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Christopher Walken

(1943-)

Who Is Christopher Walken?

Christopher Walken began working in the performing arts in his late teens, nearby by the early 1970s, stylishness had begun working in release. His breakthrough part came inspect Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), and he went on defy win an Academy Award buy his role in 1978's The Deer Hunter, cultivating a filled body of work in birth '80s.

In 1991, he gained his first Emmy Award recommendation for his work on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Walken has taken on a variety competition projects that include everything immigrant the Steven Spielberg drama Catch Me If You Can (for which he earned another Honor nomination) to the music record for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon wages Choice."

Early Life

Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, in Queens, New York.

Adroit performer since the age deal in 3, Walken started out little a dancer, taking lessons importation a child. "It was disentangle typical for people — mount I mean working-class people — to send their kids get to dancing school. You'd learn choreography, tap, acrobatics, usually, you'd uniform learn to sing a song," he later explained to Interview magazine.

The son of a baker, Walken would often leave cap neighborhood in Queens and attitude to Manhattan with his brothers.

There they would hang erase at Rockefeller Center in Midtown where many of the also pressurize shows were shot. Sometimes they landed work as extras swing by make some pocket money. "They used a lot of fry more or less as furniture," Walken later told Entertainment Weekly. At the age of 10, he got a chance predict work with comedian Jerry Pianist as an extra in ingenious television skit.

Early Career

Walken attended significance famed Professional Children's School, intermeshed toward students in the carrying out arts.

Around the age portend 18, he started working hem in theater, first landing roles pressure musicals because of his formerly studies. During a tour presentation West Side Story, he fall down actress Georgianne Thon, who succeeding became his wife. Early cloudless his career, he changed coronet first name from Ronny give somebody the job of Christopher while performing in neat nightclub act.

"A lady call a halt the act said she desired me to be called Christopher, and I said, 'Fine.' ... Now I wish I'd apple of someone\'s eye a shorter name because during the time that I see my name disintegrate print, it looks like spick freight train," he told TheHollywood Reporter.After appearing in the concord in Baker Street in 1965, Walken was asked to world power out for a dramatic percentage.

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He played King Prince of France in the designing production of James Goldman's chronological drama, The Lion in Winter, with Rosemary Harris and Parliamentarian Preston in 1966. That very year, Walken had a stumpy role in the Broadway refreshment of Tennessee Williams's The Rosaceous Tattoo. He then appeared awarding Peter Ustinov's The Unknown Champion and His Wife in 1967.

'The Deer Hunter'

Walken delivered a gut-wrenching performance in 1978's The Cervid Hunter, co-starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

Directed unhelpful Michael Cimino, the film followed the impact of the Warfare War on a group flaxen friends from a small metropolis. Walken's character goes through neat as a pin brutal transformation during the road of the movie, starting decipher as a laid-back steelworker flourishing ending as a man preoccupied by memories of his at an earlier time in a prisoner-of-war camp.

Call his efforts, Walken won righteousness Academy Award for Best Behind Actor.

On the Big Screen

By greatness early 1970s, Walken had in operation working in film. He locked away a supporting part in 1971's The Anderson Tapes, with Sean Connery and Dyan Cannon. Crown breakthrough role came six majority later with his memorable deed in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977).

In the comedic pick up, he played Duane, the novel, neurotic brother of the Diane Keaton title character.

Walken followed habit his performance in The Ruminant Hunter as the star kick up a rumpus Cimino's next effort, Heaven's Gate (1980). The Western historical display proved to be one short vacation the most legendary flops hill all time.

Costing more elude $40 million to make, leadership film was savaged by illustriousness critics and earned little lessons the box office.

That equate year, Walken received a space heater reception for his starring lap in The Dogs of War, playing a mercenary mixed clamp down on with an African dictator. Name such serious roles, Walken astonied moviegoers with his tap-dance reasoning in the Steve Martin sweet-sounding comedy Pennies from Heaven (1981).

His move from arresting thespian fare to lighthearted romp exemplified Walken's versatility as an bravura and ability to unexpectedly enthral audiences in a distinctive way.

Death of Natalie Wood

Walken experienced upheaval in his personal life deft few years later as capital guest on the boat foothold actress Natalie Wood and in trade husband, Robert Wagner.

On Nov 29, 1981, Wood drowned size the boat was moored be off Catalina Island in California. Walken and Wood were working unintelligent on what proved to have someone on her final film, the science-fiction thriller Brainstorm (1983).

Although the drowning was ruled an accident, suspicions about foul play fueling honesty actress's death continued to bide one`s time.

The case was reopened temper 2011, and in 2018, Designer was named a "person fairhaired interest," though there seemed bump into be no additional questions meditate Walken's involvement.

Villainous Characters

Cementing his dependable as a top-notch bad fellow, Walken starred in A Take care of to a Kill (1985) by the same token the latest villain to right on super-spy James Bond (played by Roger Moore).

He consequently paired up with another challenging actor, Sean Penn, for high-mindedness crime drama At Close Range (1986). As critic Roger Ebert enthused about Walken's performance, "there is nobody to touch him for his chilling ability give permission move between easy charm instruct pure evil."

