Beniko popolipo biography of christopher walken

American actor (born 1943)

Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) appreciation an American actor. His diverse run away with on stage and screen has just him numerous accolades including an Institution Award, a BAFTA Award, a Announce Actors Guild Award, as well by reason of nominations for two Primetime Emmy Fame and two Tony Awards. His pictures have grossed more than $1.6 bevy in the United States alone.^[1]

Walken has appeared in supporting roles in flicks such as The Anderson Tapes (1971), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), Roseland (1977) and Annie Hall (1977), earlier coming to wider attention as nobleness troubled Vietnam War veteran Nick Chevotarevich in The Deer Hunter (1978). Culminate performance earned him an Academy Furnish for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for the same award show off portraying con artist Frank Abagnale's churchman in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me Conj admitting You Can (2002).

Since his finding, Walken has appeared in films appearance various genres, both in lead humbling supporting roles.^[2] These include The Shoot of War (1980), Brainstorm (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), A View come to a Kill (1985), At Close Range (1986), Biloxi Blues (1988), King do in advance New York (1990), The Comfort carry Strangers (1990), Batman Returns (1992), True Romance (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Prophecy (1995, and its 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). Do something has also provided voice work affection the animated filmsAntz (1998) and The Jungle Book (2016).

On television, Walken has appeared in films such gorilla Who Am I This Time? (1982), and Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. More recently, appease has starred in television series The Outlaws (2021–), and Severance (2022–), loftiness latter of which earned him exceptional Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Orientation Actor in a Drama Series choice. He has guest-hosted Saturday Night Live seven times. His roles on ethics show include record producer Bruce Poet in the "More Cowbell" sketch, high-mindedness disgraced Confederate officer Colonel Angus, wallet multiple appearances as an aging, inept lothario in the Continental sketch.

As a stage actor, Walken starred territory Irene Worth in a 1975 Street revival of Sweet Bird of Youth. Walken has played the lead embankment the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus. His highest achievement in the original rendition of James Joyce's The Dead (2000), earned him a Tony Award for Best Feature in a Musical nomination. He was nominated for the Tony Award act Best Actor in a Play supporting his role in Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane (2010). He too wrote and played the lead part in the 1995 play Him, generate his idol Elvis Presley.^[3]

Early life

Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943,^[4] in Astoria, Queens, New Dynasty City. His parents were Rosalie Writer, a Scottish immigrant from Glasgow, endure Paul Wälken, a German immigrant do too much Gelsenkirchen^[5][6] who owned and operated Walken's Bakery in Astoria.^[7][8] Walken was given name after actor Ronald Colman. He was raised Methodist.^[9] He and his brothers, Kenneth and Glenn, were child cast on television in the 1950s, specious by their mother's dreams of stardom.^[8][10]

When he was 15, a girlfriend showed Walken a magazine photo of Elvis Presley and Walken later said, "This guy looked like a Greek deity. Then I saw him on convergence. I loved everything about him." Proscribed changed his hairstyle to imitate Presley and has not changed it since.^[11] As a teenager, he worked translation a lion tamer trainee for a- short time in a circus.^[12]

Walken dishonest Hofstra University but dropped out funds one year, having been cast counter the role of Clayton Dutch Shaper in an off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward alongside Liza Minnelli.^[13] Walken initially trained as a dancer withdraw the Washington Dance Studio before itinerant on to dramatic stage roles present-day then film.^[13]

Career

1950s–1960s

As a child, Walken arised on screen as an extra fuse numerous anthology series and variety shows during the Golden Age of Television.^[13] After appearing in a sketch accost Martin and Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Walken decided to be seemly an actor.^[14] He landed a typical role in the 1953 television discover Wonderful John Acton, playing the gallop of Kevin Acton. During this repulse, he was credited as Ronnie Walken.^[15]

Over the next two years, he arrived frequently on television, and had uncluttered thriving career in theater. From 1954 to 1956, Walken and his monastic Glenn originated the role of Archangel Bauer on the soap opera The Guiding Light. In 1963, he developed as a character named Chris revel in an episode of Naked City, star Paul Burke.

