Christopher Walken (1943 - ?)
"I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own."
- Christopher Walken to director Paul Schrader in 1991
Early Life
The Oscar winning actor, Christopher Walken, was born Ronald Walken to Paul and Rosalie Walken, a pair of New York bakers, on March 31, 1943 in Astoria, Queens, New York. He has two brothers, Kenneth and Glenn.
Acting
Walken first began his career in acting at age 10, when he appeared as an extra on The Colgate Comedy Hour and appeared in a skit with Jerry Lewis. Walken initially intended to study dancing instead of acting, but dropped out of Hofstra University, where he was majoring in English, after one year when he landed a role in the off-Broadway musical Best Foot Forward in 1963. Throughout his teens, he performed on-stage and on live television, and his voluminous body of work on and off Broadway led to his first meaty role in film as an electronics expert in Sidney Lumet's 1972 film, The Anderson Tapes.
Christopher married Georgianne Thon in 1969 while touring with West Side Story. They are still married, and have no children.
While Walken is most widely known for his creepy or evil roles, he has played a number other kinds of characters. To quote the prolific actor, "I've played lots of sane guys, but nobody remembers them." In his defense Walken has also said, "Is typecasting really a problem?" Ironically, Walken's latest role has taken a turn for the different and returned him to his dancing roots. He teamed up with the famous director Spike Jonez to make Fat Boy Slim's 2001 video "Weapon of Choice", which features Walken dancing (and dancing quite well, I might add) all throughout a hotel for the duration of the film.
Awards
Contact Information
Fans should direct mail to:
Christopher Walken
C/O William Morris Agency
151 El Camino Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212 USA