Val Kilmer | House Tour | $4 Million New Mexico Mansion & More

In these videos we don't reveal any addresses and even though I've done a house tour of my own place, please do not show up at any private residences because it's not safe for anyone. If you've seen Val Kilmer's autobiographical doc Val, then you'd see that these days he spends most of his time living in a home that's semi-detached to his daughters. While we see some of his place in the film, he keeps many details of his current residence under wraps. We do know that the Top Gun star spent most of his life living at his dream property too, Val Kilmer might very well be one of the most recognizable faces in all of Hollywood. After all, the man carved out a truly impressive career for himself that consisted of some of the biggest films of the 80s and 90s including the likes of The Doors, Top Gun and Batman Forever. After originally beginning his career at the prestigious Juilliard School for Acting, Kilmer co-wrote and performed a play titled How It All Began which would debut at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He continued to focus on theatre for the next few years while also developing his writing skills with a book of poetry. Of all possible projects, it was the action comedy Top Secret which became Val's first film role and would go on to launch his career. By 1986, he had his breakthrough moment alongside Tom Cruise as the iconic Iceman in Top Gun. With further roles to follow, Val knew exactly what he had to do next. Find a place to live. Because as he once told Architectural Digest, to even have a chance of doing something unique, you have to know who you are. As a result, you should live where you feel most yourself. So where did Val feel most like Val? In a 27 acre ranch in New Mexico which he would call home for over 20 years. Two decades later when Val was stricken with throat cancer, he'd find yet another place to draw strength from by moving into his good friend Cher's guest house on her epic Malibu property. Hey guys, it's Kara, back with another exclusive house tour here on Famous Entertainment, today looking at where Val Kilmer calls home. Don't forget to like, subscribe and hit me up on Instagram to chat, and now let's get into this video. For Val Kilmer, Santa Fe, New Mexico was always gonna be where his heart is, and a place where reality and mysticism join forces on a daily basis. It's the kind of terrain where jagged and dangerous cliffs can hide gorgeous and colourful bursts of wildflowers. Or, as Val would tell Architectural Digest in 1998, there's irony here like in life. Val's love affair with the Southwest began as a child when his family would take camping trips from California, Arizona and New Mexico. By the time he himself was an adult and a Hollywood star, he officially put down roots in Santa Fe in 1991. That's when he bought a 27 acre property in Tesaque. The land he bought was sensational, the home wasn't. Kilmer and his then wife had purchased what he would describe as a 70s condominium looking wreck with glass walls. When they first moved in, there was no dining room, and what is now the living room had previously been a greenhouse with a tin roof, plastic skylights and uneven floors. Val had no idea how in depth the renovation was going to be, but he would sure find out when he elected himself as architect after interviewing a ton of other candidates and not finding a single one who could complete his vision. Rolling up his sleeves and getting to work, Val would create a 6,000 square foot home, nearly doubling the space that it had been before, while installing a handful of rooms that are laid out in a flowing arrangement. For starters, there's the gorgeous entrance hall where a Navajo rug, a Pueblo hand drum provide a touch of authenticity. Over in the dining room, a table and chairs set take center stage. The table is set with Navajo sterling silver and candlesticks for an air of mystery. Right above it is an antique antler chandelier lit by more candles. As for the living room, it's reported to contain a collection of art and objects from New Guinea that sit in all corners of the room and complement what's said to be Val's favorite part of his house, his Kiva style fireplace. But what might be Val's most impressive room is his library. Not only did he make it deeper by pushing out the fireplace wall, but he added details like a Moroccan star shaped table, oil paintings, and a collection of stone tools from Africa. Then there are some French leather chairs, something that Val had his eyes on for over 10 years before he bought them. Elsewhere in the house is the master suite, which Val actually added on entirely during his renovation. He installed a coved ceiling with exposed wooden beams, as well as used antique lace to cover the beds and pillows. Outside, his gardener Ben Haggard installed indigenous plants all throughout. A tennis court, horse stables, and an outdoor compound specifically designed for a family of buffalo was also added onto the property. When it was all said and done, Val was pretty happy with how things had turned out. He'd tell Architectural Digest, I'm proud that even though the house has been around for 3 decades, people in the area see it and don't know it was once this sad paradigm of the 70s. But over the years, as Val's life would change, so would the home. After having two children with his then wife, they would separate in 1995. Val's ex would move back to LA with the kids, leaving him with an empty home. Well eventually Val decided to turn his home into a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, he hit a bit of a snag when he learned he would have to get approval from the Santa Fe community to do so. Then he went and made matters worse by voicing his frustrations and insulting his community in Rolling Stone by calling it the homicide capital of the South US. He also suggested that around 80% of the people in his county were drunk. As you might imagine, that created a lot of hard feelings. But Val would later apologize to the whole community in person at a town hall function. Then the commissioners would give him the go ahead to build the guest cabins for the B&B. It wasn't something he would run for long however. In the late 2000s, Val decided it was time to move off the property. He listed the entire acreage in 2009 for 33 million dollars, but no one seemed interested. Finally in 2011, he'd wind up selling the majority of his estate to an oil billionaire for 18.5 million dollars while keeping around 14 acres for himself. Then, only 4 years later, Val's life would change in a totally unexpected way. In 2015, Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. As revealed in his memoir I'm Your Huckleberry, at the time his illness set in, he had been staying at his ex-girlfriend Cher's house. Yes, the Cher. Is there any other? Cher and Val had previously dated one another in the 80s after the two met at a birthday party of a mutual friend. When asked by people to comment on their relationship years later, Cher would tell them, He was so young. He was 22. What was I? I don't know. 30 something. It was a bigger deal back then. Truth was, if I hadn't gone out with younger men, I would never have a date. Younger men weren't intimidated by older women. But older men in my age category, they weren't having it. And although the two would drift apart, they still remained good friends. Which is how Val ended up in Cher's Malibu guest house after selling the majority of his New Mexico property. Now we've actually taken an in-depth look at Cher's Malibu home before, so I'm not going to repeat myself here except to say that Cher's guest house is hardly the selling point for this 16,000 square foot behemoth of a mansion. It includes other touches like hand carved marble, limestone fireplaces from Mexico, stamped copper ceilings, and gothic chandeliers. I can see why Val might have wanted to move in here with Cher. After all, they definitely seem to share similar tastes when it comes to interior decorating. It was also while living at Cher's that Val had learned he had cancer, which he outlined in his memoir. Thankfully, after years of treatment including chemotherapy and radiation, not to mention support from his ex Cher, Val would overcome his illness and says that he is now cancer free. This great news also means that soon we'll be seeing him reprise his original breakthrough role as the Iceman in the upcoming sequel Top Gun Maverick. Alright everyone, that's going to bring this Val Kilmer house tour to a close. What did you all think of his New Mexico paradise? Are you surprised he stayed rooted to one spot for so long? Let me know in the comments down below. Thanks for watching, don't forget to hit that subscribe button if you haven't, follow me on Instagram to chat, and I'll see you all in another video. Bye!