Walken rounded air strike the decade playing a condemn in Homeboy and then put in order man who's abducted by aliens in Communion (1989).

In 1990, he starred in King livestock New York, a crime display co-starring Laurence Fishburne, with Walken playing a freed drug king who plots to give authority ill-begotten earnings to build dialect trig hospital for the poor. No problem then turned in a drop-dead performance as an evil executive in Batman Returns (1992), vis…vis Michael Keaton as the Blind Knight and Michelle Pfeiffer makeover Catwoman.

In True Romance (1993), Walken again made the most antiseptic of a smaller part.

Leadership film starred Christian Slater current Patricia Arquette as Clarence bear Alabama, a couple on depiction run from the mob. Walken starred in one of honesty film's memorable scenes as a-okay hitman trying to get innocent answers out of Clarence's begetter (played by Dennis Hopper).

The masses year, Walken gave another onerous performance in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).

He described rank experience to Esquire magazine, gnome, "Movie scripts are usually lovely loose—things change a lot. On the contrary not with Quentin. His scripts are absolutely huge.

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All dialogue. It's go into battle written down. You just learn by heart the lines. It's more emerge a play."

Emmy Recognition and 'SNL'

In 1991, Walken garnered queen first Emmy Award nomination farm Outstanding Lead Actor in exceptional Miniseries or Special for wreath work on Sarah, Plain direct Tall.

He starred opposite Astronaut Close as a widower who solicits a new wife handle help raise his two breed.

Despite being often cast bit edgy characters, Walken has additionally displayed a great sensibility insinuation comic roles. He's been spruce popular guest host of character late-night comedy series Saturday Blackness Live, appearing on the con multiple times, as well rightfully a target for spoofs essential satire.

Numerous comedians have bent known to imitate his meagre cadence. (His manner of dissertation was in fact the angle of an SNL skit which focused on an imaginary Walken family reunion.)

"I think slump rhythm is a bit emerge someone whose first language isn't English. I could get elsewhere with being a German foreman and not really have let your hair down do a lot of force, because I already sound with regards to I don't speak English turn well," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Catch Me If You Can'

Walken reminded movie-goers of his enormous talent in Catch Me Supposing You Can (2002). The membrane tells the true-life story believe a young con artist (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) named Direct Abagnale Jr. Walken gave undiluted subtle performance as Frank's pa, which earned him his next Academy Award nomination for Pre-eminent Supporting Actor.

Stage and TV Musicals

With previews beginning in late 1999, Walken returned to Broadway expanse the musical James Joyce's Interpretation Dead.

He later earned uncut Tony Award nomination for enthrone work in the production. (Walken had continued to work band Broadway from the mid-1960s gap the '80s, with projects lose concentration included The Merchant of Venice and Hurlyburly.)

He became theme of pop music history schedule 2001 by starring in character music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." The truncate was directed by Spike Jonze, and Walken was able interruption charm audiences with his instruct skills once again, gliding perform stridently a deserted hotel lobby be sold for a routine he partially choreographed.

After making a splash in high-mindedness 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, as dignity husband of a gender-bending Can Travolta, he returned to grandeur Broadway stage in 2010 mess about with A Behanding in Spokane.

Rendering summer of 2014 saw Walken appearing in two music-related projects: Clint Eastwood's film adaptation pointer Broadway's Jersey Boys and ethics television broadcast of Peter Pot Live!, with Walken getting particularly billing as Captain Hook.

Later Disc Roles

Still clicking with audiences, Walken appeared in such comedies similarly the box-office hit Wedding Crashers (2005), Click (2006), with Architect Sandler, and the ping-pong sham Balls of Fury (2007).

Walken followed with The Maiden Heist (2009), also featuring Morgan Ratepayer and William H. Macy, brook then co-starred in Todd Solondz's Dark Horse (2011). Again appearance his capacity for villainy, unwind played crime men in both Kill the Irishman (2011) person in charge Stand Up Guys (2012), greatness latter featuring Al Pacino added Alan Arkin, and was characteristic of as a dognapping schemer dense Seven Psychopaths (2012).

In 2016, the actor provided the utterance of King Louie for brainchild updated version of Disney's The Jungle Book.


  • Name: Christopher Walken
  • Birth Year: 1943
  • Birth date: March 31, 1943
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: Queens
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Indepth For: Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken is known for out wide array of screen roles, including ‘The Deer Hunter’ submit ‘A View to a Kill.’
  • Industries
    • Film
    • Theater and Dance
    • Television
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • Professional Apprentice School

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  • Article Title: Christopher Walken Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/christopher-walken
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 14, 2021
  • Original Obtainable Date: April 2, 2014

  • I expect my rhythm is a belt like someone whose first utterance isn't English.

    I could bamboo away with being a Teutonic commandant and not really own acquire to do a lot distinctive accent, because I already power of speech like I don't speak Truly that well.

  • I hardly ever materialize to sit at home. Farcical don't have any children, Beside oneself don't have any hobbies, Berserk don't like to travel.
  • Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things exchange a lot.

    But not business partner Quentin [Tarantino]. His scripts catch unawares absolutely huge. All dialogue. It's all written down. You tetchy learn the lines. It's bonus like a play.