Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor, singer, comedian, director, producer, screenwriter, and dancer, who has appeared in more than 100 films and television programs, including Annie Hall (1977), with Woody Allen (who also directed) and Diane Keaton; David Cronenberg‘s The Dead Zone (1983), with Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Martin Sheen, Anthony Zerbe and Colleen Dewhurst; Tim Burton‘s Batman Returns (1992), with Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Danny DeVito; Tony Scott‘s True Romance (1993), with Christian Bale, Patricia Arquette, James Gandolfini, Dennis Hopper, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, and Brad Pitt; Quentin Tarantino‘s Pulp Fiction (1994), with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, and Bruce Willis; Blast from the Past (1999), with Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley; Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999), with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee, and Jeffrey Jones; Scott’s Man on Fire (2004), with Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin, and Mickey Rourke; Martin McDonagh‘s Seven Psychopaths (2012), with Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, and Željko Ivanek; and many others.

He has received a number of awards and nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Michael Cimino‘s The Deer Hunter (1978), with Robert De Niro, John Cazale, and Meryl Streep. He was nominated for the same award and won BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards for Steven Spielberg‘s Catch Me If You Can (2002), with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Nathalie Baye, Sheen, and Amy Adams. His films have grossed more than $1 billion in the United States.

As a child, Walken appeared on screen as an extra in numerous anthology series and variety shows during the Golden Age of Television. After appearing in a sketch with Martin and Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Walken decided to become an actor. He landed a regular role in the 1953 television show The Wonderful John Acton playing the part of Kevin Acton. In 1964, he changed his first name to Christopher at the suggestion of actress and dancer Monique van Vooren, who had a nightclub act in which Walken was a dancer and who believed the name suited him better than Ronnie (a pet form of his given name, Ronald), which he was credited as until then. He prefers to be known informally as Chris instead of Christopher.

Walken has also played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus. He is a popular guest-host of Saturday Night Live, hosting seven times. His most notable roles on the show include record producer Bruce Dickinson in the “More Cowbell” sketch; the disgraced Confederate officer Colonel Angus; and multiple appearances in the Continental sketch. He has also co-starred with Glenn Close in Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. The two would also co-star in the sequels Skylark (1993) and Winter’s End (1999), with Jack Palance.

Walken debuted as a film director and screenwriter with the 2001 short film Popcorn Shrimp. He also wrote and played the lead role in the 1995 play Him about his idol Elvis Presley. Described as “diverse and eccentric” and “one of the most respected actors of his generation,” Walken has long established a cult following among film fans. Later films include Todd Solondz‘s Dark Horse (2012), with Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Jordan Gelber, Donna Murphy, Zachary Booth and Aasif Mandvi; Stand Up Guys (2012), with Al Pacino and Alan Arkin; One More Time (2015), with Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson, and Oliver Platt; The Family Fang (2015), with Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman; Eddie the Eagle (2016), with Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Iris Berben, and Jim Broadbent; Father Figures (2017), with Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J.K. Simmons, Katt Williams, Terry Bradshaw, Ving Rhames, Harry Shearer, June Squibb, and Close; The Jesus Rolls (2019), with John Turturro (who also directed), Bobby Canavale, Audrey Tautou, John Hamm, Pete Davisson, and Susan Sarandon.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