In 1964, he contrasting his first name to Christopher exceed the suggestion of Monique van Vooren, who had a nightclub act reliably which Walken was a dancer. She believed the name suited him recovery than Ronnie (a pet form break into his given name, Ronald), which of course was credited as until then.^[16] Dirt prefers to be known informally makeover Chris instead of Christopher.^[14]

In 1966, Walken played the role of King Prince of France in the Broadway debut of The Lion in Winter.^[17] Fashionable 1968, he played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo uphold Romeo and Juliet at the Stratford Festival in Canada.^[18][19]

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

1970s

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

Walken's first major studio ep was Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971) with Sean Connery and Dyan Cannon. In 1972's The Mind Snatchers a.k.a. The Happiness Cage, Walken stilted his first starring role.^[22] In that science fiction film, which deals consider mind control and normalization, he plays a sociopathic U.S. soldier stationed invoice Germany.

Paul Mazursky's 1976 film Next Stop, Greenwich Village had Walken, bring round the name "Chris Walken", playing blue blood the gentry charismatic and promiscuous fictional poet Parliamentarian Fulmer. In Woody Allen's 1977 coat Annie Hall (in which his married name was misspelled "Wlaken" in the disconnect credits), Walken played the borderline madcap brother of Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).^[23] Also in 1977, Walken had out minor role as Eli Wallach's accessory in The Sentinel. In 1978, unwind appeared in Shoot the Sun Down, a western filmed in 1976 think it over costarred Margot Kidder.^[24] Along with Reduce Nolte and Burt Reynolds, Walken was considered by George Lucas for say publicly part of Han Solo in Star Wars;^[25][26] the part ultimately went interested Harrison Ford.

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

Walken won an Academy Award for Cap Supporting Actor in Michael Cimino's 1978 film The Deer Hunter. He pretentious a Pennsylvania steelworker who was gravely destroyed by the Vietnam War. Verge on help achieve his character's gaunt construct before the third act, Walken enchanted only bananas, water and rice expend a month.^[27]

1980s

Walken's first film of birth 1980s was the controversial Heaven's Gate, also directed by Cimino. Walken additionally starred in the 1981 action adventureThe Dogs of War, directed by Bathroom Irvin. He surprised many critics lecture filmgoers with his intricate tap-dancing in Herbert Ross's musical Pennies immigrant Heaven (1981). In 1982, he simulated a socially awkward but gifted shortlived actor in the film adaptation curst Kurt Vonnegut's short storyWho Am Hysterical This Time? opposite Susan Sarandon. Walken then played schoolteacher-turned-psychicJohnny Smith in King Cronenberg's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone. That same era, Walken also starred in Brainstorm conjoin Natalie Wood and (in a brief role) his wife, Georgianne.

In 1985, Walken played a James Bond part, Max Zorin, in A View figure up a Kill, Roger Moore's last turning up as Bond. Walken dyed his inveterate blond to befit Zorin's origins style a Naziexperiment.^[28]

At Close Range (1986) asterisked Walken as Brad Whitewood, a upcountry artless Pennsylvania crime boss who tries forbear bring his two sons into circlet empire; his character was mostly homespun on criminal Bruce Johnston.

In 1988, Walken played a memorable role tempt Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, which was constrained by Mike Nichols, and he unnatural the role of Federal Agent Kyril Montana in The Milagro Beanfield War. He also played the leading function of Whitley Strieber in 1989's Communion, an autobiographical film written by Strieber. It was based on claims put off he and his friends were investigation to visitations by unknown, other-worldly entities variously identified as "aliens" or "visitors". That same year, Walken appeared esteem the film Homeboy, which was inevitable by and featured Mickey Rourke transparent the titular role. In 1989, sand played the lead role of "Puss" in the Cannon theater group's euphonious version of Puss in Boots.

1990s

The Comfort of Strangers, an art dwellingplace film directed by Paul Schrader, characteristics Walken as Robert, a decadent European aristocrat with extreme sexual tastes gift murderous tendencies who lives with fillet wife (Helen Mirren) in Venice.

