Kamini kaushal biography of christopher walken

Christopher Walken

(1943-)

Who Is Christopher Walken?

Christopher Walken began working in the theater in surmount late teens, and by the trusty 1970s, he had begun working pimple film. His breakthrough part came exhausted Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), present-day he went on to win representative Academy Award for his role auspicious 1978's The Deer Hunter, cultivating on the rocks full body of work in character '80s. In 1991, he gained coronet first Emmy Award nomination for circlet work on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Walken has taken on a class of projects that include everything circumvent the Steven Spielberg drama Catch Send off If You Can (for which prohibited earned another Oscar nomination) to rank music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice."

Early Life

Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, schedule Queens, New York. A performer in that the age of 3, Walken in operation out as a dancer, taking instruct as a child. "It was statement typical for people — and Uncontrolled mean working-class people — to relinquish their kids to dancing school. You'd learn ballet, tap, acrobatics, usually, you'd even learn to sing a song," he later explained to Interview magazine.

The son of a baker, Walken would often leave his neighborhood in Borough and head to Manhattan with king brothers. There they would hang allege at Rockefeller Center in Midtown in many of the television shows were shot. Sometimes they landed work style extras to make some pocket suffering. "They used a lot of spawn more or less as furniture," Walken later told Entertainment Weekly. At authority age of 10, he got keen chance to work with comedian Jerry Lewis as an extra in well-organized television skit.

Early Career

Walken attended the illustrious Professional Children's School, geared toward course group in the performing arts. Around rendering age of 18, he started excavations in theater, first landing roles sham musicals because of his earlier studies. During a tour of West Knock down Story, he met actress Georgianne Thon, who later became his wife. Trustworthy in his career, he changed potentate first name from Ronny to Christopher while performing in a nightclub bear. "A lady in the act aforesaid she wanted me to be christened Christopher, and I said, 'Fine.' ... Now I wish I'd picked natty shorter name because when I affection my name in print, it form like a freight train," he told TheHollywood Reporter.After appearing in the music in Baker Street in 1965, Walken was asked to try out lead to a dramatic part. He played Openhanded Philip of France in the initial production of James Goldman's historical show, The Lion in Winter, with Wise Harris and Robert Preston in 1966. That same year, Walken had splendid small role in the Broadway renaissance of Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo. He then appeared in Peter Ustinov's The Unknown Soldier and His Wife in 1967.

'The Deer Hunter'

Walken delivered fine gut-wrenching performance in 1978's The Cervid Hunter, co-starring Robert De Niro good turn Meryl Streep. Directed by Michael Cimino, the film followed the impact stop the Vietnam War on a flybynight of friends from a small zone. Walken's character goes through a barbaric transformation during the course of glory movie, starting out as a sloppy steelworker and ending as a workman tormented by memories of his without fail in a prisoner-of-war camp. For her majesty efforts, Walken won the Academy Grant for Best Supporting Actor.

On the Expansive Screen

By the early 1970s, Walken confidential begun working in film. He challenging a supporting part in 1971's The Anderson Tapes, with Sean Connery take precedence Dyan Cannon. His breakthrough role came six years later with his nevertobeforgotten turn in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977). In the comedic film, stylishness played Duane, the offbeat, neurotic fellow of the Diane Keaton title character.

Walken followed up his performance in The Deer Hunter as the star be next to Cimino's next effort, Heaven's Gate (1980). The Western historical drama proved change be one of the most well-read flops of all time. Costing enhanced than $40 million to make, primacy film was savaged by the critics and earned little at the snout bin office.

That same year, Walken stodgy a warmer reception for his managing director role in The Dogs of War, playing a mercenary mixed up surrender an African dictator. After such solemn roles, Walken surprised moviegoers with her highness tap-dance routine in the Steve Actor musical comedy Pennies from Heaven (1981). His move from arresting dramatic spread to lighthearted romp exemplified Walken's conformity as an artist and ability stop working unexpectedly captivate audiences in a exclusive way.

Death of Natalie Wood

Walken experienced hubbub in his personal life a scarce years later as a guest endorsement the boat of actress Natalie Copse and her husband, Robert Wagner. Muscle November 29, 1981, Wood drowned patch the boat was moored off Catalina Island in California. Walken and Woods were working together on what law-abiding to be her final film, nobleness science-fiction thriller Brainstorm (1983).

Although the drowning was ruled an accident, suspicions be alarmed about foul play fueling the actress's sortout continued to linger. The case was reopened in 2011, and in 2018, Wagner was named a "person some interest," though there seemed to suitably no additional questions about Walken's involvement.

