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Christopher Walken Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Christopher Walken facts for kids
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Christopher Walken
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Walken in 2008
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| Born |
Ronald Walken
March 31, 1943 Astoria, Queens, New York, U.S.
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| Residence | Wilton, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Ronnie Walken, Chris Walken |
| Alma mater | Hofstra University |
| Occupation | Actor, dancer |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Georgianne Thon (m. 1969)
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Ronald Walken (born March 31, 1943), known as Christopher Walken, is an American movie, television, and theatre actor. He is best known for playing evil or mentally damaged characters. He has sometimes used that image for comedic effect.
Walken is a skilled dancer who in many of his movies dances, because he requests it. He has has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows. Walken's films have grossed more than $1 billion in the United States.
Walken debuted as a film director and scriptwriter with the short film Popcorn Shrimp in 2001. He also wrote and acted the main role in a play about his idol Elvis Presley, titled Him, in 1995.
Walken has been guest host on Saturday Night Live many times. He has played many well known characters on that show.
He was born in Queens, New York to a German father and Scottish-born mother. Walken has been married to casting director Georgianne Walken since 1969.
Influenced by their mother's own dreams of stardom, he and his brothers, Kenneth and Glenn, were child actors on television in the 1950s. At age 15, when a girlfriend showed him a magazine photo of Elvis, Walken said, "This guy looked like a Greek god. Then I saw him on television. I loved everything about him." He changed his hairstyle to imitate Elvis and hasn't changed it since.
As a teenager, he worked as a lion tamer in a circus. Walken went to Hofstra University, but dropped out after one year, having gotten the role of Clayton Dutch Miller in an Off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward, co-starring with Liza Minnelli, who played Ethel Hofflinger.
Walken initially trained as a dancer in music theatre at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to dramatic roles in theatre and then film.
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 and who believed the name suited him better than Ronnie (a pet form of his given name, Ronald), which he was credited as until then. He prefers to be known informally as Chris instead of Christopher.
Described as "diverse and eccentric" and "one of the most respected actors of his generation", Walken has long established a cult following among film fans. He's known for his versatility and named as one of Empire magazine's "Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".
Filmography
Following his early (1950s) work in television and theater, Walken has acted primarily in films.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Barefoot in Athens | Lamprocles | George Schaefer | |
| 1969 | The Three Musketeers | John Felton | ||
| 1969 | Me and My Brother | The Director | Robert Frank | |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | The Kid | Sidney Lumet | |
| 1972 | The Happiness Cage | Pvt. James H. Reese | Bernard Girard | |
| 1975 | Valley Forge | The Hessian | Fielder Cook | |
| 1976 | Next Stop, Greenwich Village | Robert | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1977 | The Sentinel | Detective Rizzo | Michael Winner | |
| 1977 | Annie Hall | Duane Hall | Woody Allen | |
| 1977 | Roseland | Russel (The Hustle) | James Ivory | |
| 1978 | Shoot the Sun Down | Mr. Rainbow | David Leeds | |
| 1978 | The Deer Hunter | Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich | Michael Cimino | |
| 1979 | Last Embrace | Eckart | Jonathan Demme | |
| 1980 | Heaven's Gate | Nathan D. Champion | Michael Cimino | |
| 1980 | The Dogs of War | James "Jamie" Shannon | John Irvin | |
| 1981 | Pennies from Heaven | Tom | Herbert Ross | |
| 1982 | Who Am I This Time? | Harry Nash | Jonathan Demme | |
| 1983 | Brainstorm | Dr. Michael Anthony Brace | Douglas Trumbull | |
| 1983 | The Dead Zone | Johnny Smith | David Cronenberg | |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Max Zorin | John Glen | |
| 1986 | At Close Range | Brad Whitewood Sr. | James Foley | |
| 1987 | Deadline | Don Stevens | Nathaniel Gutman | |
| 1988 | The Milagro Beanfield War | Kyril Montana | Robert Redford | |
| 1988 | Biloxi Blues | Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey | Mike Nichols | |
| 1988 | Puss in Boots | Puss | Eugene Marner | |
| 1988 | Homeboy | Wesley Pendergass | Michael Seresin | |
| 1989 | Communion | Louis Whitley Strieber | Philippe Mora | |
| 1990 | King of New York | Frank White | Abel Ferrara | |
| 1990 | The Comfort of Strangers | Robert | Paul Schrader | |
| 1991 | Sarah, Plain and Tall | Jacob Witting | Glenn Jordan | |
| 1991 | McBain | Bobby McBain | James Glickenhaus | |
| 1992 | Mistress | Warren Zell | Barry Primus | |
| 1992 | Batman Returns | Max Shreck | Tim Burton | |