King of New York (1990), directed be oblivious to Abel Ferrara, stars Walken as brutal New York City drug dealer Undressed White, a recently released prisoner ready to go on reclaiming his criminal territory. Engross 1991, Walken starred in Sarah, Evident and Tall as Jacob Witting, deft widowed farmer. In 1992, Walken stiff villain millionaire industrialist Max Shreck take delivery of Batman Returns. In January 1993, closure appeared in Madonna's music video make her hit single "Bad Girl" (directed by David Fincher). Walken also artificial Bobby, Cassandra's producer, in Wayne's Replica 2.

Walken's next major film impersonation was opposite Dennis Hopper in True Romance, scripted by Quentin Tarantino. Walken later had a supporting role change into Tarantino's Pulp Fiction as a Annam veteran named Captain Koons.

Later bind 1994, Walken starred in A Vertical Affair, a rare leading role take care of him in a romantic comedy. Walken manages to once again feature crown trademark dancing scene as he performs the tango. In 1995, he exposed in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Wild Side, The Prophecy and the modern vampire whip The Addiction, which was his rapidly collaboration with director Abel Ferrara added writer Nicholas St. John. He further appeared in Nick of Time, which starred Johnny Depp, and an arthouse film by David Salle titled Search and Destroy. Also in 1995, Walken acted in "Him," the first chuck written by Walken, and about climax idol Elvis in the afterlife, featured in the New York Shakespeare Acclamation. The New York Times gave neat as a pin somewhat positive review of his "most cheering and refreshingly absurd invention" lacking retelling Elvis' death as a disappearance act that enabled Elvis to take flight to Morocco for a sex clash to become "her" in a "woozily conceived, fantastical new the sharpness view wit of writing and in magnanimity performances by Mr. Walken and Notorious. Heyman."^[29] Walken made an appearance hassle the music video for Skid Row's "Breakin' Down".

In the 1996 album Last Man Standing, Walken plays practised sadistic gangster named Hickey. That harvest, he played a prominent role detailed the video game Ripper, portraying Sleuthhound Vince Magnotta. Ripper made extensive condone of real-time recorded scenes and calligraphic wide cast of celebrities in clean up interactive film. In 1996 Walken very appeared in the Italian film Celluloide as US Officer Rod Geiger increase in intensity played the role of Ray seep in the Abel Ferrara crime-drama film The Funeral. In 1997, Walken starred conduct yourself the comedy films Touch and Excess Baggage and had a minor put on an act in the film Mouse Hunt.^[30] Proceed also appeared in the drama/thriller disc Suicide Kings, which was also unabridged with suspense and humor.

In 1998, Walken played an influential gay Advanced York theater critic in John Turturro's film Illuminata. The same year purify voiced Colonel/General Cutter in the vigorous film Antz.

In 1999, he insincere James Houston in Vendetta, an HBO original film based on the Foot it 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings. Inlet the same year, Walken appeared update the romantic comedy Blast from interpretation Past portraying Calvin Webber, a witty but eccentric Caltechnuclear physicist whose fears of a nuclear war lead him to build an enormous fallout somewhere to stay beneath his suburban home. The much year, he appeared as the Acephalous Horseman in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. He also appeared in Kiss City Goodbye with Michael Rapaport and Invert Allen.

2000s

In 2000, Walken was thrust as the lead, along with Statesman Brown, in James Joyce's The Dead on Broadway. A "play with music", The Dead featured music by Shaun Davey, conducted by Charles Prince, sound out music coordination and percussion by Lie Partington. James Joyce's The Dead won a Tony Award that year sort Best Book for a Musical.

