Inside Val Kilmer’s $33 Million Santa Fe Ranch Where He Escaped Pressures of Hollywood—and Why He Gave It All Up

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Hollywood’s biggest stars are paying tribute to Val Kilmer, who died on Tuesday of pneumonia, almost 10 years after he was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was 65.

Dozens of famous faces expressed their grief over the loss of one of the industry’s most talented on-screen legends. Cher, Nicolas Cage, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Monaghan, among others, shared stories about their time spent working with him.

Tributes also poured in from a more remote location: Santa Fe, NM, where the actor spent two decades living on a ranch, having fled the bright lights—and pressures—of Hollywood, which he shied away from even at the height of his fame.

Local news outlets were quick to call attention to Kilmer’s “unique connection to New Mexico,” noting that the actor, who was best known for his roles in “Batman Forever,” “Top Gun,” and “The Doors,” was so enamored with the lifestyle there that he once contemplated a run for governor.

Kilmer died in Los Angeles “surrounded by family and friends,” his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, told the Associated Press.

Val Kilmer died on Tuesday of pneumonia. He was 65. He was diagnosed with throat cancer about 10 years ago.(EuropaNewswire/Gado/Getty Images) Kilmer, who died in Los Angeles, spent much of his adult life living on a ranch on the Pecos River in New Mexico.(Realtor.com)

The actor had spent his final few years living in California, where he was born and raised. But many believe his heart was planted firmly on a plot of land alongside the Pecos River, where he owned an expansive ranch for around 20 years.

However, according to Architectural Digest, his love affair with the area began long before he ever appeared on the big screen. In a 1998 feature about his property, AD noted that he used to travel to New Mexico on camping trips when he was a young boy living in L.A.

Kilmer explained his decision to base himself in New Mexico, rather than in Los Angeles, where he was not only raised, but also where much of his work took place.

He felt “most himself” there, pointing to the incredible natural landscape and erratic weather as being among the reasons he loved it so much, he told AD.

“To even have a chance of doing anything unique, you have to know who you are,” he said. “As a result, you should live where you feel most yourself.”

He continued: “One of the most attractive things about living here is the city’s spirit. Indian tribes, from the Plains all the way to deepest Mexico, traveled to this spot to exchange ideas, trade and celebrate life. Since this was a gathering place, it always had a sensibility to tradition, a continuity, and an acceptance of a different way of doing things.”

Over the years, Kilmer owned two properties in New Mexico—the first was a house that he bought with his then-wife, Joanne Whalley, in Tesuque, which he described as a “condominium-looking wreck with glass walls.”

Still, the land that the home sat on made the purchase worthwhile, and Kilmer and Whalley embarked on an extensive renovation to turn the dwelling into their family base.

Sadly, their relationship would not last the time that it took to overhaul the home. By 1995, Whalley had split from the actor and returned to Los Angeles with their children: Mercedes, now 33, and son Jack Kilmer, now 29. Kilmer eventually sold the property in 2003 for $1.65 million.

Still, the actor’s love grew for New Mexico—and just five years after he purchased the home with Whalley, he invested in a 6,000-acre ranch alongside the Pecos River.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the property was largely “wild with canyons and pine forests,” save for a 5,600-square-foot log house and two guesthouses.

While living there, Kilmer added some fun amenities, including a custom treehouse, which he joked to USA Today was built under the pretense of being for his children. But, it really served as a sanctuary where he could think.

Kilmer first put down roots in New Mexico while he was married to actress Joanne Whalley, with whom he shared two children. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Such was the case with the entirety of his New Mexico ranch, it seems, with USA Today reporter Marco della Cava remarking on a 2006 trip he made to the property that it was a place where “Kilmer could take flight and escape the Hollywood noise that had turned the gifted artist into, by all accounts, a difficult presence at times.”

Even his presence in New Mexico was not without its controversy. In 2003, Kilmer sparked local outrage when he told Rolling Stone that he lived in the “homicide capital of the Southwest,” adding that “80% of the people in his county are drunk.” He later apologized for his comments.

Despite his love of the area, Kilmer put parts of the property up for sale in 2006. He listed an 1,800-acre chunk of the land that contained the main structures for $18 million.

He later reduced the acreage to 1,000 and the price to $12 million in January 2009. He would further trim that to $9 million.

Kilmer later pivoted, this time putting the entire 6,000-acre property on the market for $33 million.

At the time, he told the Wall Street Journal that he was looking to offload the home to “someone who has the time and the finances” to maintain and preserve it. He did not explain why he was unable to do so himself.

In 2011, the property was finally sold to Texas oil and gas tycoon Benjamin A. Strickling III, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Strickling later announced plans to turn the property into a “trout fishing ranch second to none.” His aim was to “preserve a significant portion of the ranch.”

Meanwhile, Kilmer was understood to have returned to Los Angeles, where both of his children were based—and where he was later diagnosed with throat cancer. He underwent a tracheostomy, which forever altered his voice.

During the early days of his treatment, Kilmer stayed with his former partner, singer Cher. In his 2020 memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry,” he wrote that he had woken up in the middle of the night vomiting blood while at her house.

“One night, I suddenly awoke vomiting blood that covered the bed like a scene out of ‘The Godfather,’” he recalled. “I prayed immediately then called 911. Then alerted my hostess. Cher stepped in and stepped up.”

Charlie Lankston is the executive editor at Realtor.com. She previously worked at DailyMail.com as the associate editor, covering a wide range of topics, including news, celebrities, travel, lifestyle, and the British royals. In 2019, she was part of the DailyMailTV team that won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment News Program. Charlie earned a BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies from the University of Warwick and an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City University in London. Originally from London, she has been based in New York City for 10 years.