Christopher Walken Biography

Christopher Walker, a native of Queens, New York, has eyes that sink into his head to the point where they seem to be touching his brain. It gives him a rather sinister look that has seen him often playing unsavory characters in most of his film roles. A stage actor by training, he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in The Deer Hunter (1978).

Long before the Academy recognized his talent, Walken was an in-demand actor, first taking to the stage when he was 10, appearing in his first musical on the New York stage at 15, and making his Broadway debut at 16. He toured in a production of West Side Story, dancing opposite Georgianne Thon. The two were married in 1969, and remain married to this day.

Walken's first big film break came as the electronics expert in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971). Long-time fans might also remember his delicious, albeit brief moment in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), playing Diane Keaton's demented brother Duane.

Throughout the '80s and early '90s, he was seen in mostly supporting roles, often portraying psychologically unstable characters. Yet he's not just a serious and scary actor. He proved he had a sense of humor by spoofing his dark side during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, winning an American Comedy award for "Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series" in 2001. And the crowd got a hilarious surprise when he showed off his song-and-dance skills, which were recently showcased in the Fat Boy Slim video, Weapon of Choice. He received a second Academy Award Nomination for his performance in Catch Me If You Can (2002).

Walken rarely turns down roles and strives to keep himself constantly working. Because of this, he manages to average three to five movies per year. Also perhaps as a result of this, he has appeared in some real stinkers and received two Razzie Award nominations for Worst Supporting Actor in The Country Bears (2002) and Gigli (2003). However, he has since won a Golden Satellite Award and a Montreal World Film Festival Best Actor award for his role in Around the Bend (2004). In 2005, he was given the Marquee Award at the CineVegas International Film Festival.

At almost 70 years old, Walken continues to land roles in prominent films. Some of his more recent 2012 titles include Seven Psychopaths alongside Colin Farrell and Woody Harrelson and A Late Quartet with Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman. He also stars with Al Pacino in Stand Up Guys (2013). More recently, he starred in Jersey Boys (2014), Eddie the Eagle (2016), Nine Lives (2016), and provided the voice of King Louie in The Jungle Book (2016).

He joined Owen Wilson, Ed Helms and Glenn Close in the comedy Father Figures (2017) and Robert De Niro in the family comedy The War with Grandpa (2020). He also played a prison warden in The Jesus Rolls (2020), directed, written by and starring John Turturro, along with Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou and Susan Sarandon.

* 1979 Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar winner for The Deer Hunter.

Filmography:

The War with Grandpa (2020)
The Jesus Rolls (2020)
Irreplaceable You (2018)
Father Figures (2017)
Nine Lives (2016)
The Jungle Book (2016)
Eddie the Eagle (2016)
The Family Fang (2015)
Jersey Boys (2014)
The Power of Few (2013)
Stand Up Guys (2013)
A Late Quartet (2012)
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Dark Horse (2011)
Kill the Irishman (2011)
The Maiden Heist (2009)
$5 a Day (2008)
Balls of Fury (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
Man of the Year (2006)
Fade to Black (2006)
Click (2006)
Domino (2005)
Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Around the Bend (2004)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Man on Fire (2004)
The Rundown (2003)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Plots with a View (2002)
Poolhall Junkies (2002)
The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
America's Sweethearts (2001)
Joe Dirt (2001)
Scotland, Pa. (2001)
The Opportunists (2000)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Antz (1998) voice
Mousehunt (1997)
Touch (1997)
Last Man Standing (1996)
Nick of Time (1995)
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
Batman Returns (1992)
Mistress (1992)
King of New York (1990)
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
At Close Range (1986)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Dead Zone (1983)
Pennies from Heaven (1981)
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Last Embrace (1979)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Annie Hall (1977)
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
The Happiness Cage (1972)
The Anderson Tapes (1971)