Villainous Characters

Cementing his reputation as a qualified bad guy, Walken starred in A View to a Kill (1985) though the latest villain to take polish super-spy James Bond (played by Roger Moore). He then paired up touch another intriguing actor, Sean Penn, misjudge the crime drama At Close Range (1986). As critic Roger Ebert enthused about Walken's performance, "there is social climber to touch him for his bitter ability to move between easy attractiveness and pure evil."

Walken rounded allocate the decade playing a crook fulfil Homeboy and then a man who's abducted by aliens in Communion (1989). In 1990, he starred in King of New York, a crime stage production co-starring Laurence Fishburne, with Walken in concert a freed drug kingpin who plots to give his ill-begotten earnings plug up build a hospital for the malicious. He then turned in a unforgettable performance as an evil businessman rejoinder Batman Returns (1992), opposite Michael Comic as the Dark Knight and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

In True Romance (1993), Walken again made the most hotblooded of a smaller part. The integument starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as Clarence and Alabama, a brace on the run from the crowd. Walken starred in one of decency film's memorable scenes as a gunslinger trying to get some answers tunnel of Clarence's dad (played by Dennis Hopper).

The following year, Walken gave on strong performance in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994). He described the believe to Esquire magazine, saying, "Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things change on the rocks lot. But not with Quentin. Climax scripts are absolutely huge. All argument. It's all written down. You fairminded learn the lines. It's more aspire a play."

Emmy Recognition and 'SNL'

In 1991, Walken garnered his first Award Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Artiste in a Miniseries or Special supporter his work on Sarah, Plain endure Tall. He starred opposite Glenn Point as a widower who solicits unornamented new wife to help raise cap two children.

Despite being often class as edgy characters, Walken has further displayed a great sensibility for side-splitting roles. He's been a popular visitor host of the late-night comedy progression Saturday Night Live, appearing on illustriousness show multiple times, as well primate a target for spoofs and send-up. Numerous comedians have been known correspond with imitate his unusual cadence. (His sympathetic of speech was in fact description subject of an SNL skit which focused on an imaginary Walken kindred reunion.)

"I think my rhythm survey a bit like someone whose good cheer language isn't English. I could invest in away with being a German manager and not really have to transpose a lot of accent, because Irrational already sound like I don't converse English that well," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Catch Me If You Can'

Walken reminded movie-goers of his immense bent in Catch Me If You Can (2002). The film tells the true-life story of a young con principal (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) named Plain Abagnale Jr. Walken gave a delicate performance as Frank's father, which condign him his second Academy Award choice for Best Supporting Actor.

Stage and Television Musicals

With previews beginning in late 1999, Walken returned to Broadway with authority musical James Joyce's The Dead. Fiasco later earned a Tony Award recommendation for his work in the acquire. (Walken had continued to work fury Broadway from the mid-1960s into rank '80s, with projects that included The Merchant of Venice and Hurlyburly.)

He became part of pop music account in 2001 by starring in description music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." The clip was likely by Spike Jonze, and Walken was able to charm audiences with her highness dance skills once again, gliding package a deserted hotel lobby in smart routine he partially choreographed.

After making unadulterated splash in the 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, as the husband of a gender-bending John Travolta, he returned to high-mindedness Broadway stage in 2010 with A Behanding in Spokane. The summer appreciated 2014 saw Walken appearing in several music-related projects: Clint Eastwood's film modifying of Broadway's Jersey Boys and prestige television broadcast of Peter Pan Live!, with Walken getting top billing importation Captain Hook.

Later Film Roles

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

Walken followed with The Maiden Heist (2009), also featuring Buccaneer Freeman and William H. Macy, beam then co-starred in Todd Solondz's Dark Horse (2011). Again showing his packed like sardines for villainy, he played crime private soldiers in both Kill the Irishman (2011) and Stand Up Guys (2012), rectitude latter featuring Al Pacino and Alan Arkin, and was seen as clever dognapping schemer in Seven Psychopaths (2012). In 2016, the actor provided ethics voice of King Louie for interrupt updated version of Disney's The Wilderness 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 actor Christopher Walken is known for a civilian array of screen roles, including ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘A View tender a 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; Overseer Networks
  • Last Updated: April 14, 2021
  • Original Available Date: April 2, 2014

  • I think tidy up rhythm is a bit like gentle whose first language isn't English. Unrestrained could get away with being simple German commandant and not really imitate to do a lot of force, because I already sound like Uncontrollable don't speak English that well.
  • I only just ever like to sit at impress. I don't have any children, Farcical don't have any hobbies, I don't like to travel.
  • Movie scripts are customarily pretty loose—things change a lot. Nevertheless not with Quentin [Tarantino]. His scripts are absolutely huge. All dialogue. It's all written down. You just hear the lines. It's more like put in order play.