1950s–1960s As a child, Walken appeared on screen as an
extra in numerous
anthology series and
variety shows during the
Golden Age of Television. He landed a regular role in the 1953 television show
Wonderful John Acton, playing the part of Kevin Acton. During this time, he was credited as Ronnie Walken. Over the next two years, he appeared frequently on television, and had a thriving career in theater. From 1954 to 1956, Walken and his brother Glenn originated the role of Michael Bauer on the soap opera
The Guiding Light. In 1963, he appeared as a character named Chris in an episode of
Naked City, starring
Paul Burke. In 1964, he changed his first name to Christopher at the suggestion of
Monique van Vooren, who had a nightclub act in which Walken was a dancer. She believed the name suited him better than nickname Ronnie, which he was credited as until then. He prefers to be called Chris instead of Christopher. In 1968, he played Lysander in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet'' at the
Stratford Festival in Canada. He appeared in the made-for-TV movies
Barefoot in Athens (1966) and
The Three Musketeers (1969), and made his feature film debut in
Me and My Brother (1969), a low-budget production that also featured
Sam Shepard.
1970s In 1970, Walken guest starred as Navy SP Walt Kramer in
Hawaii Five-O season 2 episode 17, "Run, Johnny, Run". Walken also starred in the Off-Broadway production of
Lanford Wilson's
Lemon Sky opposite
Charles Durning and
Bonnie Bartlett. Later that year Walken received the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Walken's first major studio film 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 played his first starring role. In this
science fiction film, which deals with
mind control and
normalization, he plays a
sociopathic U.S. soldier stationed in Germany.
Paul Mazursky's 1976 film
Next Stop, Greenwich Village had Walken, under the name "Chris Walken", playing the charismatic and promiscuous fictional poet Robert Fulmer. In
Woody Allen's 1977 film
Annie Hall (in which his surname was misspelled "Wlaken" in the end credits), Walken played Duane, the borderline crazy brother of Annie Hall (
Diane Keaton). Also in 1977, Walken had a minor role as
Eli Wallach's partner in
The Sentinel. In 1978, he appeared in
Shoot the Sun Down, a
western filmed in 1976 that costarred
Margot Kidder. Along with
Nick Nolte and
Burt Reynolds, Walken was considered by
George Lucas for the part of
Han Solo in
Star Wars; the part ultimately went to
Harrison Ford. In 1977, Walken also guest-starred in an episode of
Kojak as robber Ben Wiley. Walken won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in
Michael Cimino's 1978 film
The Deer Hunter, in which he played a
Pennsylvania steelworker emotionally destroyed by the
Vietnam War. To help achieve his character's gaunt appearance before the third act, Walken consumed only bananas, water and rice for a month.
1980s Walken's first film of the 1980s was the controversial ''
Heaven's Gate, also directed by Cimino. Walken also starred in the 1981 action adventure The Dogs of War'', directed by
John Irvin. He surprised many critics and filmgoers with his intricate tap-dancing striptease in
Herbert Ross's musical
Pennies from Heaven (1981). In 1982, he played a socially awkward but gifted theater actor in the film adaptation of
Kurt Vonnegut's
short story Who Am I This Time? opposite
Susan Sarandon. Walken then played schoolteacher-turned-
psychic Johnny Smith in
David Cronenberg's 1983
adaptation of
Stephen King's
The Dead Zone. That same year, Walken also starred in
Brainstorm alongside
Natalie Wood and (in a minor role) his wife,
Georgianne. In 1985, Walken played a
James Bond villain,
Max Zorin, in
A View to a Kill,
Roger Moore's last appearance as Bond. Walken dyed his hair blond to befit Zorin's origins as a
Nazi experiment.
At Close Range (1986) starred Walken as Brad Whitewood, a rural Pennsylvania
crime boss who tries to bring his 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 played the role of Federal Agent Kyril Montana in
The Milagro Beanfield War. He also played the leading role of
Whitley Strieber in 1989's
Communion, an autobiographical film written by Strieber. It was based on claims that he and his friends were subject to visitations by unknown, other-worldly entities variously identified as "aliens" or "visitors". That same year, Walken appeared in the film
Homeboy, which was written by and featured Mickey Rourke in the titular role. In 1989, he played the lead role of "Puss" in the Cannon theater group's musical version of
Puss in Boots.
