When it comes to the most fascinating actors in Hollywood, Christopher Walken is right up there on the list. Considered to be one of the most respected A-list actors around, he also has a reputation for being odd and eccentric. Playing everyone from villains to heroes and appearing in everything from the most intense dramas to the silliest of comedies, he's a tremendously versatile actor with a cult following.
Now 77, Walken is still going strong in his career. But there are a lot of interesting things about his history that fans might not know.
10 He Has Been In Over 100 Films And TV Shows
Walken has been acting since the '70s and has appeared in some really big films like A View to Kill, Batman Returns, Pulp Fiction, and Catch Me If You Can, as well as silly ones like Joe Dirt. But it's incredible to realize that he has actually been in more than 100 films and TV series to date.
The 77-year-old has been consistently busy and active throughout his entire career and shows no signs of slowing down. He has two projects in the works, and most recently appeared in War with Grandpa, The Jesus Rolls, and Irreplaceable You.
9 He Only Has One Academy Award
One would think that given such an illustrious career and A-list actor status, Walken would have more statues to his name. But alas, he has only ever won a single Oscar. It was for Best Supporting Actor for 1978's The Deer Hunter. He was nominated once more in 2003 for Catch Me If You Can.
Beyond Academy Awards, Walken still hasn't gotten the respect he deserves from the awards community. He has only ever been nominated for a single Golden Globe (in 1979 for The Deer Hunter as well) and one Emmy in 1992 for Sarah, Plain and Tall. He has never won either award.
8 He Was One Of The Last People To See Natalie Wood Alive
Actor Natalie Wood passed away by drowning in 1981 under suspicious circumstances while on a boating trip in California. Walken was on that trip and one of the last people to see her alive.
The case was reopened in 2011 and her cause of death was changed from accidental to "undetermined." While Walken has not been considered a suspect in her death, actor Robert Wagner, to whom Wood was married, and who was also on the boat, was named a person of interest in 2018. The investigation is ongoing.
7 He Has A Standing Offer To Host SNL
Walken is reportedly one of only two actors who have a standing offer to host sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live any time they want: the other is Alec Baldwin. Walken has hosted the show seven times. His most famous sketch is a spoof of Behind the Music where he plays record producer Bruce Dickinson who keeps asking the band to add "more cowbell" to the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult.
Other popular sketches include The Continental, where he plays a creepy ladies men who keeps trying to get a neighbor into his apartment; and the Walken Family Reunion where members of the cast impersonate Walken as though they are long lost family members who all have the same voice patterns and mannerisms as him.
6 He Idolized Elvis Presley
Walken refers to The King, Elvis Presley, as his first idol. He so idolized the late musician as a teenager, in fact, that Walken not only modeled his own look after the singer, including the signature pompadour hairstyle he had for many years but also wrote and starred in a 1995 play about the star.
The play, called Him, appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival and looked at things from the perspective of Presley's afterlife. It was not received well by most critics but was clearly a passion project for Walken.
5 His Real Name Is Ronald
It's not uncommon for actors to use stage names, but Walken's is pretty interesting as he swapped a fairly common first name for another very common first name. He was actually born Ronald Walken, named after the actor Ronald Colman.
It was a nightclub owner in 1964 who suggested he change his name to Christopher, simply because she felt it suited him better than Ronnie. Thus, any projects he appeared in prior to that year will see him credited as Ronald or Ronnie Walken.
4 He Is A Trained Dancer
Walken was a child actor in the '50s along with his brothers, but his real passion was actually dancing. He trained as a dancer, in fact, at the Washington Dance Studio and even worked as a dancer at a cabaret nightclub. (The same club owned by the woman who convinced him to change his name.)
But once Walken started going for, and getting, dramatic stage roles, he left his dance career behind.
3 He Worked As A Lion Tamer
Actors have had plenty of boring jobs prior to hitting it big, from office jobs to delivering pizzas, waitressing, and more. But Walken's pre-acting occupation was actually pretty interesting: he worked as a lion tamer in a circus.
He held this job as a teenager and was part of a big act whereby the owner pretended Walken was his son and apprentice. The show involved a dozen lions and the owner, Terrel Jacobs, and Walken would do their thing in matching outfits.
2 He's A Sought-Out Figure For Music Videos
Walken hasn't just acted in films, television, and on stage, he is also a frequent face in music videos. In the '90s, he appeared in two: Madonna's "Bad Girl," where he was the Angel of Death, and in Skid Row's "Breakin' Down."
But his most notable music video appearance was in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" video in 2001, which was directed by Spike Jonze and won six MTV awards. The video begins with Walken sitting in a suit then slowing getting up dancing as he navigates L.A.'s Marriott Hotel. The concept was strange yet simple and is still considered to be one of the best music videos of all time.
1 He Was Considered For The Role Of Han Solo
While it's tough to imagine anyone as Han Solo other than Harrison Ford, there were actors who were considered for the role before he got it. And one such actor was Walken. A then-struggling actor, he auditioned for the role but didn't get it. Some sources, however, say Walken was George Lucas' second choice.
Interestingly, Walken has said that he isn't so choosy about roles, viewing every one that comes his way as a learning experience. He has reportedly only ever turned down roles if was too busy with other projects.