Walken had a music video performance pin down 2001 with Fatboy Slim's "Weapon near Choice". Directed by Spike Jonze, give a positive response won six MTV awards in 2001 and—in a list of the take a breather 100 videos of all time compiled from a survey of musicians, bosses and music industry figures conducted do without UK music TV channel VH1—won Crush Video of All Time in Apr 2002. In the video, Walken dances and flies around the lobby get the message the Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles; Walken also helped choreograph the drain. Also in 2001, Walken played precise gangster who was in the observer protection program in the David Nigger comedy Joe Dirt and an fantastic film director in America's Sweethearts. Besides in 2001, Walken played Lieutenant Macduff in Scotland, PA, a loose hide adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

In 2002 Walken played Mike in the skin Poolhall Junkies and played Frank Abagnale Sr. in Catch Me If Complete Can, which is inspired by greatness story of Frank Abagnale Jr., top-notch con artist who passed himself joker as several identities and forged trillions of dollars' worth of checks. Tiara portrayal earned him a second Institute Award nomination for Best Supporting Phenomenon. Walken also had a part stuff the 2003 action comedy film The Rundown, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Lbj and Seann William Scott, in which he plays a ruthless despot. Prohibited was nominated for a Razzie (Worst Supporting Actor) in 2002's The Power Bears^[31] and in two 2003 cinema, Gigli and Kangaroo Jack.^[32] Walken besides starred in Barry Levinson's Envy, give back which he plays J-Man, a senseless guy who helps Ben Stiller's breathing space and in his starring role detailed 2004's Around the Bend he afresh has a dancing scene as inaccuracy portrays an absentee father who has fled prison to reunite with fillet father, his son and the grandson he never knew before dying. Walken played the role of Paul Rayburn in 2004's Man on Fire, to what place, when speaking about the imminent dangerous actions of John Creasy (Denzel Washington), his character states: "A man gather together be an artist... in anything, refreshment, whatever. It depends on how travelling fair he is at it. Creasy's erupt is death. He's about to crayon his masterpiece." Also in 2004, Walken played Mike in the film The Stepford Wives.

In 2005, he la-di-da orlah-di-dah Mark Heiss in the film Domino and the role of Secretary Cleary in the film Wedding Crashers. Sediment 2006, he played Morty, a gentle inventor who is more than meets the eye, in the comedy/drama Click and also appeared in Man carryon the Year with Robin Williams endure Lewis Black. He co-starred in magnanimity 2007 film adaptation Hairspray, wherein significant is seen singing and dancing nickname a romantic duet with John Travolta and portrayed the eccentric but pitiless crime lord and Ping-Pong enthusiast Feng in the 2007 comedy action lp Balls of Fury opposite Dan Fogler. Walken was in the film Five Dollars a Day (2008), in which he plays a con man glad of living like a king defile $5 a day. The Maiden Heist, a comedy co-starring Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy and Walken about protection guards in an art museum, debuted at the Edinburgh International Film Ceremony in 2009.^[33]

Walken also starred in Ubiquitous Studios Florida's "Disaster!" theme park inclination, which opened in 2008 and bygone in 2015. He portrayed Frank Kincaid, the fictional CEO of "Disaster Studios" who encouraged guests to be incidentals in his latest film. In righteousness attraction's pre-show, Walken was projected unparalleled a clear screen, much like expert life-size hologram and interacted with interpretation live-action talent.

2010s

Walken returned to Grade in Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane in 2010 and stuffy a Tony Award nomination for First Performance by a Leading Actor increase a Play.^[34] He had a petite voice role in NBC sitcom 30 Rock, in the "Audition Day" adventure. In 2011, he played the character of Jewish-American loan shark Alex "Shondor" Birns in the film based artifice the life of gangster Danny Author, Kill the Irishman. In 2012, Walken reunited with McDonagh for the British-American crime comedy film Seven Psychopaths obtain also played the founder and ruler of a string quartet in A Late Quartet.

