Biography

Joanne Whalley

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British-born actress Joanne Whalley has graced the big and small screens for decades. Known for such films as Scandal and Willow, she was a firm fixture on British TV screens including the hit series, The Singing Detective and nuclear industry drama The Edge Of Darkness, for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Her debut Hollywood film was break out hit Willow and in 2005, Joanne returned to UK television with the BBC thriller Child of Mine, before going on to film roles including Queen Mary in The Virgin Queen, and a starring role in tragic love drama Life Line. She appeared as Lorelei in the comedy The Man Who Knew Too Little, A Texas Funeral, The Guilty and played Jackie Kennedy in the miniseries Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Her more recent film roles include 44 Inch Chest with Ray Winstone and Tom Wilkinson and Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt. Other recent television credits include Gossip Girl, The Borgias for Showtime, Jamaica Inn with Sean Harris, Wolf Hall for the BBC and ITV's rendition of Beowulf. Joanne also starred as The Duchess of Burgundy in Starz series The White Princess. Other feature releases include Muse and the Untitled Apostle Paul project, directed by Andrew Hyatt.
- IMDb mini biography by: Markham, Froggatt & Irwin

Met (now ex-) husband Val Kilmer while filming Willow (1988).
Did not tell her husband, Val Kilmer, that she wanted a divorce. She waited until after he left to work on The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) to file the divorce papers. He heard the news while watching CNN in a hotel room. He said finding out about it, especially like that, hurt him greatly.
Best known to most audiences as Sorsha in Willow (1988). She had her dark brown hair dyed bright red for the role.
Gave birth, at age 33, to her 2nd child, son Jack Kilmer, on June 6, 1995. Child's father is her now ex-husband, Val Kilmer.
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a daughter Mercedes Kilmer on October 29, 1991. Child's father is her now ex-husband, Val Kilmer.

I don't remember sitting down and saying, 'This is why I want to be an actress.' I just knew. It was never a conscious decision or a revelation.
Most actors try to do as many different things as possible. I like the encouragement I get from doing new things. I like to feel scared or challenged in the hope that I can pull it off. That little bit of fear creates an energy that I can channel into the performance. And you have to keep tapping new parts of yourself, keep working or you never improve. The only way to improve is to set yourself harder goals.
That's what acting is about, for me at least, tackling different personas and characters.

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