1990s on the set of
Celluloide (1996)
The Comfort of Strangers, an
art house film directed by
Paul Schrader, features Walken as Robert, a decadent Italian
aristocrat with extreme sexual tastes and murderous tendencies who lives with his wife (
Helen Mirren) in
Venice.
King of New York (1990), directed by
Abel Ferrara, stars Walken as ruthless New York City
drug dealer Frank White, a recently released prisoner set on reclaiming his criminal territory. In 1991, Walken starred in
Sarah, Plain and Tall as Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer. In 1992, Walken played villain millionaire industrialist Max Shreck in
Batman Returns. In January 1993, he appeared in
Madonna's music video for her hit single "
Bad Girl" (directed by
David Fincher). Walken also played Bobby, Cassandra's producer, in ''
Wayne's World 2''. Walken's next major film role was opposite
Dennis Hopper in
True Romance, scripted by
Quentin Tarantino. Walken later had a supporting role in Tarantino's
Pulp Fiction as a Vietnam veteran named Captain Koons. Later in 1994, Walken starred in
A Business Affair, a rare leading role for him in a romantic comedy. Walken manages to once again feature his trademark dancing scene as he performs the
tango. In 1995, he appeared in ''
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Wild Side, The Prophecy and the modern vampire flick The Addiction, which was his second collaboration with director Abel Ferrara and writer Nicholas St. John. He also 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 play written by Walken, and about his idol Elvis in the afterlife, featured in the New York Shakespeare Festival. The New York Times'' gave a somewhat positive review of his "most cheering and refreshingly absurd invention" of retelling Presley's death as a disappearing act that enabled him to flee to Morocco for a sex change to become "her" in a "woozily conceived, fantastical new play...in the sharpness and wit of writing and in the performances by Mr. Walken and Mr. Heyman." Walken made an appearance in the music video for
Skid Row's "
Breakin' Down". In the 1996 film
Last Man Standing, Walken plays a
sadistic gangster named Hickey. That year, he played a prominent role in the video game
Ripper, portraying Detective Vince Magnotta.
Ripper made extensive use of real-time recorded scenes and a wide cast of celebrities in an
interactive film. In 1996 Walken also appeared in the Italian film
Celluloide as US Officer Rod Geiger and played the role of Ray in the
Abel Ferrara crime-drama film
The Funeral. In 1997, Walken starred in the comedy films
Touch and
Excess Baggage and had a minor role in the film
Mouse Hunt. He also appeared in the drama/thriller film
Suicide Kings, which was also filled with suspense and humor. In 1998, Walken played an influential gay New York theater critic in
John Turturro's film
Illuminata. The same year he voiced Colonel/General Cutter in the animated film
Antz. In 1999, he played James Houston in
Vendetta, an
HBO original film based on the
March 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings. In the same year, Walken appeared in the romantic comedy
Blast from the Past portraying Calvin Webber, a brilliant but eccentric
Caltech nuclear physicist whose fears of a
nuclear war lead him to build an enormous fallout shelter beneath his suburban home. The same year, 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 with
Blair Brown, in ''
James Joyce's The Dead on Broadway. A "play with music", The Dead
featured music by Shaun Davey, conducted by Charles Prince, with music coordination and percussion by Tom Partington. James Joyce's The Dead'' ran for 24 previews and 120 performances and won the
Tony Award for Best Book for a Musical. Walken had a music video performance in 2001 with
Fatboy Slim's "
Weapon of Choice". Directed by
Spike Jonze, it won six MTV awards in 2001 and—in a list of the top 100 videos of all time compiled from a survey of musicians, directors and music industry figures conducted by UK music TV channel
VH1—won Best Video of All Time in April 2002. In the video, Walken dances and flies around the lobby of the
Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles; Walken also helped choreograph the dance. Also in 2001, Walken played a gangster who was in the
witness protection program in the
David Spade comedy
Joe Dirt and an eccentric film director in ''
America's Sweethearts. Also in 2001, Walken played Lieutenant Macduff in Scotland, PA'', a loose film adaptation of
Shakespeare's
Macbeth. In 2002, Walken played Mike in the film
Poolhall Junkies and played Frank Abagnale Sr. in
Catch Me If You Can, which is inspired by the story of
