 2005, Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Val Edward Kilmer
Date of Birth: December 31, 1959
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Death: April 1, 2025
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – German, English, Welsh, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, French Huguenot * mother – Swedish
Val Kilmer was an American actor. Among his roles were Top Secret! , Real Genius , Thunderheart , Tombstone , Batman Forever , Heat , The Saint , The Salton Sea , and MacGruber .
He was the son of Gladys Vidella Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris “Gene” Kilmer, who was an industrialist and real estate developer. Val’s father was of German, English, Welsh, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and French Huguenot, ancestry. Val’s mother was born in Indiana, of entirely Swedish descent.
Val had two children, including actor Jack Kilmer , with his former wife, English actress Joanne Whalley .
Val’s paternal grandfather was Thomas/Tom Walker Kilmer (the son of Jeremiah Early Kilmer and Nancy Williams). Thomas was born in Fulton County, Arkansas, and was a gold miner in New Mexico. Jeremiah was born in Tennessee, the son of James/John Kilmer and Mary “Polly” Meadows/Meadors/Meador Heard. Val’s great-grandmother Nancy was born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, the daughter of Wright Williams, Jr. and Lucinda Pigg.
Val’s paternal grandmother was Nora/Norah Elizabeth Jones (the daughter of Stephen T. Jones and Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie” Webb). Nora was born in Tennessee. Stephen was the son of Raybie Jones and Sallie. Val’s great-grandmother Sarah was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, the daughter of Armistead/Armsted/Armstead Webb and Elizabeth C. Morrison.
Val’s maternal grandfather was John Edward Ekstadt (the son of John August Ekstadt and Anna Elizabeth Wester). Val’s grandfather John was born in Martin, Minnesota, to Swedish parents. John was the son of Carl Ekstedt and Sophia Johansdotter. Val’s great-grandmother Anna was the daughter of John Larsson Wester and Caroline Tillman.
Val’s maternal grandmother was Hilma Charlotte Swanson/Swansson (the daughter of Bror Swanson and Karna Elizabeth Nilsdotter). Hilma was born in Ystad, Ystads kommun, Skåne län, Sweden. Bror was born in Bjaresjo, Ystads kommun, the son of Sven/Swen Brorsson/Brorson and Johanna Nilsdotter. Val’s great-grandmother Karna was the daughter of Nils Nilsson and Ingar Pehrsdotter.
During Val’s interview on Inside the Actors Studio , 2000, he stated that he had Sephardi Jewish, Cherokee Native American, and Mongolian ancestry, perhaps jokingly, perhaps not. He often referenced having Cherokee ancestry, usually from a paternal great-grandmother. However, no Sephardi Jewish, Cherokee Native American, or Mongolian ancestry has been documented in publicly available family trees of Val Kilmer. Both of Val’s paternal great-grandmothers, Nancy Williams and Sarah Elizabeth Webb, were born to non-Cherokee families with fairly well-documented recent ancestors.
Sources: Genealogies of Val Kilmer – http://www.wikitree.com https://www.geni.com https://www.findagrave.com
History of the Kilmer family – http://www.geocities.ws
Val’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Information about Val’s paternal great-grandfather, Jeremiah Early Kilmer – http://objgenealogy.com
Val’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Val’s maternal grandfather, John Edward Ekstadt – https://familysearch.org
Val’s maternal grandfather, John Edward Ekstadt, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org