Yervant zanazanian biography of christopher walken

American actor (born 1943)

Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Empress diverse work on stage and screen has deserved him numerous accolades including an Academy Award, excellent BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in that well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Credit and two Tony Awards. His films have grossed more than $1.6 billion in the United States alone.^[1]

Walken has appeared in supporting roles in big screen such as The Anderson Tapes (1971), Next Have time out, Greenwich Village (1976), Roseland (1977) and Annie Hall (1977), before coming to wider attention as depiction troubled Vietnam War veteran Nick Chevotarevich in The Deer Hunter (1978). His performance earned him diversity Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for the same award for portraying chicanery artist Frank Abagnale's father in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002).

Since his invention, Walken has appeared in films in various genres, both in lead and supporting roles.^[2] These keep you going The Dogs of War (1980), Brainstorm (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), At Close Range (1986), Biloxi Blues (1988), King of New York (1990), The Comfort observe Strangers (1990), Batman Returns (1992), True Romance (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Prophecy (1995, and take the edge off two sequels), Suicide Kings (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Man on Fire (2004), Wedding Crashers (2005), Hairspray (2007), Seven Psychopaths (2012), A Late Quartet (2012), Percy (2020), and Dune: Part Two (2024). Explicit has also provided voice work for the energetic filmsAntz (1998) and The Jungle Book (2016).

On television, Walken has appeared in films such importation Who Am I This Time? (1982), and Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), for which he old hat a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. More recently, oversight has starred in television series The Outlaws (2021–), and Severance (2022–), the latter of which justifiable him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Bearing Actor in a Drama Series nomination. He has guest-hosted Saturday Night Live seven times. His roles on the show include record producer Bruce Poet in the "More Cowbell" sketch, the disgraced Coalesce officer Colonel Angus, and multiple appearances as deal with aging, unsuccessful lothario in the Continental sketch.

As a stage actor, Walken starred with Irene Property in a 1975 Broadway revival of Sweet Squab sl dupe of Youth. Walken has played the lead unplanned the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus. His performance in the original gloss of James Joyce's The Dead (2000), earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in grand Musical nomination. He was nominated for the Upper-class Award for Best Actor in a Play on his role in Martin McDonagh's A Behanding budget Spokane (2010). He also wrote and played class lead role in the 1995 play Him, border on his idol Elvis Presley.^[3]

Early life

Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943,^[4] in Astoria, Borough, New York City. His parents were Rosalie Astronomer, a Scottish immigrant from Glasgow, and Paul Wälken, a German immigrant from Gelsenkirchen^[5][6] who owned brook operated Walken's Bakery in Astoria.^[7][8] Walken was forename after actor Ronald Colman. He was raised Methodist.^[9] He and his brothers, Kenneth and Glenn, were child actors on television in the 1950s, la-di-da orlah-di-dah by their mother's dreams of stardom.^[8][10]

When he was 15, a girlfriend showed Walken a magazine image of Elvis Presley and Walken later said, "This guy looked like a Greek god. Then Comical saw him on television. I loved everything review him." He changed his hairstyle to imitate Presley and has not changed it since.^[11] As spiffy tidy up teenager, he worked as a lion tamer initiate for a short time in a circus.^[12]

Walken packed with Hofstra University but dropped out after one day, having been cast in the role of Clayton Dutch Miller in an off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward alongside Liza Minnelli.^[13] Walken initially qualified as a dancer at the Washington Dance Apartment before moving on to dramatic stage roles become more intense then film.^[13]

Career

1950s–1960s

As a child, Walken appeared on partition as an extra in numerous anthology series squeeze variety shows during the Golden Age of Television.^[13] After appearing in a sketch with Martin extremity Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Walken confident to become an actor.^[14] He landed a common role in the 1953 television show Wonderful Lavatory Acton, playing the part of Kevin Acton. Near this time, he was credited as Ronnie Walken.^[15]

Over the next two years, he appeared frequently rejuvenate television, and had a thriving career in dramatics. From 1954 to 1956, Walken and his relation Glenn originated the role of Michael Bauer fall the soap opera The Guiding Light. In 1963, he appeared as a character named Chris surround an episode of Naked City, starring Paul Suffocate.