The Boy Who Saw Through (1956) – directed by George Stoney – credited as Ronnie Walken
Barefoot in Athens – directed by George Schaefer – TV movie
Me and My Brother (1969) – directed by Robert Frank
The Three Musketeers (1969) – directed by John Hirsch
Cleopatra (1970) – directed by Michael Auder
The Anderson Tapes (1971) – directed by Sidney Lumet
The Mind Snatchers (1972) – directed by Bernard Girard – aka The Happiness Cage – TV movie
Valley Forge (1975) – directed by Fielder Cook – TV movie
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) – directed by Paul Mazursky
The Sentinel (1977) – directed by Michael Winner
Annie Hall (1977) – directed by Woody Allen
Roseland (1977) – directed by James Ivory
The Deer Hunter (1978) – directed by Michael Cimino
Shoot the Sun Down (1978) – directed by David Leeds
Last Embrace (1979) – directed by Jonathan Demme
Heaven’s Gate (1980) – directed by Michael Cimino
The Dogs of War (1980) – directed by John Irvin
Pennies from Heaven (1981) – directed by Herbert Ross
Brainstorm (1983) – directed by Douglas Trumbull
The Dead Zone (1983) – directed by David Cronenberg
A View to a Kill (1985) – directed by John Glen
At Close Range (1986) – directed by James Foley
Witness in the War Zone (1987) – directed by Nathaniel Gutman – aka Deadline
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) – directed by Robert Redford
Biloxi Blues (1988) – directed by Mike Nichols
Puss in Boots (1988) – directed by Eugene Marner
Homeboy (1988) – directed by Michael Seresin
Communion (1989) – directed by Philippe Mora
King of New York (1990) – directed by Abel Ferrara
The Comfort of Strangers (1990) – directed by Paul Schrader
Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991) – directed by Glenn Jordan – TV movie
McBain (1991) – directed by James Glickenhaus
All-American Murder (1991) – directed by Anson Williams
Mistress (1992) – directed by Barry Primus
Batman Returns (1992) – directed by Tim Burton
Le Grand Pardon II (1992) – directed by Alexandre Arcady
Skylark (1993) – directed by Joseph Sargent – TV movie
Scam (1993) – directed by John Flynn – TV movie
True Romance (1993) – directed by Tony Scott
Wayne’s World 2 (1993) – directed by Stephen Surjik
A Business Affair (1994) – directed by Charlotte Brandström
Pulp Fiction (1994)** – directed by Quentin Tarantino
The Addiction (1995) – directed by Abel Ferrara
The Prophecy (1995) – directed by Gregory Widen
Search and Destroy (1995) – directed by David Salle
Wild Side (1995) – directed by Donald Cammell
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) – directed by Gary Fleder
Nick of Time (1995) – directed by John Badham
Celluloid (1996) – directed by Carlo Lizzani
Basquiat (1996) – directed by Julian Schnabel
The Funeral (1996) – directed by Abel Ferrara
Last Man Standing (1996) – directed by Walter Hill
Touch (1997) – directed by Paul Schrader
Excess Baggage (1997) – directed by Marco Brambilla
Suicide Kings (1997) – directed by Peter O’Fallon
Mousehunt (1997) – directed by Gore Verbinski
The Prophecy II (1998) – directed by Greg Spence
Illuminata (1998) – directed by John Turturro
New Rose Hotel (1998) – directed by Abel Ferrara
The Eternal (1998) – directed by Michael Almereyda – aka Trance
Antz (1998)* – directed by Eric Darnell & Tim Johnson
Blast from the Past (1999) – directed by Hugh Wilson
Vendetta (1999) – directed by Nicholas Meyer – TV movie
Sleepy Hollow (1999) –
Sarah, Plane and Tall: Winter’s End (1999) – directed by Glenn Jordan – TV movie
Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999) – Lyndon Chubbuck
The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000) – directed by Patrick Lussier
The Opportunist (2000) – directed by Myles Connell
Scotland, Pa. (2001) – directed by
Billy Morrissette
Joe Dirt (2001)* – directed by Dennie Gordon
America’s Sweethearts (2001)* – directed by Joe Roth
The Affair of the Necklace (2001) – directed by Charles Shyer
Popcorn Shrimp (2001) – director and writer only – short
Poolhall Junkies (2002) – directed by Mars Callahan
The Country Bears (2002) – directed by Peter Hastings
Engine Trouble (2002) – directed by Brad Barnes – short
Undertaking Betty (2002) – directed by Nick Hurran
Catch Me If You Can (2002) – directed by Steven Spielberg
Kangaroo Jack (2003) – directed by David McNally
Gigli (2003) – directed by Martin Brest
The Rundown (2003) – directed by Peter Berg
Man on Fire (2004) – directed by Tony Scott
Envy (2004) – directed by Barry Levinson
The Stepford Wives (2004)* – directed by Frank Oz
Caesar (2004) – directed by Uli Edel mini-series
Around the Bend (2004) – directed by Jordan Roberts
Wedding Crashers (2005)* – directed by David Dobkin
Romance & Cigarettes (2005) – directed by John Turturro
Domino (2005) – directed by Tony Scott
Click (2006) – directed by Frank Coraci
Fade to Black (2006) – directed by Oliver Parker
Man of the Year (2006) – directed by Barry Levinson
Hairspray (2007)* – directed by Adam Shankman
Balls of Fury (2007) – directed by Robert Ben Garant
Evil Calls: The Raven (2008) – directed by Richard Driscoll
$5 a Day (2008) – directed by Nigel Cole
The Maiden Heist (2009) – directed by Peter Hewitt
Kill the Irishman (2011) – directed by Jonathan Hensleigh
Dark Horse (2012) – directed by Todd Solondz
Life’s a Beach (2012) – directed by Tony Vitals
Seven Psychopaths (2012) – directed by Martin McDonagh
A Late Quartet (2012) – directed by Yaron Zilberman
Stand Up Guys (2012) – directed by Fisher Stevens
The Power of Few (2013) – directed by Leone Marucci
Gods Behaving Badly (2013) – directed by Marc Turtletaub
Turks & Caicos (2014) – directed by David Hare – TV movie
Jersey Boys (2014) – directed by Clint Eastwood
Peter Pan Live (2014) – directed by Rob Ashford & Glenn Weiss – TV movie
One More Time (2015) – directed by Robert Edwards
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser (2015) – directed by Fred Wolf
The Family Fang (2015) – directed by Jason Bateman
Eddie the Eagle (2016)* – directed by Dexter Fletcher
The Jungle Book (2016)* – directed by Jon Favreau
Nine Lives (2016) – directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Father Figures (2017) – directed by Lawrence Sher
Irreplaceable You (2018) – directed by Stephanie Laing
The Jesus Rolls (2019) – directed by and starring John Turturro
The War with Grandpa (2020) – directed by Tim Hill
Percy (2020) – directed by Clark Johnson
Wild Mountain Thyme (2020) – directed by John Patrick Shanley
Dune: Part Two (2024) – directed by Dennis Villeneuve
That’s Amore! (202-) – directed by Nick Vallelonga

Share this: