Native of Queens, Christopher Walken gained fame with his unforgettable plays in leading and supporting roles. During his more than 60 years of work, he demonstrated the ability to convincingly portray different types of characters, whether it was desperados or villains. Walken is particularly known for his role as an Italian-American mobster. Read more about the star and his most notable movies at queenski.com.
Early Years
Ronald Walken (his real name) was born on March 31, 1943, in Queens, to the family of a bakery owner. At the age of 15, he saw a photo of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, in a magazine. Walken changed his hairstyle to look like the legendary musician. However, the New Yorker was far from the show business world at that time. As a teenager, he worked as a lion tamer in a circus.
After studying for a year at Hofstra University, he was offered a role in the musical Best Foot Forward. The young actor honed his dancing skills at the Washington Dance Studio and then switched to dramatic stage roles and films. At a young age, Walken appeared as an extra in numerous television shows.
More than 100 roles
Walken finally decided to become an actor after playing in The Colgate Comedy Hour. It was a comedy-musical series featuring famous comedians and artists of the time. In 1953, he starred in the TV show Wonderful John Acton. In 1964, the actor adopted the stage name Christopher Walken.
In 1971, he appeared in the movie The Anderson Tapes. This was a major crime film with Sean Connery in the lead role to depict electronic surveillance, from security cameras in public places to hidden recording devices.
Overall, Walken’s playing is characterized by sudden pauses and a strange speech rhythm. His unpredictable emotions make him highly valuable in the comedy genre as well. In many interviews, the actor mentioned that he considers every film part as a learning experience. He was used to giving his all to his work and never accepted a role if he was too busy with other projects. Christopher Walken has starred in over 100 films and TV shows.
The most famous films
The most famous films featuring Walken include (chronologically):
- Annie Hall is a 1977 feature film by Woody Allen that won four Oscars. The story follows divorced Jewish comedian Alvy Singer, who reflects on his relationship with his former love, Annie Hall, which ended as abruptly as his previous marriages. Although Walken had only about 4 minutes of screen time, he did a great job portraying a somewhat confused Annie Hall’s brother, Duane. Hollywood directors noticed the talented Walken due to his small part with silly dialogues and a poker face.
- The Deer Hunter is a 1978 war drama about the fate of three friends who served in the infantry during the Vietnam War. The movie is remembered for its creepy scenes of playing Russian roulette. Walken played one of the friends, while Robert De Niro and John Savage played the other two. The three heroes suffered physically, psychologically and spiritually as a result of the war. Walken’s character Nick, who used to be a partygoer, is an especially bright example of this. The stunning performance earned Christopher his first Oscar.
- The Dead Zone is a fantastic adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was released in 1983. It tells the story of literature teacher John Smith, who gets into a car accident. After five years in a coma, he acquires supernatural abilities, such as the gift of foreseeing disasters and predicting human fate. These unique superpowers of Smith attract the attention of the police and politicians. Walken played the main role of Smith.
- A View to a Kill is a 1985 spy film about James Bond. Bond (played by Roger Moore) confronts Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), who plans to destroy Silicon Valley in California. As a product of Nazi experiments, Zorin is brilliant but also sociopathic. The actor perfectly portrayed the character and even dyed his hair blonde to fit the ideal Aryan race look.
- King of New York is a 1990 criminal drama about gangster Frank White (played by Walken). After serving a prison sentence, White declares himself the king of New York and wants to take control of all drug trafficking in the city. The gangster promises to kill anyone who stands in his way. The city turns into an arena of bloody conflicts. Walken plays the role unfathomably ruthlessly, exactly as it should be. This part established the actor as a crime kingpin in New York.
- Batman Returns is a 1992 sequel to the famous film Batman of 1989. The plot revolves around a physically disabled boy born into a wealthy family. To get rid of the child, the parents throw him off a bridge. However, the boy survives and is raised by penguins. Thirty-three years later, the Penguin becomes Batman’s enemy and decides to seize power in Gotham City. Businessman Max Shreck helps him with this. Together, they kidnap the city mayor’s son. Walken played the role of Shreck.
- True Romance is a 1993 romantic thriller that tells the love story of Alabama, a girl of easy virtue, and Clarence, a comic book seller and a big fan of movies and Elvis Presley. After spending a night together, they fall in love with each other. Clarence tries to free his beloved from her pimp, but the conversation ends in a shootout, resulting in the death of the pimp and his bodyguard. The lovers head to California, where they are pursued by the mafia. Christopher played the character of Vincenzo Coccotti, who orders to track down and kill Clarence.
- The 1994 iconic film Pulp Fiction is one of Quentin Tarantino’s most famous works. The movie depicts two days in the lives of a group of American criminals. Their fates are oddly intertwined. Some of them die, others try to escape and some reconsider their lives. Walken appears in the movie for only 4 minutes in the role of Captain Koons. He explains how he kept a wristwatch belonging to a fallen soldier from the Vietnam War. This monologue scene epitomizes Walken’s comprehensive mastery and distinctive creativity.
- The Prophecy is a 1995 horror film starring Walken. The actor plays the archangel Gabriel, who arrives in a small town in Arizona with dark intentions. He is looking for the soul of a fallen US Army general to help end a thousand-year war.
- Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 detective drama by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the real-life events of the fraudster Frank Abagnale. Walken played the father of the main character (Leonardo DiCaprio). He is a controversial hero who leaves viewers wondering if he is a deceitful con artist or just a brave working-class man who provoked the IRS.
- Seven Psychopaths is a 2012 black comedy. Walken plays Hans Kieslowski, who and his partner abduct other people’s dogs to demand a ransom for them. The villains have a hard time after they encounter the dog of a local gangster. Walken’s character is ambiguous, as he is both very caring and thoughtful but also extremely indifferent to his own safety.
Personal life
In 1969, the actor married casting director Georgianne Thon. They met while working as dancers in the play West Side Story. Due to Christopher’s successful career, the couple decided not to have children.
In 2013, the actor told The Guardian newspaper that he probably would not have such a career if he had children. He said that the absence of kids allowed him to continue acting even when he was unemployed.