Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken is an American actor whose career spans theatre, film, television, dance, and comedy. Born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, in New York City, he grew up in Astoria, Queens, the son of immigrant parents who operated a bakery. Walken and his brothers worked as child performers during the 1950s, and he later studied dance before moving steadily into dramatic roles. His early stage experience included musical theatre and Shakespeare, and that background helped shape a screen persona noted for precision, rhythm, and an idiosyncratic delivery.

Walken appeared in film and television roles through the 1960s and 1970s before achieving major recognition with The Deer Hunter. His portrayal of Nick, a traumatized Vietnam War veteran, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and established him as one of American cinema's most distinctive character actors. In the years that followed, he moved between leading parts, villains, eccentrics, and sharply drawn supporting roles, appearing in films such as The Dogs of War, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New York, Batman Returns, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Sleepy Hollow, Man on Fire, Wedding Crashers, Hairspray, Seven Psychopaths, A Late Quartet, and Dune: Part Two.

Although Walken became widely known for screen roles, he has maintained a strong relationship with the stage. He performed in major classical roles and Broadway productions, receiving Tony Award nominations for James Joyce's The Dead and A Behanding in Spokane. His musical-theatre and dance training also surfaced in popular culture, including his acclaimed appearance in the music video for Fatboy Slim's “Weapon of Choice.”