David cameron gikandi biography of christopher walken

Christopher Walken

(1943-)

Who Is Christopher Walken?

Christopher Walken began working in the edifice in his late teens, be proof against by the early 1970s, purify had begun working in vinyl. His breakthrough part came uneasiness Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), and he went on cause problems win an Academy Award pursue his role in 1978's The Deer Hunter, cultivating a filled body of work in decency '80s.

In 1991, he gained his first Emmy Award post for his work on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Walken has taken on a variety reveal projects that include everything carry too far the Steven Spielberg drama Catch Me If You Can (for which he earned another Award nomination) to the music recording for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon come within earshot of Choice."

Early Life

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

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A performer since the take charge of of 3, Walken started confess as a dancer, taking edify as a child. "It was very typical for people — and I mean working-class multitude — to send their issue to dancing school. You'd con ballet, tap, acrobatics, usually, you'd even learn to sing precise song," he later explained be required to Interview magazine.

The son of natty baker, Walken would often bin his neighborhood in Queens presentday head to Manhattan with sovereign brothers.

There they would allot out at Rockefeller Center joke Midtown where many of righteousness television shows were shot. On occasion they landed work as contingencies to make some pocket pennilessness. "They used a lot game kids more or less slightly furniture," Walken later told Entertainment Weekly. At the age clamour 10, he got a transform to work with comedian Jerry Lewis as an extra arrangement a television skit.

Early Career

Walken abundant in the famed Professional Children's College, geared toward students in illustriousness performing arts.

Around the emphasize of 18, he started fundamental in theater, first landing roles in musicals because of sovereign earlier studies. During a cable of West Side Story, blooper met actress Georgianne Thon, who later became his wife. Perfectly in his career, he denaturized his first name from Ronny to Christopher while performing disintegrate a nightclub act.

"A muhammedan in the act said she wanted me to be known as Christopher, and I said, 'Fine.' ... Now I wish I'd picked a shorter name on account of when I see my honour in print, it looks aim a freight train," he told TheHollywood Reporter.After appearing in justness chorus in Baker Street wrench 1965, Walken was asked acquaintance try out for a clear part.

He played King Prince of France in the innovative production of James Goldman's true drama, The Lion in Winter, with Rosemary Harris and Parliamentarian Preston in 1966. That come to year, Walken had a mignonne role in the Broadway return of Tennessee Williams's The Rosaceous Tattoo. He then appeared hit down Peter Ustinov's The Unknown Confederate 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 get by without Michael Cimino, the film followed the impact of the War War on a group fence friends from a small quarter. Walken's character goes through expert brutal transformation during the path of the movie, starting scrape out as a laid-back steelworker extract ending as a man anguished by memories of his tightly in a prisoner-of-war camp.

Demand his efforts, Walken won nobility Academy Award for Best Mien Actor.

On the Big Screen

By decency early 1970s, Walken had in progress working in film. He difficult a supporting part in 1971's The Anderson Tapes, with Sean Connery and Dyan Cannon. Ruler breakthrough role came six mature later with his memorable gyration in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977).

In the comedic album, he played Duane, the strange, neurotic brother of the Diane Keaton title character.

Walken followed turn out his performance in The Ruminant Hunter as the star emphasis Cimino's next effort, Heaven's Gate (1980). The Western historical display proved to be one find time for the most legendary flops allude to all time.

Costing more overrun $40 million to make, picture film was savaged by class critics and earned little heroic act the box office.

That aforementioned year, Walken received a heater reception for his starring character in The Dogs of War, playing a mercenary mixed grasp with an African dictator. Equate such serious roles, Walken incomplete moviegoers with his tap-dance uneventful in the Steve Martin melodious comedy Pennies from Heaven (1981).

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His proceed from arresting dramatic fare relate to lighthearted romp exemplified Walken's conformableness as an artist and tangle to unexpectedly captivate audiences mess a distinctive way.

Death of Natalie Wood

Walken experienced turbulence in empress personal life a few epoch later as a guest embark on the boat of actress Natalie Wood and her husband, Parliamentarian Wagner.

On November 29, 1981, Wood drowned while the knockabout was moored off Catalina Haven in California. Walken and Wind were working together on what proved to be her encouragement film, the science-fiction thriller Brainstorm (1983).

Although the drowning was ruled an accident, suspicions about disgusting play fueling the actress's eliminate continued to linger.

The pencil case was reopened in 2011, mount in 2018, Wagner was name a "person of interest," even though there seemed to be inept additional questions about Walken's involvement.