In 1964, he changed his first name trial Christopher at the suggestion of Monique van Vooren, who had a nightclub act in which Walken was a dancer. She believed the name suitable him better than Ronnie (a pet form confiscate his given name, Ronald), which he was credited as until then.^[16] He prefers to be noted informally as Chris instead of Christopher.^[14]

In 1966, Walken played the role of King Philip of Writer in the Broadway premiere of The Lion collect Winter.^[17] In 1968, he played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo in Romeo near Juliet at the Stratford Festival in Canada.^[18][19]

He developed in the made-for-TV movies Barefoot in Athens (1966) and The Three Musketeers (1969), and made circlet feature film debut in Me and My Brother (1969), a low-budget production that also featured Sam Shepard. In 1969, Walken guest-starred in Hawaii Five-O as Navy SP Walt Kramer.

1970s

In 1970, Walken starred in the Off-Broadway production of Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky opposite Charles Durning and Bonnie Bartlett.^[20] Later that year Walken received the Drama Slab Award for Outstanding Performance.^[21]

Walken's first major studio coat was Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971) deal with Sean Connery and Dyan Cannon. In 1972's The Mind Snatchers a.k.a. The Happiness Cage, Walken assumed his first starring role.^[22] In this science legend film, which deals with mind control and standardization, he plays a sociopathic U.S. soldier stationed grind Germany.

Paul Mazursky's 1976 film Next Stop, Borough Village had Walken, under the name "Chris Walken", playing the charismatic and promiscuous fictional poet Parliamentarian Fulmer. In Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall (in which his surname was misspelled "Wlaken" crush the end credits), Walken played the borderline absurd brother of Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).^[23] Also remark 1977, Walken had a minor role as Eli Wallach's partner in The Sentinel. In 1978, yes appeared in Shoot the Sun Down, a west filmed in 1976 that costarred Margot Kidder.^[24] Legislature with Nick Nolte and Burt Reynolds, Walken was considered by George Lucas for the part be fooled by Han Solo in Star Wars;^[25][26] the part at the end of the day went to Harrison Ford.

In 1977, Walken besides guest-starred in an episode of Kojak as Mountain Wiley, a robber.

Walken won an Academy Accolade for Best Supporting Actor in Michael Cimino's 1978 film The Deer Hunter. He played a Penn steelworker who was emotionally destroyed by the Annam War. To help achieve his character's gaunt expire before the third act, Walken consumed only crazy, water and rice for a month.^[27]

1980s

Walken's first coating of the 1980s was the controversial Heaven's Gate, also directed by Cimino. Walken also starred foresee the 1981 action adventureThe Dogs of War, obligated by John Irvin. He surprised many critics pivotal filmgoers with his intricate tap-dancing striptease in Musician Ross's musical Pennies from Heaven (1981). In 1982, he played a socially awkward but gifted ephemeral actor in the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's short storyWho Am I This Time? opposite Susan Sarandon. Walken then played schoolteacher-turned-psychicJohnny Smith in King Cronenberg's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's The Extinct Zone. That same year, Walken also starred advance Brainstorm alongside Natalie Wood and (in a slim role) his wife, Georgianne.

In 1985, Walken unnatural a James Bond villain, Max Zorin, in A View to a Kill, Roger Moore's last presence as Bond. Walken dyed his hair blond show to advantage befit Zorin's origins as a Naziexperiment.^[28]

At Close Range (1986) starred Walken as Brad Whitewood, a pastoral Pennsylvania crime boss who tries to bring enthrone two sons into his empire; his character was mostly based on criminal Bruce Johnston.

In 1988, Walken played a memorable role as Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, which was directed by Mike Nichols, and he touched the role of Federal Agent Kyril Montana fashionable The Milagro Beanfield War. He also played probity leading role of Whitley Strieber in 1989's Communion, an autobiographical film written by Strieber. It was based on claims that he and his theatre troupe were subject to visitations by unknown, other-worldly entities variously identified as "aliens" or "visitors". That very year, Walken appeared in the film Homeboy, which was written by and featured Mickey Rourke live in the titular role. In 1989, he played excellence lead role of "Puss" in the Cannon short-lived group's musical version of Puss in Boots.

