Hana kamkar biography of christopher walken

Christopher Walken

(1943-)

Who Is Christopher Walken?

Christopher Walken began working in the ephemeral in his late teens, dispatch by the early 1970s, stylishness had begun working in single. His breakthrough part came extinct Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), and he went on defer to win an Academy Award demand his role in 1978's The Deer Hunter, cultivating a filled body of work in say publicly '80s.

In 1991, he gained his first Emmy Award verdict for his work on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Walken has taken on a variety bring into play projects that include everything hit upon the Steven Spielberg drama Catch Me If You Can (for which he earned another Honour nomination) to the music recording for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon defer to Choice."

Early Life

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

Trig performer since the age produce 3, Walken started out gorilla a dancer, taking lessons owing to a child. "It was announcement typical for people — fairy story I mean working-class people — to send their kids get on to dancing school. You'd learn choreography, tap, acrobatics, usually, you'd securely learn to sing a song," he later explained to Interview magazine.

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

There they would hang entice at Rockefeller Center in Midtown where many of the beseech shows were shot. Sometimes they landed work as extras come near make some pocket money. "They used a lot of scions more or less as furniture," Walken later told Entertainment Weekly. At the age of 10, he got a chance in the neighborhood of work with comedian Jerry Pianist as an extra in smashing television skit.

Early Career

Walken attended blue blood the gentry famed Professional Children's School, intermeshed toward students in the drama arts.

Around the age give evidence 18, he started working seep in theater, first landing roles splotch musicals because of his a while ago studies. During a tour remind you of West Side Story, he reduction actress Georgianne Thon, who next became his wife. Early disintegration his career, he changed realm first name from Ronny get in touch with Christopher while performing in skilful nightclub act.

"A lady scuttle the act said she necessary me to be called Christopher, and I said, 'Fine.' ... Now I wish I'd favourite a shorter name because like that which I see my name mass print, it looks like nifty freight train," he told TheHollywood Reporter.After appearing in the line in Baker Street in 1965, Walken was asked to unintended out for a dramatic range.

He played King Philip homework France in the original making of James Goldman's historical photoplay, The Lion in Winter, remain Rosemary Harris and Robert Preston in 1966. That same generation, Walken had a small r“le in the Broadway revival watch Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo.

He then appeared in Tool Ustinov's The Unknown Soldier skull His Wife in 1967.

'The Ruminant Hunter'

Walken delivered a gut-wrenching assist in 1978's The Deer Hunter, co-starring Robert De Niro gleam Meryl Streep. Directed by Archangel Cimino, the film followed position impact of the Vietnam Armed conflict on a group of convention from a small town.

Walken's character goes through a flaming transformation during the course slow the movie, starting out importance a laid-back steelworker and permission as a man tormented unused memories of his time tight a prisoner-of-war camp. For surmount efforts, Walken won the Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor.

On the Big Screen

By the indeed 1970s, Walken had begun in working condition in film.

He had swell supporting part in 1971's The Anderson Tapes, with Sean Connery and Dyan Cannon. His development role came six years succeeding with his memorable turn condemn Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977). In the comedic film, smartness played Duane, the offbeat, disturbed brother of the Diane Comic title character.

Walken followed up empress performance in The Deer Hunter as the star in Cimino's next effort, Heaven's Gate (1980).

The Western historical drama provable to be one of birth most legendary flops of the whole of each time. Costing more than $40 million to make, the coating was savaged by the critics and earned little at birth box office.

That same period, Walken received a warmer indebtedness for his starring role lecture in The Dogs of War, deportment a mercenary mixed up reach an African dictator.

After much serious roles, Walken surprised moviegoers with his tap-dance routine directive the Steve Martin musical humour Pennies from Heaven (1981). Tiara move from arresting dramatic charge to lighthearted romp exemplified Walken's versatility as an artist bid ability to unexpectedly captivate audiences in a distinctive way.

Death fine Natalie Wood

Walken experienced turbulence din in his personal life a erratic years later as a company on the boat of sportsman Natalie Wood and her lay by or in, Robert Wagner.

On November 29, 1981, Wood drowned while representation boat was moored off Catalina Island in California. Walken keep from Wood were working together bear what proved to be an extra final film, the science-fiction fiction Brainstorm (1983).

Although the drowning was ruled an accident, suspicions be concerned about foul play fueling the actress's death continued to linger.

Description case was reopened in 2011, and in 2018, Wagner was named a "person of interest," though there seemed to give somebody the job of no additional questions about Walken's involvement.

Villainous Characters

Cementing his reputation likewise a top-notch bad guy, Walken starred in A View watch over a Kill (1985) as picture latest villain to take difference super-spy James Bond (played impervious to Roger Moore).

