87 Facts About Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken was born on Ronald Walken; March 31,1943 and is an American actor.

Christopher Walken's films have grossed more than $1.6 billion in the United States alone.

Christopher Walken's performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Christopher Walken was nominated for the same award for portraying con artist Frank Abagnale's father in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can.

Christopher Walken has provided voice work for the animated films Antz and The Jungle Book.

Christopher Walken has played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus.

Christopher Walken was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane.

Christopher Walken wrote and played the lead role in the 1995 play Him, about his idol Elvis Presley.

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

Christopher Walken's parents were Rosalie Russell, a Scottish immigrant from Glasgow, and Paul Walken, a German immigrant from Gelsenkirchen who owned and operated Walken's Bakery in Astoria.

Christopher Walken attended Hofstra University but dropped out after one year, having been cast in the role of Clayton Dutch Miller in an off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward alongside Liza Minnelli.

Christopher Walken initially trained as a dancer at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to dramatic stage roles and then film.

Christopher Walken landed a regular role in the 1953 television show Wonderful John Acton, playing the part of Kevin Acton.

In 1964, he changed his first name to Christopher at the suggestion of Monique van Vooren, who had a nightclub act in which Walken was a dancer.

Christopher Walken believed the name suited him better than nickname Ronnie, which he was credited as until then.

Christopher Walken prefers to be known as Chris instead of Christopher.

In 1966, Christopher Walken played the role of King Philip of France in the Broadway premiere of The Lion in Winter.

Christopher Walken appeared in the made-for-TV movies Barefoot in Athens and The Three Musketeers, and made his feature film debut in Me and My Brother, a low-budget production that featured Sam Shepard.

In 1970, Christopher Walken guest starred as Navy SP Walt Kramer in Hawaii Five-O season 2 episode 17, "Run, Johnny, Run".

Christopher Walken starred in the Off-Broadway production of Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky opposite Charles Durning and Bonnie Bartlett.

Later that year Christopher Walken received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance.

In Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall, Christopher Walken played the borderline crazy brother of Annie Hall.

Also in 1977, Christopher Walken had a minor role as Eli Wallach's partner in The Sentinel.

In 1977, Christopher Walken guest-starred in an episode of Kojak as Ben Wiley, a robber.

Christopher Walken won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Michael Cimino's 1978 film The Deer Hunter.

Christopher Walken played a Pennsylvania steelworker who was emotionally destroyed by the Vietnam War.

Christopher Walken starred in the 1981 action adventure The Dogs of War, directed by John Irvin.

Christopher Walken then played schoolteacher-turned-psychic Johnny Smith in David Cronenberg's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone.

That same year, Christopher Walken starred in Brainstorm alongside Natalie Wood and his wife, Georgianne.

In 1985, Christopher Walken played a James Bond villain, Max Zorin, in A View to a Kill, Roger Moore's last appearance as Bond.

Christopher Walken dyed his hair blond to befit Zorin's origins as a Nazi experiment.

Christopher Walken played the leading role of Whitley Strieber in 1989's Communion, an autobiographical film written by Strieber.

That same year, Christopher Walken appeared in the film Homeboy, which was written by and featured Mickey Rourke in the titular role.

In 1991, Christopher Walken starred in Sarah, Plain and Tall as Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer.

In 1992, Christopher Walken played villain millionaire industrialist Max Shreck in Batman Returns.

Christopher Walken later had a supporting role in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction as a Vietnam veteran named Captain Koons.

Later in 1994, Christopher Walken starred in A Business Affair, a rare leading role for him in a romantic comedy.

Christopher Walken manages to feature his trademark dancing scene as he performs the tango.

Christopher Walken appeared in Nick of Time, which starred Johnny Depp, and an arthouse film by David Salle titled Search and Destroy.

Also in 1995, Christopher Walken acted in Him, the first play written by Christopher Walken, and about his idol Elvis in the afterlife, featured in the New York Shakespeare Festival.

In 1996 Christopher Walken appeared in the Italian film Celluloide as US Officer Rod Geiger and played the role of Ray in the Abel Ferrara crime-drama film The Funeral.

In 1997, Christopher Walken starred in the comedy films Touch and Excess Baggage and had a minor role in the film Mouse Hunt.

In 1998, Christopher Walken played an influential gay New York theater critic in John Turturro's film Illuminata.

Christopher Walken appeared in Kiss Toledo Goodbye with Michael Rapaport and Nancy Allen.

In 2000, Christopher Walken was cast as the lead, along with Blair Brown, in James Joyce's The Dead on Broadway.

Christopher Walken had a music video performance in 2001 with Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice".

Also in 2001, Christopher Walken played a gangster who was in the witness protection program in the David Spade comedy Joe Dirt and an eccentric film director in America's Sweethearts.

Also in 2001, Christopher Walken played Lieutenant Macduff in Scotland, PA, a loose film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

In 2002 Christopher Walken played Mike in the film Poolhall Junkies and played Frank Abagnale Sr.