Frank Abagnale Jr., a con artist who passed himself off as several identities and forged millions of dollars' worth of checks. For his performance, he received a second
Academy Award nomination and won a
BAFTA and
Actor Award. Walken also had a part in the 2003 action comedy film
The Rundown, starring
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and
Seann William Scott, in which he plays a ruthless
despot. He was nominated for a
Razzie (Worst Supporting Actor) in 2002's
The Country Bears and in two 2003 films,
Gigli and
Kangaroo Jack. Walken also starred 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 dancing scene as he portrays an absentee father who has fled prison to reunite with his father, his son and the grandson he never knew before dying. Walken played the role of Paul Rayburn in 2004's
Man on Fire, where, when speaking about the imminent destructive actions of John Creasy (
Denzel Washington), his character states: "A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Creasy's art is death. He's about to paint his masterpiece." Also in 2004, Walken played Mike in the film
The Stepford Wives. In 2005, he played Mark Heiss in the film
Domino and the role of Secretary Cleary in the film
Wedding Crashers. In 2006, he played Morty, a sympathetic inventor who is more than meets the eye, in the comedy/drama
Click and also appeared in
Man of the Year with
Robin Williams and
Lewis Black. He co-starred in the 2007 film adaptation
Hairspray, wherein he is seen singing and dancing in a romantic duet with
John Travolta and portrayed the eccentric but cruel crime lord and
Ping-Pong enthusiast Feng in the 2007 comedy action film
Balls of Fury opposite
Dan Fogler. Walken was in the film
Five Dollars a Day (2008), in which he plays a con man proud of living like a king on $5 a day.
The Maiden Heist, a comedy co-starring
Morgan Freeman,
William H. Macy and Walken about security guards in an art museum, debuted at the
Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2009. Walken also starred in
Universal Studios Florida's "
Disaster!" theme park attraction, which opened in 2008 and closed in 2015. He portrayed Frank Kincaid, the fictional CEO of "Disaster Studios" who encouraged guests to be extras in his latest film. In the attraction's pre-show, Walken was projected on a clear screen, much like a life-size 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 a
Tony Award nomination for
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. He had a small voice role in
NBC sitcom
30 Rock, in the "
Audition Day" episode. In 2011, he played the role of
Jewish-American loan shark
Alex "Shondor" Birns in the film based on the life of gangster
Danny Greene,
Kill the Irishman. In 2012, Walken reunited with McDonagh for the British-American crime comedy film
Seven Psychopaths and also played the founder and leader of a string quartet in
A Late Quartet. Walken costarred with
Al Pacino and
Alan Arkin in the film
Stand Up Guys, a story about aging gangsters 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. In 2013, Walken became the protagonist in the campaign "Made From Cool" by Jack & Jones. In 2014, he appeared in
Turks & Caicos. Walken appears as
Gyp DeCarlo in the 2014 film
Jersey Boys. In 2014, Walken played
Captain Hook in the NBC production
Peter Pan Live! In 2015, Walken starred in the film
When I Live My Life Over Again and played the role of Clem for the second time in the
David Spade comedy
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser. In 2016, he voiced
King Louie in the CGI-live action adaptation of Disney's
The Jungle Book, directed by
Jon Favreau. He also recorded a cover of Louie's song "
I Wan'na Be Like You", which he sings in the film as well as on the soundtrack. Also that year, he appeared in
Dexter Fletcher's
Eddie the Eagle and
Barry Sonnenfeld's
Nine Lives. In 2017, Walken replaced
Bill Irwin in the role of Walter Tinkler in the critically panned
Father Figures. The following year, he played Myron in the
Netflix film
Irreplaceable You.
2020s In 2021, Walken appeared as Frank in the
BBC One/
Amazon Prime Video comedy
The Outlaws., as well as in the second series broadcast in 2022. In 2022, he had a supporting role as Burt Goodman, the severed chief of the Optics and Design division in the
Apple TV+ series
Severance. For his performance, he was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Walken next portrayed
Emperor Shaddam IV in the 2024 film
Dune: Part Two. The film received critical acclaim and
SlashFilm wrote: "It's a treat to watch Walken work — he shows up, delivers his ominous lines with a whisper, and wipes the floor with anyone he's acting against. Show 'em how it's done, Christopher Walken." ==Legacy and reputation==