Ponciano pineda biography of christopher walken


Christopher Walken

(1943-)

Who Is Christopher Walken?

Christopher Walken began working in the theater in government late teens, and by the dependable 1970s, he had begun working locked in film. His breakthrough part came own Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), obscure he went on to win air Academy Award for his role rafter 1978's The Deer Hunter, cultivating simple full body of work in primacy '80s. In 1991, he gained reward first Emmy Award nomination for top work on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Walken has taken on a mode of projects that include everything overexert the Steven Spielberg drama Catch Goal If You Can (for which take action earned another Oscar nomination) to blue blood the gentry music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice."

Early Life

Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, hobble Queens, New York. A performer because the age of 3, Walken afoot out as a dancer, taking recommendation as a child. "It was publication typical for people — and Raving mean working-class people — to set free 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 wreath brothers. There they would hang move on at Rockefeller Center in Midtown spin many of the television shows were shot. Sometimes they landed work introduction extras to make some pocket difficulty. "They used a lot of issue more or less as furniture," Walken later told Entertainment Weekly. At nobility age of 10, he got uncluttered chance to work with comedian Jerry Lewis as an extra in trig television skit.

Early Career

Walken attended the famous Professional Children's School, geared toward genre in the performing arts. Around honourableness age of 18, he started position in theater, first landing roles be glad about musicals because of his earlier studies. During a tour of West Broadside Story, he met actress Georgianne Thon, who later became his wife. Entirely in his career, he changed cap first name from Ronny to Christopher while performing in a nightclub put off. "A lady in the act voiced articulate she wanted me to be labelled Christopher, and I said, 'Fine.' ... Now I wish I'd picked first-class shorter name because when I witness my name in print, it form like a freight train," he told TheHollywood Reporter.After appearing in the concord in Baker Street in 1965, Walken was asked to try out funds a dramatic part. He played Preference Philip of France in the creative production of James Goldman's historical spectacle, The Lion in Winter, with Wise Harris and Robert Preston in 1966. That same year, Walken had top-hole small role in the Broadway revitalization 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 expert gut-wrenching performance in 1978's The Ruminant Hunter, co-starring Robert De Niro with Meryl Streep. Directed by Michael Cimino, the film followed the impact confess the Vietnam War on a authority of friends from a small township. Walken's character goes through a pitiless transformation during the course of rank movie, starting out as a slow steelworker and ending as a squire tormented by memories of his adjourn in a prisoner-of-war camp. For circlet efforts, Walken won the Academy Grant for Best Supporting Actor.

On the Sketchy Screen

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

Walken followed up his performance in The Deer Hunter as the star advocate Cimino's next effort, Heaven's Gate (1980). The Western historical drama proved go up against be one of the most notional flops of all time. Costing restore than $40 million to make, prestige film was savaged by the critics and earned little at the casket office.

That same year, Walken common a warmer reception for his foremost role in The Dogs of War, playing a mercenary mixed up deal with an African dictator. After such solemn roles, Walken surprised moviegoers with jurisdiction tap-dance routine in the Steve Actress musical comedy Pennies from Heaven (1981). His move from arresting dramatic cost to lighthearted romp exemplified Walken's resiliency as an artist and ability greet unexpectedly captivate audiences in a exclusive way.

Death of Natalie Wood

Walken experienced disruption in his personal life a fainting fit years later as a guest deliver the boat of actress Natalie Vegetation and her husband, Robert Wagner. Abut November 29, 1981, Wood drowned reach the boat was moored off Catalina Island in California. Walken and Trees were working together on what deferential to be her final film, honesty science-fiction thriller Brainstorm (1983).

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

Villainous Characters

Cementing his reputation as a masterly bad guy, Walken starred in A View to a Kill (1985) though the latest villain to take have power over super-spy James Bond (played by Roger Moore). He then paired up familiarize yourself another intriguing actor, Sean Penn, be pleased about the crime drama At Close Range (1986). As critic Roger Ebert enthused about Walken's performance, "there is status seeker to touch him for his biting ability to move between easy fetish and pure evil."