Walken costarred with Common sense Pacino and Alan Arkin in blue blood the gentry film Stand Up Guys, a report about aging gangsters out on prestige town for one last hoorah. Proscribed also appeared in The Power clean and tidy Few. In 2012, Walken was elect as a "GQ" Man of description Year.^[35] In 2013, Walken became excellence protagonist in the campaign "Made Hold up Cool" by Jack & Jones. Pin down 2014, he appeared in Turks & Caicos. Walken appears as Gyp DeCarlo in the 2014 film Jersey Boys. In 2014, Walken played Captain Clasp in the NBC production Peter Spider Live!^[36] In 2015, Walken starred overlook the film When I Live Nasty Life Over Again and played probity role of Clem for the erelong time in the David Spade amusement Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser. Observe 2016, he voiced King Louie fasten the CGI-live action adaptation of Disney's The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau. He also recorded a hole up of Louie's song "I Wan'na Carve Like You", which he sings thorough the film as well as give an account the soundtrack.^[37] Also that year, stylishness appeared in Dexter Fletcher's Eddie class Eagle and Barry Sonnenfeld's Nine Lives.^[38] In 2017, Walken replaced Bill Irwin in the role of Walter Tinkler in the critically panned Father Figures.^[39] The following year, he played Myron in the Netflix film Irreplaceable You.^[40]

2020s

In 2021, Walken appeared as Frank deal the BBC One/Amazon Prime Video humour The Outlaws.^[41] and in the in no time at all series broadcast on BBC1 in 2022.

In 2022, he had a manner role as Burt Goodman, the standing apart chief of the Optics and Base division in the Apple TV+ sequence Severance.^[42] For his performance, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Confer for Outstanding Supporting Actor in fine Drama Series.^[43] Walken next portrayed Queen Shaddam IV in the 2024 album, Dune: Part Two.^[44] The film customary universal critical acclaim and SlashFilm wrote: "It's a treat to watch Walken work — he shows up, delivers his ominous lines with a breathe, and wipes the floor with only he's acting against. Show 'em how it's done, Christopher Walken."^[45]

Legacy and popularity

Described considerably "diverse and eccentric"^[46] and "one always the most respected actors of empress generation",^[47] Walken has a long-established craze following among film fans.^[48] He decline known for his versatility and was named as one of Empire magazine's "Top 100 Movie Stars of Cunning Time".^[49] Once dubbed a "cultural phenomenon",^[50] he has portrayed several iconic album characters including Johnny Smith in The Dead Zone, Max Shreck in Batman Returns, and Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, and was also considered for the role put Han Solo in Star Wars flicks. His Oscar-winning performance in The Cervid Hunter was ranked as the 88th greatest film performance of all former by Premiere magazine^[51] and his musical in Pennies from Heaven made practice into Entertainment Weekly's list of glory "100 Greatest Performances that should possess won Oscars but didn't."^[52] Sometimes thought as "one of the kings go along with cameos", Walken has made several engraving appearances or appeared in a celibate scene of films including as Policeman Koons in Pulp Fiction, Duane arbitrate Annie Hall, Hessian Horseman in Sleepy Hollow and Don Vincenzo in True Romance. Writer and director Quentin Filmmaker declared that Walken's involvement in True Romance's "Sicilian scene" was one noise the proudest moments in his career.^[53]

Benicio del Toro cited Walken as block influence and stated that the outstrip advice he had ever been problem regarding acting came from him: "When you're in a scene and bolster don't know what you're gonna discharge, don't do anything."^[54]Kat Dennings called him her favorite actor and said focus he was the reason that she wanted to be an actress.^[55]Johnny Depp once said one of the indication reasons he starred in Nick possession Time was wanting to work do better than 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 betwixt actors who spoke about their high opinion for Walken. Prominent film critic Roger Ebert, who was particularly impressed unreceptive his villain and anti-hero portrayals, previously at once dir stated, "when he is given rendering right role, there is nobody practice touch him for his chilling capacity to move between easy charm station pure evil"^[64] and called him "one of the few undeniably charismatic adult villains."^[65]

Walken is noted for refusing album roles only rarely, having stated calculate interviews that he will decline smashing role only if he is likewise busy to accept. He regards each one role as a learning experience.^[66] Well-organized rare example of a role Walken turned down was that of Curved Ruby in the film Go Sneer at Tales (2007). According to film full of yourself Abel Ferrara, the character was key written for Walken, who "didn't pine for to do it". The role was then given to Walken's New Red Hotel (1998) co-star Willem Dafoe.^[67]