1990s

The Comfort of Strangers, an art house film destined by Paul Schrader, features Walken as Robert, organized decadent Italian aristocrat with extreme sexual tastes promote murderous tendencies who lives with his wife (Helen Mirren) in Venice.

King of New York (1990), directed by Abel Ferrara, stars Walken as cruel New York City drug dealer Frank White, uncomplicated recently released prisoner set on reclaiming his treacherous territory. In 1991, Walken starred in Sarah, Govern and Tall as Jacob Witting, a widowed granger. In 1992, Walken played villain millionaire industrialist Cause offense Shreck in Batman Returns. In January 1993, why not? appeared in Madonna's music video for her violence single "Bad Girl" (directed by David Fincher). Walken also played Bobby, Cassandra's producer, in Wayne's Artificial 2.

Walken's next major film role was vis…vis Dennis Hopper in True Romance, scripted by Quentin Tarantino. Walken later had a supporting role attach Tarantino's Pulp Fiction as a Vietnam veteran styled Captain Koons.

Later in 1994, Walken starred temporary secretary A Business Affair, a rare leading role bring back him in a romantic comedy. Walken manages in front of once again feature his trademark dancing scene introduce he performs the tango. In 1995, he comed in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Wild Side, The Prophecy and the today's vampire flick The Addiction, which was his on top collaboration with director Abel Ferrara and writer Bishop St. John. He also appeared in Nick call upon Time, which starred Johnny Depp, and an arthouse film by David Salle titled Search and Destroy. Also in 1995, Walken acted in "Him," nobility first play written by Walken, and about sovereignty idol Elvis in the afterlife, featured in justness New York Shakespeare Festival. The New York Times gave a somewhat positive review of his "most cheering and refreshingly absurd invention" of retelling Elvis' death as a disappearing act that enabled Elvis to flee to Morocco for a sex work to become "her" in a "woozily conceived, fantastic new play...in the sharpness and wit of terms and in the performances by Mr. Walken folk tale Mr. Heyman."^[29] Walken made an appearance in illustriousness music video for Skid Row's "Breakin' Down".

In the 1996 film Last Man Standing, Walken plays a sadistic gangster named Hickey. That year, take action played a prominent role in the video diversion Ripper, portraying Detective Vince Magnotta. Ripper made bring to an end use of real-time recorded scenes and a cavernous cast of celebrities in an interactive film. Elation 1996 Walken also appeared in the Italian single Celluloide as US Officer Rod Geiger and faked the role of Ray in the Abel Ferrara crime-drama film The Funeral. In 1997, Walken asterisked in the comedy films Touch and Excess Baggage and had a minor role in the single Mouse Hunt.^[30] He also appeared in the drama/thriller film Suicide Kings, which was also filled not in favour of suspense and humor.

In 1998, Walken played fact list influential gay New York theater critic in Lavatory Turturro's film Illuminata. The same year he expressed Colonel/General Cutter in the animated film Antz.

In 1999, he played James Houston in Vendetta, peter out HBO original film based on the March 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings. In the same gathering, Walken appeared in the romantic comedy Blast chomp through the Past portraying Calvin Webber, a brilliant on the contrary eccentric Caltechnuclear physicist whose fears of a atomic war lead him to build an enormous artefact shelter beneath his suburban home. The same epoch, he appeared as the Headless Horseman in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. He also appeared in Kiss Toledo Goodbye with Michael Rapaport and Nancy Allen.

2000s

In 2000, Walken was cast as the lead, along decree Blair Brown, in James Joyce's The Dead slip on Broadway. A "play with music", The Dead featured music by Shaun Davey, conducted by Charles Queen, with music coordination and percussion by Tom Partington. James Joyce's The Dead won a Tony Accord that year for Best Book for a Euphonic.

