Trivia

Here you’ll find all sort of Trivia about Christopher Walken and his career. Have fun reading this and feel free to contribute additional trivial information about Christopher Walken if you have any.

 

Career Trivia

 

During the years 1954-1956, Chris alternated with his brother, Glenn Walken, in the role of Mike Bauer on the soap opera Guiding Light.

 

In the early 1960’s he was offered to be one of the three guys dancing and singing in Monique van Vooren sultry nightclub act.

 

Was the first to play King Philip of France on stage for The Lion in Winterin 1966, at the Ambassador Theatre, New York City. He received the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance.

 

 

 

Chris is a member of Saturday Night Live’s prestigious “Five Timers Club”, having hosted the show six times. Along with Alec Baldwin, he has a standing invitation to host the show.

 

He is one of the few hosts of the program who has hosted enough times to have his own recurring skit.

 

 When hosting Saturday Night Live, he likes to sing during his monologues (which has become a crowd pleasing favorite). So when he is co-hosting SNL specials, his introduction song I’m Walkin, Im ‘Talkin, is played.

 

It took two months of rehearsal and two days of shooting for the bar-top dance scene in Pennies From Heaven. Later, he  got compliments from his fans Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

 

Chris’s character,  Nick, in The Deer Hunterhad a very gaunt and hollow look which Chris achieved by eating mainly rice and bananas.

 

 

 In the movie The Dead Zone from 1983, Chris tells his students to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Sixteen years later he played The Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow.

 

When preparing for the role of Max Shreck in Batman Returns he requested from director Tim Burton Tim’ cuff-links made of human molars. He had seen them in a film he’d seen earlier. He got them, and wore them in the film as the villain.

 

 

 In 1993, Chris played the‘Angel of Death’ in Madonna’s music video for Bad Girl. He also appeared in the music video for Skid Row’s song, Breakin’ Down’, and is mentioned in the Fountains of Wayne song, Hackensack.

 

Chris feels that the role of Vanni Corso in A Business Affair which he played in1994 is more like himself than any other character he has ever played.

 

In 1995, Chris wrote and performed in a play about Elvis Presley titled Him. 

 

In 2001, he wrote and directed a short film called Popcorn Shrimp.

 

He appeared on the cover of the US release of Fatboy Slim’s 2006 album, Why Try Harder, The Greatest Hits.

 

Christopher is only the second person in history to be nominated for both Best Supporting Actor from the Oscars, for Catch Me If You Can, and Worst Supporting Actor from the Razzies, for The Country Bears  in the same year,2002. The first was James Coco, who was actually nominated for both awards for the same role in Only When I Laugh in 1981.

 

When filming The Rundown in 2003, Chris had never seen the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and was therefore reluctant to use the phrase “Oompah Loompah” in his final scene. When the director Peter Berg heard about that he gave him a copy of the film, and Chris finally decided to use the phrase.

 

In 2004, Christopher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and that same year planted his hand and footprints in the cement outside the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

 

 

His  character in Sleepy Hollow, The Headless Horseman,  has no speaking lines, only a couple of HAAs to his horse and shhhh.

 

Chris is credited for more than 100 plays and does’t think that a 200-film career is out of the question.

 

He has voiced charactersin numerous video games, the police officer, a friend of Nick Kang and George in the video game True Crime: Streets of LA, and as Gabriel, an FBI agent, in True Crime: New York City.

 

 

                  

Chris has played 3 different characters with the name Max. In A View to a Kill  in 1985,  in Batman Returns in 1992 and in Kiss Toledo Goodbye in 1999.

 

He frequently works with director Tim Burton.

 

He has read Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven for an audio book.

 

He often talked about Sleepy Hollow as his first movie with a kissing scene. But he already had one in The Dead Zone in 1983.

 

In his 35 years in filmhe has rarely turned down a part under the belief that making movies  is always a rewarding experience no matter if it is good or bad.

 

Manages to insert a little dance number into nearly all of his roles, no matter how small, scripted or not.

 

He has confessed to not researching his role in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can - he had little prior knowledge of the story, but Chris is convinced his performance wasn’t impaired by his reluctance to prepare for his part as Frank Abagnale Sr.

 

Over the years Chris has been considered for many great parts :

 

    In 1970 Chris tried out for the romantic lead in Love Story but did not get it.

   In 1974 it was the role of Andy in Dead of Night, a horror movie.

   Chris was George Lucas’ second choice for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars in 1977.

  

  in 1997 Chris was considered for the role of Number Two in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

    He was also considered for the role of Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

 

 

He has also turned down parts, like the role of Dave Kujan in The Usual Suspects and the role of ‘Jack’ (the father) in Meet the Parents.

 

 

Trivia - Various Subjects:

 

His parents gave him the name Ronald, for actor Ronald Colman. His nickname’s are both Ronnie and Chris.

 

Chris first appeared as a — as a baby model on an calender.

 

At age 10 Chris was influenced to make show business his career after meeting Jerry Lewis on “The Colgate Comedy Hour” where Lewis and Dean Martin were guest hosts.

