01of 18Christopher Walken’s Life in PhotosAl Barry/Three Lions/GettyBorn Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Walken on March 31, 1943, in Queens, New York, the future Oscar-winning actor got his start as a child star in the 1950s. In celebration of his 80th birthday, we’re looking back at some of his most memorable roles and moments, from his award-winning turn as a Vietnam veteran inThe Deer Hunterto a billionaire Bond villain inA View to Kill.
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Christopher Walken’s Life in Photos
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Born Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Walken on March 31, 1943, in Queens, New York, the future Oscar-winning actor got his start as a child star in the 1950s. In celebration of his 80th birthday, we’re looking back at some of his most memorable roles and moments, from his award-winning turn as a Vietnam veteran inThe Deer Hunterto a billionaire Bond villain inA View to Kill.
02of 18Christopher Walken’s First Acting RoleOrlando /Three Lions/GettyWalken’s small screen debut came in 1953, as young Kevin in the sitcomThe Wonderful John Acton,which followed his character’s Irish-American family living in Kentucky.
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Christopher Walken’s First Acting Role
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Walken’s small screen debut came in 1953, as young Kevin in the sitcomThe Wonderful John Acton,which followed his character’s Irish-American family living in Kentucky.
03of 18Christopher Walken Learning LinesHulton Archive/GettyHere, Walken is captured memorizing lines in the mid-’60s. His first film role was in 1969’sMe and My Brother; almost a decade passed before his big break arrived with his portrayal of Diane Keaton’s tortured younger brother in 1977’sAnnie Hall.“Even when I was young, it was very difficult for me to learn lines. Some actors pick up a script and seem to know the part. For me, it’s tedious and endless. Laurence Olivier used to call it pounding lines. That’s what it is. You’re pounding them into your head,” Walken toldThe New York Times.
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Christopher Walken Learning Lines
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Here, Walken is captured memorizing lines in the mid-’60s. His first film role was in 1969’sMe and My Brother; almost a decade passed before his big break arrived with his portrayal of Diane Keaton’s tortured younger brother in 1977’sAnnie Hall.
“Even when I was young, it was very difficult for me to learn lines. Some actors pick up a script and seem to know the part. For me, it’s tedious and endless. Laurence Olivier used to call it pounding lines. That’s what it is. You’re pounding them into your head,” Walken toldThe New York Times.
04of 18Christopher Walken on ActingJack Mitchell/Getty"There’s nothing I can be other than an actor," Walken, photographed here in 1973, toldThe New York Times.“Somebody said to me once that I was foreign,” he told the outlet, adding, “And I think, Yes, I come from the country of show business. There aren’t many people like me.”
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Christopher Walken on Acting
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“There’s nothing I can be other than an actor,” Walken, photographed here in 1973, toldThe New York Times.
“Somebody said to me once that I was foreign,” he told the outlet, adding, “And I think, Yes, I come from the country of show business. There aren’t many people like me.”
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Christopher Walken Wins an Oscar
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06of 18Christopher Walken and His ‘Deer Hunter’ Costarsilver Screen Collection/GettyHere, he’s seen withDeer Huntercostars Robert De Niro, Chuck Aspegren, John Savage and John Cazale.
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Christopher Walken and His ‘Deer Hunter’ Costars
ilver Screen Collection/Getty
Here, he’s seen withDeer Huntercostars Robert De Niro, Chuck Aspegren, John Savage and John Cazale.
07of 18Christopher Walken’s Lasting LoveRon Galella/GETTYThe actor has been married for more than 50 years to his wife Georgianne, an Emmy Award-winning casting director for hit HBO series includingThe SopranosandEntourage.The pair met in the ’60s and have worked together throughout their careers on films likeBrainstorm. The couple does not have children.
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Christopher Walken’s Lasting Love
The actor has been married for more than 50 years to his wife Georgianne, an Emmy Award-winning casting director for hit HBO series includingThe SopranosandEntourage.The pair met in the ’60s and have worked together throughout their careers on films likeBrainstorm. The couple does not have children.
08of 18Christopher Walken’s Relationship to Natalie WoodGETTYThe actor was on board the yacht with hisBrainstormcostar and friend Natalie Wood and her husband Robert Wagner the night that she drowned in 1981. He’s rarely spoken out about the tragic event, tellingPEOPLEpreviously, “I don’t know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing.”
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Christopher Walken’s Relationship to Natalie Wood
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The actor was on board the yacht with hisBrainstormcostar and friend Natalie Wood and her husband Robert Wagner the night that she drowned in 1981. He’s rarely spoken out about the tragic event, tellingPEOPLEpreviously, “I don’t know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing.”
09of 18Christopher Walken Becomes a Bond VillainSunset Boulevard/Corbis/GETTYOne of Walken’s best-known roles is as Bond villain Max Zorin in 1985’sA View to Kill.Here, he’s seen in character alongside costar Grace Jones.
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Christopher Walken Becomes a Bond Villain
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One of Walken’s best-known roles is as Bond villain Max Zorin in 1985’sA View to Kill.Here, he’s seen in character alongside costar Grace Jones.
10of 18Christopher Walken Filming with Robert RedfordSunset Boulevard/GettyDressed up as a farmer, Walken is seen on the set of 1988’sThe Milagro Beanfield Waralongside director Robert Redford.
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Christopher Walken Filming with Robert Redford
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Dressed up as a farmer, Walken is seen on the set of 1988’sThe Milagro Beanfield Waralongside director Robert Redford.
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Christopher Walken Plays a Farmer
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Christopher Walken Does the Late Night Talk Show Circuit
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13of 18Christopher Walken and Costar Leonardo DiCaprioJeff Kravitz/FilmMagicWalken earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Frank Abagnale Sr., the father ofLeonardo DiCaprio’s con man character in 2002’sCatch Me If You Can.
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Christopher Walken and Costar Leonardo DiCaprio
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Walken earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Frank Abagnale Sr., the father ofLeonardo DiCaprio’s con man character in 2002’sCatch Me If You Can.
14of 18Christopher Walken Wins a SAG AwardL. Cohen/WireImageWhile he didn’t take home the Oscar, Walken did earn a Screen Actors Guild award for best supporting actor for his role inCatch Me If You Can.
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Christopher Walken Wins a SAG Award
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While he didn’t take home the Oscar, Walken did earn a Screen Actors Guild award for best supporting actor for his role inCatch Me If You Can.
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Lincoln Center Honors Christopher Walken
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16of 18Christopher Walken Cements His StatusFrazer Harrison/GettyPals Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Pollak showed support for Walken at a Hollywood hand and footprints ceremony honoring him at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Oct. 8, 2004.
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Christopher Walken Cements His Status
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Pals Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Pollak showed support for Walken at a Hollywood hand and footprints ceremony honoring him at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Oct. 8, 2004.
17of 18Christopher Walken Gets a ‘Deer Hunter’ ReunionMike Coppola/GettyWalken reunited with hisDeer Huntercostars Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep at the 2017 Chaplin Award Gala in New York City.
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Christopher Walken Gets a ‘Deer Hunter’ Reunion
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Walken reunited with hisDeer Huntercostars Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep at the 2017 Chaplin Award Gala in New York City.
18of 18Christopher Walken Returns to the OscarsCraig Sjodin via Getty ImagesWalken made an appearance at the 2018 Oscars to present Alexandre Desplat with the award for Original Score forThe Shape of Water.
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Christopher Walken Returns to the Oscars
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Walken made an appearance at the 2018 Oscars to present Alexandre Desplat with the award for Original Score forThe Shape of Water.
source: people.com