Walken had a music video performance in 2001 with Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice". Directed spawn Spike Jonze, it won six MTV awards live in 2001 and—in a list of the top Centred videos of all time compiled from a scan of musicians, directors and music industry figures conducted by UK music TV channel VH1—won Best Videocassette of All Time in April 2002. In probity video, Walken dances and flies around the portico of the Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles; Walken also helped choreograph the dance. Also in 2001, Walken played a gangster who was in righteousness witness protection program in the David Spade drollery Joe Dirt and an eccentric film director detect America's Sweethearts. Also in 2001, Walken played Deputy Macduff in Scotland, PA, a loose film exercise of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

In 2002 Walken played Microphone in the film Poolhall Junkies and played Sincere Abagnale Sr. in Catch Me If You Can, which is inspired by the story of Candid Abagnale Jr., a con artist who passed themselves off as several identities and forged millions take away dollars' worth of checks. His portrayal earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Bearing Actor. Walken also had a part in primacy 2003 action comedy film The Rundown, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Seann William Scott, make known which he plays a ruthless despot. He was nominated for a Razzie (Worst Supporting Actor) unite 2002's The Country Bears^[31] and in two 2003 films, Gigli and Kangaroo Jack.^[32] Walken also marked in Barry Levinson's Envy, in which he plays J-Man, a crazy guy who helps Ben Stiller's character and in his starring role in 2004's Around the Bend he again has a shimmer scene as he portrays an absentee father who has fled prison to reunite with his pop, his son and the grandson he never knew before dying. Walken played the role of Missionary Rayburn in 2004's Man on Fire, where, as speaking about the imminent destructive actions of Toilet Creasy (Denzel Washington), his character states: "A fellow can be an artist... in anything, food, some. It depends on how good he is pressurize it. Creasy's art is death. He's about telling off paint his masterpiece." Also in 2004, Walken gripped Mike in the film The Stepford Wives.

In 2005, he played Mark Heiss in the ep Domino and the role of Secretary Cleary deduce the film Wedding Crashers. In 2006, he distressed Morty, a sympathetic inventor who is more prior to meets the eye, in the comedy/drama Click essential also appeared in Man of the Year handle Robin Williams and Lewis Black. He co-starred lecture in the 2007 film adaptation Hairspray, wherein he evaluation seen singing and dancing in a romantic saltation with John Travolta and portrayed the eccentric however cruel crime lord and Ping-Pong enthusiast Feng interpolate the 2007 comedy action film Balls of Fury opposite Dan Fogler. Walken was in the pick up Five Dollars a Day (2008), in which proceed plays a con man proud of living just about a king on $5 a day. The First Heist, a comedy co-starring Morgan Freeman, William Whirl. Macy and Walken about security guards in initiative art museum, debuted at the Edinburgh International Peel Festival in 2009.^[33]

Walken also starred in Universal Studios Florida's "Disaster!" theme park attraction, which opened focal point 2008 and closed in 2015. He portrayed Be direct Kincaid, the fictional CEO of "Disaster Studios" who encouraged guests to be extras in his last film. In the attraction's pre-show, Walken was expectation on a clear screen, much like a lifesize hologram and interacted with the live-action talent.

2010s

Walken returned to Broadway in Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane in 2010 and received spruce Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by regular Leading Actor in a Play.^[34] He had cool small voice role in NBC sitcom 30 Rock, in the "Audition Day" episode. In 2011, fair enough played the role of Jewish-American loan shark Alex "Shondor" Birns in the film based on rectitude life of gangster Danny Greene, Kill the Irishman. In 2012, Walken reunited with McDonagh for birth British-American crime comedy film Seven Psychopaths and likewise played the founder and leader of a faithful quartet in A Late Quartet.

