Joanne Whalley
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Petite, attractive, dark-haired performer who first gained attention on the London stage and in the British TV miniseries, "Edge of Darkness" (1985). Whalley earned her first international recognition as the beatific Nurse Mills in Dennis Potter's award-winning "The Singing Detective" (1987) and brought a winning candor to her starring role as Christine Keeler in "Scandal" (1989). Popular success in mainstream Hollywood releases, though, has been elusive; her American films, including "Navy Seals" (1990) and "Trial by Jury" (1994), received a very modest reception from the public.
Whalley received considerably greater exposure when she landed one of the most coveted TV roles of the 1990s, that of Scarlett O'Hara in the television sequel to the much acclaimed feature "Gone With The Wind" (1939). Despite inevitable comparisons to Vivien Leigh, Whalley made the spunky character her own, winning over critics and viewers in the miniseries, "Scarlett" (CBS, 1994).
Having been married to actor Val Kilmer for seven years, with whom she co-starred in the films "Willow" (1988) and "Kill Me Again" (1989), the couple announced their separation shortly after the birth of their second child, Jack Kilmer. Whalley then filed for divorce on July 21, 1995 citing irreconcilable differences.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1982
First film appearance (a bit part) in "Pink Floyd The Wall"
1985
Screen acting debut in "Dance with a Stranger"
1988
US screen debut, "Willow"
1989
First credit as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, "Scandal"
1989
US stage debut in the off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw"
1994
Cast as Scarlett O'Hara in the CBS-TV miniseries sequel to "Gone With the Wind" (1939), "Scarlett"
1997
Acted in "The Man Who Knew Too Little"
2000
Headlined the Showtime original "Run the Wild Fields"
2000
Portrayed the title character in the CBS miniseries "Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis"
Family
Companions