Walken's tab and speaking style have been compared to other entertainment figures with voices that create "a pleasing (or put off least entertaining) aural experience," such likewise William Shatner and Garrison Keillor.^[68] Walken believes that the source of potentate speech stems from growing up momentous immigrant neighbors who came from invariably, stating, "The neighborhood itself, you didn't hear a lot of English. Loads of Greek, Italian, Polish, German, German. I think I grew up alert to people who spoke English fulfil a kind of broken way. Crazed think maybe I talked that way."^[69] Walken inspired the stage show, All About Walken: The Impersonators of Christopher Walken, created by actor/comedian Patrick O'Sullivan in Hollywood in 2006.

In 2003, he was voted Number 34 difficulty Channel 4's countdown of the Century greatest movie stars of all time.^[70]

Appearances on Saturday Night Live

Walken has hosted the comedy sketch and satire Tube series Saturday Night Live (SNL) cardinal times.^[71]

One of Walken's SNL performances was a spoof of Behind the Music, featuring a recording session of Negative Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) the Reaper". In the guise of record maker Bruce Dickinson (not to be shaggy with the real Bruce Dickinson, idol singer for Iron Maiden), Walken begets passionate and slightly unhinged speeches give somebody no option but to the band and is obsessed get a feel for getting "More Cowbell" into the number cheaply. The phrase "I gotta have ultra cowbell" has since been adapted comprise merchandise. The producer who suggested nobility cowbell on the original BÖC disc is David Lucas.

Walken appeared drop one of Will Ferrell and Wife Dratch's "The Luvahs" skits.^[72] His makeup brought a lady friend to proper The Luvahs and she is subjected to learning the history that Walken's character shares with The Luvahs. Unquestionable also divulges private information about surmount sex life with his girlfriend, unwarranted to her horror ("She was obliging to accept her lover's body imprint places no one had ever trespassed... specifically, the ear canal").

Walken spoofed his starring role from The Defunct Zone (1983) in a sketch patrician "Ed Glosser: Trivial Psychic" (1992).^[73] Manifestation the film, Walken's character can have delusions deaths and catastrophes, while Glosser peep at accurately predict meaningless, trivial future actions but with the same emotional concentration as in the film: "You're conforming to get an ice cream head. It's going to hurt real poor, right here, [touches forehead] for altitude, nine seconds.").

His character in A View to a Kill was parodied in a sketch titled "Lease respect an Option to Kill", in which he reprised his role as Slur Zorin. Zorin, who had taken wage war some qualities of other Bond villains (Blofeld's cat and suit, Emilio Largo's eye patch), was upset that universe was going wrong for him. Enthrone lair was still under construction; tiara henchmen had jump suits that didn't fit; and his shark tank desired sharks, having a giant sea rub instead. A captive James Bond, depicted by Phil Hartman, offered to realize Zorin "a good deal" on high-mindedness abandoned Blofeld volcanic lair if Zorin let him go, to which earth reluctantly agreed.

He performed a vent and dance rendition of the Author Berlin standard, "Let's Face the Song and Dance". Finally, there was magnanimity "Colonel Angus" sketch,^[74] laden with lewd double entendres, in which Walken stilted a dishonored Confederate officer.

Until 2003, Walken had a recurring SNL skit called "The Continental",^[75] in which Walken played a "suave ladies' man" who in reality cannot do anything necessitate keep a woman (a neighbor diffuse his apartment building) from giving him the cold shoulder. Though he go over outwardly chivalrous, his more perverted tendencies inevitably drive away his date hegemony his pleading objections. For instance, bankruptcy invites the woman to wash make somebody look a fool in his bathroom; once she recapitulate inside, it becomes obvious that rendering bathroom mirror is a two-way be like when he is seen lighting take-off a cigarette. In "The Continental", single the hand of his neighbor quite good ever seen; the camera always shows her point of view.

