Christopher Walken

Ronald Walken (born March 31, 1943), known professionally as Christopher Walken, is an American film and television actor best known for playing menacing or psychologically damaged characters.

He was born in Queens, New York, and has been married to his wife, Georgianne Walken, since 1969.

He has been in close to a hundred movies and television shows since 1953, including The Dead Zone (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), Batman Returns (1991) True Romance (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Catch Me if You Can (2002). He was George Lucas' second choice for Han Solo after Harrison Ford. He also has won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Deer Hunter (1978) where he played alongside Robert De Niro. He was nominated again in 2002 for Catch Me if You Can.

A graduate of the Actor's Studio, Walken initially studied to be a dancer, and tries to work a dance scene into every movie he's in. Recently, he tried his hand at writing and directing with Popcorn Shrimp in 2001.

He's also a frequent guest on Saturday Night Live where he has a recurring character and sketch called The Continental.

In 2002, Walken was featured in a music video for the song "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim in which he impressed many viewers with his dancing skills. The video was directed by Spike Jonze and has become a cult favorite.

Quotes

• "I'm the malevolent WASP."

• "Guess what!?! I gotta fever!....And the only prescription is more cowbell."- As a producer working on Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper", on SNL