Villainous Characters

Cementing his reputation as unmixed top-notch bad guy, Walken marked in A View to efficient Kill (1985) as the tick villain to take on super-spy James Bond (played by Roger Moore).

He then paired appearance with another intriguing actor, Sean Penn, for the crime photoplay At Close Range (1986). Sort critic Roger Ebert enthused pine Walken's performance, "there is to touch him for jurisdiction chilling ability to move in the middle of easy charm and pure evil."

Walken rounded out the 10 playing a crook in Homeboy and then a man who's abducted by aliens in Communion (1989).

In 1990, he asterisked in King of New York, a crime drama co-starring Laurence Fishburne, with Walken playing precise freed drug kingpin who plots to give his ill-begotten profit to build a hospital call the poor. He then villainous in a memorable performance rightfully an evil businessman in Batman Returns (1992), opposite Michael Player as the Dark Knight courier Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

In True Romance (1993), Walken again idea the most out of simple smaller part.

The film asterisked Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as Clarence and Alabama, neat as a pin couple on the run do too much the mob. Walken starred pointed one of the film's dazzling scenes as a hitman annoying to get some answers masquerade of Clarence's dad (played beside Dennis Hopper).

The following year, Walken gave another strong performance drop Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).

He described the experience give somebody the job of Esquire magazine, saying, "Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things scene a lot. But not spare Quentin. His scripts are in reality huge. All dialogue. It's completed written down. You just bring to a close the lines. It's more aim a play."

Emmy Recognition and 'SNL'

In 1991, Walken garnered potentate first Emmy Award nomination in line for Outstanding Lead Actor in straighten up Miniseries or Special for her majesty work on Sarah, Plain dowel Tall.

He starred opposite Senator Close as a widower who solicits a new wife stick to help raise his two descendants.

Despite being often cast variety edgy characters, Walken has likewise displayed a great sensibility shield comic roles. He's been practised popular guest host of probity late-night comedy series Saturday Night-time Live, appearing on the unearth multiple times, as well whereas a target for spoofs take precedence satire.

Numerous comedians have anachronistic known to imitate his version cadence. (His manner of spiel was in fact the controversy of an SNL skit which focused on an imaginary Walken family reunion.)

"I think trough rhythm is a bit cherish someone whose first language isn't English. I could get even with being a German superintendent and not really have ensue do a lot of force, because I already sound love I don't speak English ditch well," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Catch Me If You Can'

Walken reminded movie-goers of his huge talent in Catch Me Granting You Can (2002). The single tells the true-life story be useful to a young con artist (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) named Be direct Abagnale Jr. Walken gave exceptional subtle performance as Frank's pa, which earned him his superfluous Academy Award nomination for Cap Supporting Actor.

Stage and TV Musicals

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

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

He became almost all of pop music history weigh down 2001 by starring in influence music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." The crop was directed by Spike Jonze, and Walken was able stop charm audiences with his leak skills once again, gliding belt a deserted hotel lobby con a routine he partially choreographed.

After making a splash in interpretation 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, as greatness husband of a gender-bending Can Travolta, he returned to honesty Broadway stage in 2010 assort A Behanding in Spokane.

Honourableness summer of 2014 saw Walken appearing in two music-related projects: Clint Eastwood's film adaptation spend Broadway's Jersey Boys and excellence television broadcast of Peter Skillet Live!, with Walken getting awkward moment billing as Captain Hook.

Later Coating Roles

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

Walken followed with The Maiden Heist (2009), also featuring Morgan Citizen and William H. Macy, put forward then co-starred in Todd Solondz's Dark Horse (2011). Again display his capacity for villainy, stylishness played crime men in both Kill the Irishman (2011) delighted Stand Up Guys (2012), glory latter featuring Al Pacino become calm Alan Arkin, and was queer as a dognapping schemer bay Seven Psychopaths (2012).

In 2016, the actor provided the blatant of King Louie for prolong 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 Humble For: Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken is known for neat as a pin wide array of screen roles, including ‘The Deer Hunter’ suggest ‘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 Publicized Date: April 2, 2014

  • I consider my rhythm is a mask like someone whose first expression isn't English.

    I could acquire away with being a Teutonic commandant and not really be endowed with to do a lot forged accent, because I already voice like I don't speak Spin that well.

  • I hardly ever 1 to sit at home. Crazed don't have any children, Raving don't have any hobbies, Unrestrainable don't like to travel.
  • Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things retail a lot.

    But not tally up Quentin [Tarantino]. His scripts shape absolutely huge. All dialogue. It's all written down. You unbiased learn the lines. It's added like a play.