Christopher Walken

Born: March 31, 1943 Astoria, Queens, New York Real Name: Ronald Walken (Ronnie) Father: Paul Walken (from Germany) Mother: Rosalie Walken (from Scotland) Siblings: Ken Walken, Glenn Walken Spouse: Georgianne Walken (since 1969) Current Residences: New York, NY & Wilton, CT Education: Professional Children's School, Hofstra UniversityPaul and Rosalie Walken immigrated to America as adults. They met in New York, married and had three children: Ken, Glenn and Ronald (who later changed his name to Christopher). Ronnie was born on the opening night of Oklahoma! on March 31, 1943. The family resided in Queens and Paul owned and ran a bakery. When the boys were tots, Rosalie would bring them to television show auditions and photography shoots. She belonged to an organization called The Stage Mother's Society and was very involved with her sons' young careers. By the early 1950s, all three boys were enrolled in tap dancing classes and were performing regularly on television shows such as Ernie Kovacs, Philco TV Playhouse and The Colgate Comedy Hour. Ronnie appeared on a television series called The Wonderful John Acton, playing the part of Kevin Acton. As the boys got older, they would take the subway by themselves to Manhattan to work in television and theatre. Ronnie attended PCS (Professional Children's School) and was friends with the world-renowned composer, Marvin Hamlisch, Brandon de Wilde, and Gypsy Rose Lee's son, Eric. In their free time, Ken, Glenn and Ronnie would help their father out in the bakery.Ronnie made his off-Broadway debut at age fifteen in Archibald MacLeish's J.B. and around that time, he took a brief stint acting as a lion tamer's son in a circus. Ronnie's job was to bring out an old, extremely docile lion and "tame" him. Ronnie graduated from PCS and attended Hofstra University for about one year. In the spring following his first year at college, Ronnie's tap instructor, Danny Daniels cast him and his brother, Glenn in the off Broadway musical he was directing and choreographing; Best Foot Forward. Ronnie suggested that Daniels also audition young girl he was taking acting lessons with. That girl was Liza Minelli and she got the part. Over the next two and a half years, Ronnie worked mostly in musical theater. He worked in a touring production of West Side Story and danced opposite Georgianne Thon. The two were married later in 1969. At age 22, Ronnie was renamed Christopher by Monique Van Vooren, a singer he was working with. He decided to keep it and was billed as Christopher for the first time when he performed in the1965 musical Baker Street in which he danced next to Tommy Tune. Later he came to do numerous dramatic roles, his first being The Lion In Winter, in which he played the part of King Phillip. This was his first speaking (not singing) role and he has noted that he wrestled with extreme stage fright, nervous shakes and broken concentration. Christopher nearly got fired, but begged the show's producer to give him a chance. He was given three days to find a solution to these dilemmas. Somehow, someway, he overcame his fears and actually went on to win the Clarence Derwent Award for that performance. He was then cast for many other Shakespearian roles and more dramatic stage roles in plays such as The Unknown Soldier. In 1966, he won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the revival of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo.At about age 25, Walken began his film career, with small roles in the films Me And My Brother, the Sidney Lumet-directed The Anderson Tapes, and his first starring role in The Happiness Cage. Christopher then had a small but memorable role in Woody Allen's classic Annie Hall, in which he played Annie's brother, Duane. Shortly after that, Christopher was cast as Nick in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the New York Film Critic's Circle Award. Soon after, he appeared in Cimino's critically trashed follow-up picture, Heaven's Gate with Kris Kristofferson. It was shortly after returning to New York after filming Heaven's Gate that Christopher was assaulted on the street on which he and Georgianne lived. He had asked two men on the street to turn down their music. The men, in turn, attacked him and broke his nose. But, Walken's career carried on without a break. He continued to get roles in films such as the western with Margot Kidder, Shoot The Sun Down and the last MGM musical movie, Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin and choreography by Danny Daniels, Walken's former tap teacher. Christopher received rave reviews from critics regarding his dancing scene in Pennies From Heaven- and compliments from toe-tapping legends Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley.In 1981 while working on the science-fiction thriller, Brainstorm, Christopher became somewhat involved in a tragedy when his co-star, Natalie Wood, drowned during a Thanksgiving weekend cruise off of Catalina Island in California. Christopher was on the yacht along with Wood's husband, Robert Wagner and the ship's captain the night she died. This terrible event, brought out rumors of a possible affair between Wood and Walken and a supposed argument between the three of them. The drowning proved to be accidental and the rumors swirling around Wood's death eventually subsided.To date, Walken has worked in more than 100 stage roles and has appeared in over 60 movies of every genre. Some of his more famous film roles have been in At Close Range with Sean Penn, Stephen King's The Dead Zone, Biloxi Blues with Matthew Broderick; King Of New Yorkwith Lawrence Fishburne; Sarah, Plain and Tall with Glenn Close, for which he was nominated for an Emmy; True Romance with Dennis Hopper, and far too many others to name (see Filmography) He is most widely known for portraying villainous or psychotic types of characters such as the archangel Gabriel in The Prophecy, for example - at which he excels. To those who know his work, however, Christopher is percieved more as a chameleon as he is able to transform himself into any character when given the chance. Walken has also appeared three times on Saturday Night Live since 1990 and has recently begun to play more paternal roles such as Uncle Ray in Alicia Silverstone's Excess Baggage and as Brendan Fraser's father, Calvin Webber, in Blast From The Past. Walken also wrote and starred in a rather humorous play about Elvis Presley entitled Him, and he continues to get involved in theater when his schedule allows. As for Christopher's brothers, one became a successful restauranteur, and the other a real estate broker.Walken's personal life is more practical than one might think. After 30 years, he is still married to Georgianne, now a casting director (she has cast Christopher in the movie Basquiat, in which he played the interviewer). Christopher and Georgianne had decided early on in their marraige not to have children because it would have been difficult with the amount of travel required for their occupations. Christopher says now he is thankful that they did not have kids and he is able to put all of his focus into his work. Not being overly concerned about the financial aspect of his career, Christopher rarely turns down roles offered to him and strives to keep himself constantly working. Because of this, he has averaged nearly five movies per year. He and his wife currently reside alternately in Connecticut with their cats as well as a brownstone apartment in upper west Manhattan. Walken has made it clear that he plans on working as long as he can and does not foresee retirement any time in the near future. He continues to draw a growing number of fans of all ages from around the world. •CR..