Born:
March 31, 1943
in
New York
Best Known For:
Scene-stealing roles in a number of films.
Early-life:
Born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, in Astoria, New York. His father, a baker, was German, his mother was Scottish, and he has two brothers. All three boys had modelling and acting careers as children, and made appearances on various popular TV shows. Meeting comedy actor Jerry Lewis, while filming one of them, persuaded Walken to tackle acting full-time. After attending the Professional Children's School, he studied dance at Hofstra University, but dropped out to take a role in musical Best Foot Forward in 1963.
Career:
For the next few years, Walken appeared in musical productions. After 1966's Barefoot in Athens, small roles in The Anderson Tapes and Annie Hall followed. His big break came in 1978 when he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Deer Hunter. He's been in demand ever since. Other films include A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, True Romance, Pulp Fiction and Catch Me If You Can. He continues to be an in-demand character actor, excelling in both comedy and serious drama. Dancing in Fat Boy Slim video Weapon of Choice introduced him to a new generation of fans. More recent work includes Wedding Crashers, Man of the Year, Hairspray and Seven Psychopaths.
Quote:
"I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own."
Trivia:
He worked briefly as a lion tamer in a circus at the age of 15.