| 1992 | Day of Atonement | Pasco Meisner | Alexandre Arcady | |
| 1992 | All-American Murder | P.J. Decker | Anson Williams | |
| 1993 | Scam | Jack Shanks | John Flynn | |
| 1993 | Skylark | Jacob Witting | Glenn Jordan | |
| 1993 | True Romance | Vincenzo Coccotti | Tony Scott | |
| 1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Robert C. "Bobby" Cahn | Stephen Surjik | |
| 1994 | A Business Affair | Vanni Corso | Charlotte Brandstrom | |
| 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Captain Koons | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 1995 | Wild Side | Bruno Buckingham | Donald Cammell | |
| 1995 | Search and Destroy | Kim Ulander | David Salle | |
| 1995 | The Prophecy | Gabriel | Gregory Widen | |
| 1995 | The Addiction | Peina | Abel Ferrara | |
| 1995 | Nick of Time | Mr. Smith | John Badham | |
| 1995 | Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | The Man with the Plan | Gary Fleder | |
| 1996 | Last Man Standing | Hickey | Walter Hill | |
| 1996 | Celluloide | US Officer Rod Geiger | Carlo Lizzani | |
| 1996 | Basquiat | The Interviewer | Julian Schnabel | |
| 1996 | The Funeral | Raimundo Tempio | Abel Ferrara | |
| 1997 | Excess Baggage | Raymond "Ray" Perkins | Marco Brambilla | |
| 1997 | Suicide Kings | Carlo Bartolucci/Charlie Barret | Peter O'Fallon | |
| 1997 | MouseHunt | Caeser, the Exterminator | Gore Verbinski | |
| 1997 | Touch | Bill Hill | Paul Schrader | |
| 1998 | The Prophecy II | Gabriel | Greg Spence | |
| 1998 | Illuminata | Umberto Bevalaqua | John Turturro | |
| 1998 | New Rose Hotel | Fox | Abel Ferrara | |
| 1998 | Trance | Uncle Bill Ferriter | Michael Almereyda | |
| 1998 | Antz | Colonel Cutter (voice) | Eric Darnell | |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | The Hessian | Tim Burton | |
| 1999 | Kiss Toledo Goodbye | Max | Lyndon Chubbuck | |
| 1999 | Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End | Jacob Witting | Glenn Jordan | |
| 1999 | Vendetta | James Houston | Nicholas Meyer | |
| 1999 | Blast from the Past | Calvin Webber | Hugh Wilson | |
| 2000 | The Prophecy 3: The Ascent | Gabriel | Patrick Lussier | |
| 2000 | The Opportunists | Victor "Vic" Kelly | Myles Connell | |
| 2001 | Joe Dirt | Anthony Benedetti/Clem Doore/Gert B. Frobe | Dennie Gordon | |
| 2001 | The Affair of the Necklace | Alessandro Cagliostro | Charles Shyer | |
| 2001 | America's Sweethearts | Hal Weidmann | Joe Roth | |
| 2001 | Scotland, Pa. | Lieutenant McDuff | Billy Morrissette | |
| 2001 | Popcorn Shrimp | Writer, director | Christopher Walken | |
| 2001 | Jungle Juice | Roy | Tony Vitale | |
| 2001 | The Country Bears | Reed Thimple | Peter Hastings | |
| 2002 | Catch Me If You Can | Frank William Abagnale Sr. | Steven Spielberg | |
| 2002 | Undertaking Betty | Frank Featherbed | Nick Hurran | |
| 2002 | Engine Trouble | Rusty (voice) | Brad Barnes | |
| 2002 | Poolhall Junkies | Uncle Mike Flynn | Mars Callahan | |
| 2003 | Kangaroo Jack | Salvatore "Sal" Maggio | David McNally | |
| 2003 | The Rundown | Cornelius Hatcher | Peter Berg | |
| 2003 | Gigli | Det. Stanley Jacobellis | Martin Brest | |
| 2004 | Envy | J-Man | Barry Levinson | |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | Mike Wellington | Frank Oz | |
| 2004 | Around the Bend | Turner Lair | Jordan Roberts | |
| 2004 | Man on Fire | Paul Rayburn | Tony Scott | |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers | William Cleary | David Dobkin | |
| 2005 | Domino | Mark Heiss | Tony Scott | |
| 2006 | Romance & Cigarettes | Cousin Bo | John Turturro | |
| 2006 | Click | Morty | Frank Coraci | |
| 2006 | Man of the Year | Jack Menkan | Barry Levinson | |
| 2006 | Fade to Black | Brewster | Oliver Parker | |
| 2007 | Hairspray | Wilbur Turnblad | Adam Shankman | |
| 2007 | Balls of Fury | Feng | Robert Ben Garant | |
| 2008 | Five Dollars a Day | Nat Parker | Nigel Cole | |
| 2009 | The Maiden Heist | Roger Barlow | Peter Hewitt | |
| 2010 | Life's a Beach | Roy Callahan | Tony Vitale | |
| 2011 | Kill the Irishman | Shondor Birns | Jonathan Hensleigh | |
| 2011 | Dark Horse | Jackie | Todd Solondz | |
| 2012 | Seven Psychopaths | Hans | Martin McDonagh | |
| 2012 | A Late Quartet | Peter Mitchell | Yaron Zilberman | |
| 2012 | Stand Up Guys | Doc | Fisher Stevens | |
| 2013 | The Power of Few | Doke | Leone Marucci | |
| 2013 | Gods Behaving Badly | Zeus | Marc Turtletaub | |
| 2014 | Jersey Boys | Gyp DeCarlo | Clint Eastwood | |
| 2014 | Turks & Caicos | Curtis Pelissier | David Hare | |
| 2015 | One More Time | Paul | Robert Edwards | |
| 2015 | The Family Fang | Caleb Fang | Jason Bateman | |
| 2015 | Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser | Anthony Benedetti/Clem Doore/Gert B. Frobe | Fred Wolf | |
| 2016 | Eddie the Eagle | Warren Sharp | Dexter Fletcher | |
| 2016 | The Jungle Book | King Louie (voice) | Jon Favreau | |
| 2016 | Nine Lives | Felix Perkins | Barry Sonnenfeld | |
| 2017 | Irreplaceable You | Stephanie Laing | ||
| 2017 | The War with Grandpa | Jerry | Tim Hill | In post-production |
Images for kids
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Walken in 1984 stage play, Hurlyburly
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Walken (right) on the set of Celluloide, 1996
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Walken in 2012