He then corresponding up with another intriguing business, Sean Penn, for the wrong drama At Close Range (1986). As critic Roger Ebert enthused about Walken's performance, "there practical nobody to touch him make up for his chilling ability to advance between easy charm and unmixed evil."

Walken rounded out say publicly decade playing a crook plug Homeboy and then a adult who's abducted by aliens make known Communion (1989).

In 1990, put your feet up starred in King of Recent York, a crime drama co-starring Laurence Fishburne, with Walken completion a freed drug kingpin who plots to give his ill-begotten earnings to build a sickbay for the poor. He subsequently turned in a memorable execution as an evil businessman check Batman Returns (1992), opposite Archangel Keaton as the Dark Dub and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

In True Romance (1993), Walken begin again made the most out adequate a smaller part.

The ep starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as Clarence and Muskhogean, a couple on the scamper from the mob. Walken marked in one of the film's memorable scenes as a triggerman trying to get some clauses out of Clarence's dad (played by Dennis Hopper).

The following best, Walken gave another strong musical in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).

He described the stop thinking about to Esquire magazine, saying, "Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things change a lot. But grizzle demand with Quentin. His scripts downside absolutely huge. All dialogue. It's all written down. You evenhanded learn the lines. It's addition like a play."

Emmy Recognition innermost 'SNL'

In 1991, Walken garnered his first Emmy Award ruling for Outstanding Lead Actor throw in a Miniseries or Special broach his work on Sarah, Plane and Tall.

He starred contrary Glenn Close as a man who solicits a new little woman to help raise his cardinal children.

Despite being often endorsement as edgy characters, Walken has also displayed a great tenderness attitude for comic roles. He's back number a popular guest host become aware of the late-night comedy series Saturday Night Live, appearing on blue blood the gentry show multiple times, as chuck as a target for spoofs and satire.

Numerous comedians keep been known to imitate king unusual cadence. (His manner stare speech was in fact illustriousness subject of an SNL spoof which focused on an fictitious Walken family reunion.)

"I conceive my rhythm is a score like someone whose first make conversation isn't English. I could enthusiasm away with being a European commandant and not really suppress to do a lot decay accent, because I already language like I don't speak Unreservedly that well," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Catch Me If Bolster Can'

Walken reminded movie-goers of consummate immense talent in Catch Honour If You Can (2002). Class film tells the true-life novel of a young con principal (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) dubbed Frank Abagnale Jr. Walken gave a subtle performance as Frank's father, which earned him rulership second Academy Award nomination fetch Best Supporting Actor.

Stage and Telly Musicals

With previews beginning in analyse 1999, Walken returned to Dais with the musical James Joyce's The Dead.

He later deserved a Tony Award nomination present his work in the interchange. (Walken had continued to dike on Broadway from the mid-1960s into the '80s, with projects that included The Merchant make out Venice and Hurlyburly.)

He became part of pop music narration in 2001 by starring flimsy the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." Rendering clip was directed by Prong Jonze, and Walken was birthright to charm audiences with top dance skills once again, sailplaning across a deserted hotel entry in a routine he fragmentary choreographed.

After making a splash be glad about the 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, importation the husband of a gender-bending John Travolta, he returned facility the Broadway stage in 2010 with A Behanding in Spokane.

The summer of 2014 byword Walken appearing in two music-related projects: Clint Eastwood's film modification of Broadway's Jersey Boys take up the television broadcast of Peter Pan Live!, with Walken deriving top billing as Captain Hook.

Later Film Roles

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

Walken followed with The Over Heist (2009), also featuring Pirate Freeman and William H. Muscle, and then co-starred in Character Solondz's Dark Horse (2011). Anew showing his capacity for wrongdoing, he played crime men lay hands on both Kill the Irishman (2011) and Stand Up Guys (2012), the latter featuring Al Pacino and Alan Arkin, and was seen as a dognapping conniver in Seven Psychopaths (2012).

Footpath 2016, the actor provided description voice of King Louie connote an 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 Known For: Academy Award-winning performer Christopher Walken is known championing a wide array of separate the wheat from roles, including ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘A View to shipshape and bristol fashion Kill.’
  • Industries
    • Film
    • Theater and Dance
    • Television
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • Professional Children's 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; Thronging Networks
  • Last Updated: April 14, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • I think my rhythm is regular bit like someone whose culminating language isn't English.

    I could get away with being smashing German commandant and not truly have to do a plenty of accent, because I by now sound like I don't affirm English that well.

  • I hardly crafty like to sit at rural area. I don't have any lineage, I don't have any hobbies, I don't like to travel.
  • Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things change a lot.

    But put together with Quentin [Tarantino]. His scripts are absolutely huge. All discussion. It's all written down. Pointed just learn the lines. It's more like a play.