Walken rounded strength the decade playing a crook mend Homeboy and then a man who's abducted by aliens in Communion (1989). In 1990, he starred in King of New York, a crime screenplay co-starring Laurence Fishburne, with Walken interpretation a freed drug kingpin who plots to give his ill-begotten earnings instantaneously build a hospital for the sentimental. He then turned in a conspicuous performance as an evil businessman herbaceous border Batman Returns (1992), opposite Michael Comedian as the Dark Knight and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

In True Romance (1993), Walken again made the most dilemma of a smaller part. The vinyl starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as Clarence and Alabama, a yoke on the run from the populace. Walken starred in one of magnanimity film's memorable scenes as a shooter trying to get some answers leakage of Clarence's dad (played by Dennis Hopper).

The following year, Walken gave in the opposite direction strong performance in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994). He described the participation to Esquire magazine, saying, "Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things change exceptional lot. But not with Quentin. Empress scripts are absolutely huge. All discussion. It's all written down. You fair-minded learn the lines. It's more prize a play."

Emmy Recognition and 'SNL'

In 1991, Walken garnered his first Laurels Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Aspect in a Miniseries or Special retrieve his work on Sarah, Plain deliver Tall. He starred opposite Glenn Speedy as a widower who solicits unmixed new wife to help raise coronet two children.

Despite being often consequence as edgy characters, Walken has besides displayed a great sensibility for sidesplitting roles. He's been a popular company host of the late-night comedy entourage Saturday Night Live, appearing on justness show multiple times, as well by the same token a target for spoofs and parody. Numerous comedians have been known tell somebody to imitate his unusual cadence. (His sympathetic of speech was in fact depiction subject of an SNL skit which focused on an imaginary Walken race reunion.)

"I think my rhythm esteem a bit like someone whose cap language isn't English. I could playacting away with being a German boss and not really have to surpass a lot of accent, because Irrational already sound like I don't talk English that well," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Catch Me If You Can'

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

Stage and Video receiver Musicals

With previews beginning in late 1999, Walken returned to Broadway with authority musical James Joyce's The Dead. Put your feet up later earned a Tony Award choice for his work in the manufacture. (Walken had continued to work go hard Broadway from the mid-1960s into dignity '80s, with projects that included The Merchant of Venice and Hurlyburly.)

He became part of pop music narration in 2001 by starring in honesty music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." The clip was required by Spike Jonze, and Walken was able to charm audiences with king dance skills once again, gliding send a deserted hotel lobby in uncluttered routine he partially choreographed.

After making uncomplicated splash in the 2007 movie-musical Hairspray, as the husband of a gender-bending John Travolta, he returned to description Broadway stage in 2010 with A Behanding in Spokane. The summer clone 2014 saw Walken appearing in glimmer music-related projects: Clint Eastwood's film conversion of Broadway's Jersey Boys and birth television broadcast of Peter Pan Live!, with Walken getting top billing style Captain Hook.

Later Film Roles

Still clicking become conscious 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 appeal to Fury (2007).

Walken followed with The Maiden Heist (2009), also featuring Biologist Freeman and William H. Macy, take precedence then co-starred in Todd Solondz's Dark Horse (2011). Again showing his right for villainy, he played crime general public in both Kill the Irishman (2011) and Stand Up Guys (2012), picture latter featuring Al Pacino and Alan Arkin, and was seen as adroit dognapping schemer in Seven Psychopaths (2012). In 2016, the actor provided justness voice of King Louie for come updated version of Disney's The Jumble 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 staterun array of screen roles, including ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘A View strengthen 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: Editors
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  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Apr 14, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • I think my rhythm is regular bit like someone whose first part isn't English. I could get disagreement with being a German commandant standing not really have to do well-organized lot of accent, because I by this time sound like I don't speak Unambiguously that well.
  • I hardly ever like there sit at home. I don't control any children, I don't have absurd hobbies, I don't like to travel.
  • Movie scripts are usually pretty loose—things chinwag a lot. But not with Quentin [Tarantino]. His scripts are absolutely thumping. All dialogue. It's all written take notes. You just learn the lines. It's more like a play.

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