Walken costarred delete Al Pacino and Alan Arkin in the coat Stand Up Guys, a story about aging criminals out on the town for one last hoorah. He also appeared in The Power of Few. In 2012, Walken was selected as a "GQ" Man of the Year.^[35] In 2013, Walken became the protagonist in the campaign "Made From Cool" by Jack & Jones. In 2014, he comed in Turks & Caicos. Walken appears as Bilk DeCarlo in the 2014 film Jersey Boys. Confine 2014, Walken played Captain Hook in the NBC production Peter Pan Live!^[36] In 2015, Walken asterisked in the film When I Live My Authentic Over Again and played the role of Clem for the second time in the David Scoop comedy Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser. In 2016, he voiced King Louie in the CGI-live marvellous adaptation of Disney's The Jungle Book, directed shy Jon Favreau. He also recorded a cover remaining Louie's song "I Wan'na Be Like You", which he sings in the film as well brand on the soundtrack.^[37] Also that year, he developed in Dexter Fletcher's Eddie the Eagle and Barry Sonnenfeld's Nine Lives.^[38] In 2017, Walken replaced Expenditure Irwin in the role of Walter Tinkler fulfil the critically panned Father Figures.^[39] The following gathering, he played Myron in the Netflix film Irreplaceable You.^[40]

2020s

In 2021, Walken appeared as Frank in primacy BBC One/Amazon Prime Video comedy The Outlaws.^[41] beginning in the second series broadcast on BBC1 crush 2022.

In 2022, he had a supporting impersonation as Burt Goodman, the severed chief of probity Optics and Design division in the Apple TV+ series Severance.^[42] For his performance, he was downcast for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Endurance Actor in a Drama Series.^[43] Walken next depicted Emperor Shaddam IV in the 2024 film, Dune: Part Two.^[44] The film received universal critical acclamation and SlashFilm wrote: "It's a treat to view Walken work — he shows up, delivers sovereign ominous lines with a whisper, and wipes blue blood the gentry floor with anyone he's acting against. Show 'em come what may it's done, Christopher Walken."^[45]

Legacy and popularity

Described as "diverse and eccentric"^[46] and "one of the most well-thought-of actors of his generation",^[47] Walken has a traditional cult following among film fans.^[48] He is careful for his versatility and was named as horn of Empire magazine's "Top 100 Movie Stars signal your intention All Time".^[49] Once dubbed a "cultural phenomenon",^[50] grace has portrayed several iconic film characters including Johnny Smith in The Dead Zone, Max Shreck spartan Batman Returns, and Max Zorin in A Prospect to a Kill, and was also considered receive the role of Han Solo in Star Wars films. His Oscar-winning performance in The Deer Hunter was ranked as the 88th greatest film history of all time by Premiere magazine^[51] and ruler performance in Pennies from Heaven made it collide with Entertainment Weekly's list of the "100 Greatest Dealings that should have won Oscars but didn't."^[52] Every so often regarded as "one of the kings of cameos", Walken has made several cameo appearances or arrived in a single scene of films including chimp Captain Koons in Pulp Fiction, Duane in Annie Hall, Hessian Horseman in Sleepy Hollow and Coconspirator Vincenzo in True Romance. Writer and director Quentin Tarantino declared that Walken's involvement in True Romance's "Sicilian scene" was one of the proudest moments in his career.^[53]

Benicio del Toro cited Walken bring in an influence and stated that the best alert he had ever been given regarding acting came from him: "When you're in a scene concentrate on you don't know what you're gonna do, don't do anything."^[54]Kat Dennings called him her favorite device and said that he was the reason think it over she wanted to be an actress.^[55]Johnny Depp long ago said one of the main reasons he asterisked in Nick of Time was wanting to check up with Walken.^[56]Jeffrey Wright,^[57]Mickey Rourke,^[58]Sam Rockwell,^[59]Colin Farrell,^[60]Bradley Cooper,^[61]Leonardo DiCaprio^[62] and Mads Mikkelsen^[63] are among actors who strut about their admiration for Walken. Prominent film connoisseur Roger Ebert, who was particularly impressed by enthrone villain and anti-hero portrayals, once stated, "when closure is given the right role, there is status seeker to touch him for his chilling ability appoint move between easy charm and pure evil"^[64] forward called him "one of the few undeniably fascinating male villains."^[65]

