Christopher Walken may just be the craziest actor in the industry. Not because he comes off as a complete nut job, but rather because he’s probably the least selective when it comes to choosing scripts. The guy’s been in more movies than anyone we know, and somehow, it works for him. Born Ronald Walken in Queens, New York, 1943, the veteran actor changed his name to Christopher before his first Broadway performance in 1965. Raised by a mother who was convinced that all of her sons would be famous performers, Christopher began dance lessons at an early age and landed his first acting role at age ten. After only a year at college, Christopher was offered a role alongside fellow classmate Liza Minnelli in “Best Foot Forward” before making his film debut in “Me and My Brother.” Incidentally, Christopher’s much smaller role in the Woody Allen film “Annie Hall” is what first got him noticed, and led to his audition for the Vietnam War film, “The Deer Hunter,” in which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Following his award-winning performance in the Robert De Niro-led drama, scripts started pouring in from all over Hollywood, and while some of the films Christopher chose were box office duds, a majority of them showcased his many talents. The 80’s quickly rolled by, and before he knew it, Christopher had become one of the most respected character actors in the industry. This, of course, led to his inexplicable script selection, which was assembled of hits (“True Romance,” “Pulp Fiction”) and misses (“Wayne’s World 2,” “Excess Baggage”). Christopher’s sudden shift to playing eccentric characters led to numerous appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and the infamous Fatboy Slim video “Weapon of Choice,” along with other unique roles in movies like “Joe Dirt.” Since exploiting his newfound typecasting in the late 90’s and into the new millennium, Christopher has surprised his critics and fans by appearing in a number of films that you wouldn’t expect. Could this be the beginning of a return of classic Walken? We can see Oscar gold just a little ways down the road, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Christopher on the Screen
Christopher Walken has had three defining sections to his career: the early years, the crazy 90’s, and the new image millennium. Starting out in movies like “Annie Hall” and “The Deer Hunter,” Christopher was quick to be typecast as the psychotic villain, a role he embraced in the 90’s in films like “Batman Returns,” “True Romance” and “Sleepy Hollow,” though his fatherly turn in “Pulp Fiction” was well received. He continued this trend into the new millennium in a few films (like “The Rundown“), but has recently been given the chance to play a handful of different, less evil characters. These roles are evident in features like “Catch Me If You Can,” “Wedding Crashers,” and “Domino.”
Quotes:
On his role in “Wedding Crashers”:
“Also for me it was different because I play a lot of villains and in this one I play a dad and I play a good guy, basically. He’s the Secretary of the Treasury. I never had a job like that.”
On his infamous accent:
“I don’t know. I come from a certain part of New York. Queens. And the truth is that that’s the way that people talk there.”
On his resume:
“I’d love to do a character with a wife, a nice little house, a couple of kids, a dog, maybe a bit of singing, and no guns and no killing, but nobody offers me those kind of parts.”