Christopher Walken's portrayal earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Christopher Walken had a part in the 2003 action comedy film The Rundown, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Seann William Scott, in which he plays a ruthless despot.

Christopher Walken was nominated for a Razzie in 2002's The Country Bears and in two 2003 films, Gigli and Kangaroo Jack.

Christopher Walken starred in Barry Levinson's Envy, in which he plays J-Man, a crazy guy who helps Ben Stiller's character and in his starring role in 2004's Around the Bend he again has a dancing scene as he portrays an absentee father who has fled prison to reunite with his father, his son and the grandson he never knew before dying.

Christopher Walken co-starred in the 2007 film adaptation Hairspray, wherein he is seen singing and dancing in a romantic duet with John Travolta and portrayed the eccentric but cruel crime lord and Ping-Pong enthusiast Feng in the 2007 comedy action film Balls of Fury opposite Dan Fogler.

Christopher Walken was in the film Five Dollars a Day, in which he plays a con man proud of living like a king on $5 a day.

Christopher Walken portrayed Frank Kincaid, the fictional CEO of "Disaster Studios" who encouraged guests to be extras in his latest film.

Christopher Walken returned to Broadway in Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane in 2010 and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.

Christopher Walken had a small voice role in NBC sitcom 30 Rock, in the "Audition Day" episode.

In 2012, Christopher Walken reunited with McDonagh for the British-American crime comedy film Seven Psychopaths and played the founder and leader of a string quartet in A Late Quartet.

Christopher Walken costarred with Al Pacino and Alan Arkin in the film Stand Up Guys, a story about aging gangsters out on the town for one last hoorah.

In 2012, Christopher Walken was selected as a "GQ" Man of the Year.

Christopher Walken appears as Gyp DeCarlo in the 2014 film Jersey Boys.

Christopher Walken recorded a cover of Louie's song "I Wan'na Be Like You", which he sings in the film as well as on the soundtrack.

In 2017, Christopher Walken replaced Bill Irwin in the role of Walter Tinkler in the critically panned Father Figures.

Christopher Walken next portrayed Emperor Shaddam IV in the 2024 film, Dune: Part Two.

Christopher Walken is known for his versatility and was named as one of Empire magazine's "Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".

Christopher Walken is noted for refusing film roles only rarely, having stated in interviews that he will decline a role only if he is too busy to accept.

The role was then given to Christopher Walken's New Rose Hotel co-star Willem Dafoe.

Christopher Walken has hosted the comedy sketch and satire TV series Saturday Night Live seven times.

One of Christopher Walken's SNL performances was a spoof of Behind the Music, featuring a recording session of Blue Oyster Cult's " the Reaper".

Christopher Walken appeared in one of Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch's "The Luvahs" skits.

Christopher Walken's character brought a lady friend to meet The Luvahs and she is subjected to learning the history that Walken's character shares with The Luvahs.

Christopher Walken spoofed his starring role from The Dead Zone in a sketch titled "Ed Glosser: Trivial Psychic".

Christopher Walken's lair was still under construction; his henchmen had jump suits that didn't fit; and his shark tank lacked sharks, having a giant sea sponge instead.

Christopher Walken performed a song and dance rendition of the Irving Berlin standard, "Let's Face the Music and Dance".

Finally, there was the "Colonel Angus" sketch, laden with ribald double entendres, in which Christopher Walken played a dishonored Confederate officer.

Until 2003, Christopher Walken had a recurring SNL sketch called "The Continental", in which Christopher Walken played a "suave ladies' man" who in reality cannot do anything to keep a woman from giving him the cold shoulder.

The April 5,2008 Saturday Night Live show was the first time an episode hosted by Christopher Walken did not have a "Continental" sketch or a monologue in which he sang and danced.

Christopher Walken returned to the show for the first time in 15 years on October 28,2023, in a cameo role as the "Spirit of Halloween" in which he gave advice to President Joe Biden.

Christopher Walken introduced the musical guest Foo Fighters instead of host Nate Bargatze.

Foo Fighters were the musical guest during his 2003 episode, during which Dave Grohl pranked Christopher Walken into speaking with the emphasis on "Fighters" instead of "Foo".

Clips of the introduction later became an internet meme and Christopher Walken pronounced the band's name correctly in 2023.

Christopher Walken became the subject of a hoax controversy in 2006, when a fake website started in August of that year by members of Internet forum Genmay.

Some believed it was authentic, until Christopher Walken's publicist dismissed the claims.

In 1963, Christopher Walken met Georgianne Thon during a tour of West Side Story.

The couple have no children, and Christopher Walken has stated in interviews that not having children is one of the reasons that he has had such a prolific career.

On November 29,1981, Christopher Walken was with Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner on Wagner's yacht the night Wood went missing and ultimately was found dead by drowning.