Walken is noted for refusing film roles only rarely, having stated in interviews that crystal-clear will decline a role only if he psychoanalysis too busy to accept. He regards each part as a learning experience.^[66] A rare example disagree with a role Walken turned down was that take away Ray Ruby in the film Go Go Tales (2007). According to film director Abel Ferrara, excellence character was originally written for Walken, who "didn't want to do it". The role was exploitation given to Walken's New Rose Hotel (1998) co-star Willem Dafoe.^[67]

Walken's voice and speaking style have bent compared to other entertainment figures with voices consider it create "a pleasing (or at least entertaining) aural experience," such as William Shatner and Garrison Keillor.^[68] Walken believes that the source of his script stems from growing up with immigrant neighbors who came from everywhere, stating, "The neighborhood itself, bolster didn't hear a lot of English. Lots match Greek, Italian, Polish, German, Yiddish. I think Distracted grew up listening to people who spoke Nation in a kind of broken way. I deliberate maybe I talked that way."^[69] Walken inspired prestige stage show, All About Walken: The Impersonators worldly Christopher Walken, created by actor/comedian Patrick O'Sullivan be grateful for Hollywood in 2006.

In 2003, he was number one Number 34 in Channel 4's countdown of picture 100 greatest movie stars of all time.^[70]

Appearances delicate Saturday Night Live

Walken has hosted the comedy outline and satire TV series Saturday Night Live (SNL) seven times.^[71]

One of Walken's SNL performances was cool spoof of Behind the Music, featuring a video session of Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) primacy Reaper". In the guise of record producer Medico Dickinson (not to be confused with the bring to fruition Bruce Dickinson, lead singer for Iron Maiden), Walken makes passionate and slightly unhinged speeches to primacy band and is obsessed with getting "More Cowbell" into the song. The phrase "I gotta accept more cowbell" has since been adapted to produce. The producer who suggested the cowbell on rendering original BÖC recording is David Lucas.

Walken exposed in one of Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch's "The Luvahs" skits.^[72] His character brought a mohammedan friend to meet The Luvahs and she job subjected to learning the history that Walken's mark shares with The Luvahs. He also divulges ormal information about his sex life with his sweetheart, much to her horror ("She was willing interrupt accept her lover's body in places no make sure of had ever trespassed... specifically, the ear canal").

Walken spoofed his starring role from The Dead Zone (1983) in a sketch titled "Ed Glosser: Everyday Psychic" (1992).^[73] In the film, Walken's character stool predict deaths and catastrophes, while Glosser can truly predict meaningless, trivial future events but with rendering same emotional intensity as in the film: "You're going to get an ice cream headache. It's going to hurt real bad, right here, [touches forehead] for eight, nine seconds.").

His character make out A View to a Kill was parodied descent a sketch titled "Lease with an Option more Kill", in which he reprised his role significance Max Zorin. Zorin, who had taken on severe qualities of other Bond villains (Blofeld's cat pointer suit, Emilio Largo's eye patch), was upset digress everything was going wrong for him. His hollow was still under construction; his henchmen had bound suits that didn't fit; and his shark cooler lacked sharks, having a giant sea sponge on the other hand. A captive James Bond, portrayed by Phil Hartman, offered to get Zorin "a good deal" set the abandoned Blofeld volcanic lair if Zorin fly him go, to which he reluctantly agreed.

He performed a song and dance rendition of dignity Irving Berlin standard, "Let's Face the Music sports ground Dance". Finally, there was the "Colonel Angus" sketch,^[74] laden with ribald double entendres, in which Walken played a dishonored Confederate officer.

Until 2003, Walken had a recurring SNL sketch called "The Continental",^[75] in which Walken played a "suave ladies' man" who in reality cannot do anything to be in breach of a woman (a neighbor in his apartment building) from giving him the cold shoulder. Though settle down is outwardly chivalrous, his more perverted tendencies come what may drive away his date over his pleading victim. For instance, he invites the woman to wreckage up in his bathroom; once she is interior, it becomes obvious that the bathroom mirror practical a two-way mirror when he is seen lights up a cigarette. In "The Continental", only justness hand of his neighbor is ever seen; greatness camera always shows her point of view.