 

Chris’s dream was to study dancing. He attended Hofstra University for one year but dropped out after landing an off-Broadway musical, “Best Foot Forward” in 1963. His brother Glenn Walken also had a part in the musical.

 

 Chris’s brother’s Glenn and Ken Walken are also actors.

 

When he was only 15  years old he had a job as a lion tamer in a circus.

 

He attended the Professional Children’s School as a child which is for students who are preparing for careers in entertainment.

 

 When Chris was 21 he changed his name from Ronald to Christopher. A friend of his thought it suited him better but now he thinks it sounds “like a sneeze” so nowadays he prefers to be known informally as “Chris Walken”.

 

 In 1980, Chris was assaulted in New York when he asked two men to turn down their music. His nose was broken in the incident.

 

In 1998, he was mugged at the Venice airport, with his The Prophecy II script being stolen, along with his glasses, keys, drivers licence, and $100 in cash. All his items were found, except for the money of cause.

 

 

He danced with Judy Garland at Liza Minnelli’s 16th birthday party.

 

 

 Chris is portrayed by Malcolm Kennard in The Mystery of Natalie Wood.

 

Chris met his wife Georgianne, while touring with West Side Story. They married in 1969 and Georgianne went on to be the casting agent for The Sopranos.

 

Chris has different-colored eyes one is blue and the other one is hazel. This condition is known as heterochromia.

 

Chris was on Natalie Wood’s (Brainstorm) yacht with Robert Wagner ( her husband) the night she drowned.

 

 He is a fan of horror films that feature zombies.

 

He is 6′ 0½” (1.84 m) tall.

 

He does not own a cell phone or a computer.

 

Has never learned to swim.

 

He lives in his house in the country, while his wife lives in their New York apartment. Walken says the only people he sees when he is not working are the garbage men.

 

His wife, Georgianne, and his brothers, Ken & Glenn, still call him Ronnie.

 

Chris has a phobia of going too fast in cars and has an intense dislike of handguns.

 

Chris was the subject of a hoax when a website posted a number of fictitious political quotes from him, claiming he was running for President of the United States.

 

He enjoys coking and is a very skilled chef.

 

Is amazed that so many people imitate him. Famous actors such as Kevin Spacey at the Oscars, as well as his old friends, enjoy speaking in the screen legend’s well-known tones.

 

His mother was Scottish-American and his father was a German baker.

 

Ranked #1 on Tropopkin’s Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100]

 

 

Trivia - Nominations, Awards and Honors:

 

 

Nominated for ‘Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role’ at Golden Globe Awards for The Deer Hunter (1979)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at BAFTA Film Award for The Deer Hunter (1980)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at Saturn Award’s for The Dead Zone (1984)

 

 Nominated for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special’ at Emmy Award’s for Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at Saturn Award’s for The Prophecy (1996)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Villain’ at MTV Movie Award’s for Sleepy Hollow (2000)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at Saturn Award’s for Sleepy Hollow (2000)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Actor at Tony Award (Musical)’ for James Joyce’s The Dead (2000)

 

Nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at Academy Award for Catch Me if You Can (2003)

 

Nominated for ‘Worst Supporting Actor’ at Razzie Award for The Country Bears (2003)

 

Nominated for ‘Worst Supporting Actor’ at Razzie Award for Gigli (2004)

 

Nominated for  ‘Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture’ at Screen Actors Guild Award for Hairspray (2008)

 

 Received the Shakespeare Theater’s Will Award for his contributions to classical theater  (1994)

 

Won the Clarence Derwent Award for The Lion in Winter (1966)

 

Won the Obie Award for Kid Champion (1975)

 

Won the NYFCC Award ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for The Deer Hunter (1978)

 

Won the Academy Award ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for The Deer Hunter (1979)

 

Won the Independent Feature Program at Gotham Award  (1995)

 

Won1997 - Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema ‘Special Mention’ for his acting performance in  The Addiction.

 

Won the Magnolia Award ‘Best Actor’ for Deadline (1998)

 

Won 1998 - Master Screen Artist Tribute

 

In 2001 Christopher won an MTV Video Music Award for choreographing his own moves in Fatboy Slim’s Weapon Of Choice video.

 

Won the American Comedy Award for ‘Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series’ for Saturday Night Live (2001)

 

 Won the BAFTA Film Award ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role’ for Catch Me if You Can (2003)

 

Won the NSFC Award ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for Catch Me if You Can (2003)

 

Won the Screen Actors Guild Award ‘Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role’ for Catch Me if You Can (2003)

 

Won 2003 - ShoWest Award ‘Supporting Actor of the Year’

 

Won the Montréal World Film Festival ‘Best Actor’ for Around the Bend (2004)

 

Won 2005 - CineVegas International Film Festival Marquee Award

 

Won the Golden Satellite Award for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama’ for Around the Bend (2005)

 

Won the Hollywood Film Award for ‘Ensemble of the Year’ for Hairspray

 

Was named ‘Man of the Year’ by Harvard University’s cross-dressing comedy troupe, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. (February 15, 2008)