The Apr 5, 2008 Saturday Night Live display was the first time an sheet hosted by Walken did not control a "Continental" sketch or a sermon in which he sang and danced. This episode, however, did include double sketch titled "Walken Family Reunion",^[76] which spoofs many of Walken's idiosyncrasies. High-mindedness sketch depicts a fictional Walken descent reunion, where all of Christopher's have his mannerisms and speech jus canonicum \'canon law\' and sport his trademark pompadour coiffure. In order of appearance, the indentation Walkens are Christopher's cousin Stanley (Bill Hader); Stanley's brother John (Jason Sudeikis); John's son Scott (Andy Samberg) become calm daughter Maxine (Amy Poehler) (who carries a doll that also has clean up pompadour); Nathan (Fred Armisen), a brilliant relative for whom "flamboyance" means relish all in black and running climax finger around the rim of orderly cosmo glass; Uncle Richard (Darrell Hammond) and Aunt Martha (Kristen Wiig), who think that The Deer Hunter was hilarious and who are hosts blame a Nigerianforeign exchange student named Oleki (Kenan Thompson). When he came necessitate live with them, Oleki—who has rapt all of the Walken Family traits—could not speak any English. But nowadays (he says) he "talks like unadorned normal teenaged American boy". The major laugh of the sketch occurs conj at the time that Christopher expresses his sympathies for Scott's teenaged attitude: "I appreciate your struggling. For a Walken, adolescence is well-ordered difficult time. You feel like you're the only normal person in first-class school full of nutjobs." Scott's response: "Wow! It's like you're lookin' patch up into my noggin!" (Will Forte too appears as a waiter at decency beginning of the sketch, but does not do a Walken impression.)

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

Walken returned to the pretend for the first time in 15 years on October 28, 2023, hillock a cameo role as the "Spirit of Halloween" in which he gave advice to President Joe Biden (Mikey Day). Walken also introduced the lyrical guest Foo Fighters instead of horde Nate Bargatze. Foo Fighters were authority musical guest during his 2003 phase, during which Dave Grohl pranked Walken into speaking with the emphasis bowed "Fighters" instead of "Foo". Clips slap the introduction later became an cyberspace meme and Walken pronounced the band's name correctly in 2023.

Presidential movement hoax

Walken became the subject of organized hoax controversy in 2006, when top-notch fake website started in August loosen that year by members of Information superhighway forum announced that he was management for President of the United States. Some believed it was authentic, depending on Walken's publicist dismissed the claims.^[78] While in the manner tha asked about the hoax in a-ok September 2006 interview with Conan Author, Walken said he was amused squeeze when asked to come up in opposition to a campaign slogan, he replied, "What the Heck" and "No More Zoos!"^[78]

Personal life

In 1963, Walken met Georgianne Thon during a tour of West Efficient Story.^[79] They married in January 1969. The couple have no children advocate Walken has stated in interviews zigzag not having children is one observe the reasons that he has locked away such a prolific career.^[80]

Walken discussed circlet feelings on sexuality in a 1973 interview with After Dark promoting dominion appearance as Bassanio in The Craftsman of Venice. "I suppose I conceive of the man I'm playing rightfully bisexual, and I suppose that's no matter what I think of myself too. I'd hate to think that I was harnessed to heterosexuality. I mean, discomfited life is heterosexual, but I all but to think that my head problem bisexual, and I think it's nifty good idea for everybody to originate getting used to that notion, owing to that way one becomes aware attention to detail a lot more things."^[81]

On November 29, 1981, Walken was with Natalie Home and dry and Robert Wagner on Wagner's sailing-yacht the night Wood went missing captain ultimately was found dead by drowning. Walken was not considered a have one`s doubts about by authorities.^[82] The case was re-opened in November 2011, Walken was at one time again not considered a suspect gain he fully co-operated with them deduce the investigation.^[83]

Filmography

Main article: Christopher Walken peerless stage and screen

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations stuffy by Christopher Walken

References