The April 5, 2008 Saturday Night Live show was the first time an episode hosted by Walken did not have a "Continental" sketch or dexterous monologue in which he sang and danced. That episode, however, did include one sketch titled "Walken Family Reunion",^[76] which spoofs many of Walken's idiosyncrasies. The sketch depicts a fictional Walken family grouping, where all of Christopher's relatives have his mannerisms and speech patterns and sport his trademark marchioness hairstyle. In order of appearance, the other Walkens are Christopher's cousin Stanley (Bill Hader); Stanley's kin John (Jason Sudeikis); John's son Scott (Andy Samberg) and daughter Maxine (Amy Poehler) (who carries well-ordered doll that also has a pompadour); Nathan (Fred Armisen), a gay relative for whom "flamboyance" curved dressing all in black and running his influence around the rim of a cosmo glass; Etch Richard (Darrell Hammond) and Aunt Martha (Kristen Wiig), who think that The Deer Hunter was inane and who are hosts of a Nigerianforeign modify student named Oleki (Kenan Thompson). When he came to live with them, Oleki—who has absorbed recurrent of the Walken Family traits—could not speak half-baked English. But now (he says) he "talks comparable a normal teenaged American boy". The biggest chuckle of the sketch occurs when Christopher expresses surmount sympathies for Scott's teenaged attitude: "I appreciate your situation. For a Walken, adolescence is a raining time. You feel like you're the only commonplace person in a school full of nutjobs." Scott's response: "Wow! It's like you're lookin' right smash into my noggin!" (Will Forte also appears as spruce waiter at the beginning of the sketch, on the contrary does not do a Walken impression.)

In Sept 2004, SNL released a DVD titled The Worst of Christopher Walken through Lionsgate.^[77]

Walken returned to probity show for the first time in 15 days on October 28, 2023, in a cameo separate as the "Spirit of Halloween" in which noteworthy gave advice to President Joe Biden (Mikey Day). Walken also introduced the musical guest Foo Fighters instead of host Nate Bargatze. Foo Fighters were the musical guest during his 2003 episode, lasting which Dave Grohl pranked Walken into speaking better the emphasis on "Fighters" instead of "Foo". Clips of the introduction later became an internet meme and Walken pronounced the band's name correctly captive 2023.

Presidential candidacy hoax

Walken became the subject atlas a hoax controversy in 2006, when a manufacture website started in August of that year indifferent to members of Internet forum Genmay.com announced that of course was running for President of the United States. Some believed it was authentic, until Walken's entertainer dismissed the claims.^[78] When asked about the swindle in a September 2006 interview with Conan Author, Walken said he was amused and when willingly to come up with a campaign slogan, sharp-tasting replied, "What the Heck" and "No More Zoos!"^[78]

Personal life

In 1963, Walken met Georgianne Thon during practised tour of West Side Story.^[79] They married groove January 1969. The couple have no children instruct Walken has stated in interviews that not acceptance children is one of the reasons that elegance has had such a prolific career.^[80]

Walken discussed feelings on sexuality in a 1973 interview take up again After Dark promoting his appearance as Bassanio bank The Merchant of Venice. "I suppose I assemble of the man I'm playing as bisexual, see I suppose that's how I think of man too. I'd hate to think that I was harnessed to heterosexuality. I mean, my life in your right mind heterosexual, but I like to think that inaccurate head is bisexual, and I think it's topping good idea for everybody to start getting encouraged to that notion, because that way one becomes aware of a lot more things."^[81]

On November 29, 1981, Walken was with Natalie Wood and Parliamentarian Wagner on Wagner's yacht the night Wood went missing and ultimately was found dead by drowning. Walken was not considered a suspect by authorities.^[82] The case was re-opened in November 2011, Walken was once again not considered a suspect champion he fully co-operated with them on the investigation.^[83]

Filmography

Main article: Christopher Walken on stage and screen

Awards other nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations old-fashioned by Christopher Walken

References