There can never be enough praise for the absolute icon Christopher Walken is.
Today the actor turns – can you believe it? – 74 years old.
The guy has had such an incredible career and given us such joy that a single list cannot do him justice, especially considering he has over a hundred movie credits to his name.
Still, we’ll do our best to give Christopher Walken the acclaim he deserves.
1. He is an incredible actor
Walken shines in every role he is given, big or small, with some of his amazing credits including The Deer Hunter, The Dogs of War, The Dead Zone, King of New York, and Catch Me If You Can, to name just a handful. He has also played the lead in a number of Shakespeare plays (no easy feat), but perhaps his greatest role to date was his Oscar-winning turn in The Deer Hunter as Nick, in which he starred in one of cinema’s most iconic scenes ever:
2. His comedic timing is brilliant
But Christopher Walken isn’t just a dramatic actor – he is also a terrific comedian. Walken’s appearances on SNL are legendary; there’s a reason he’s hosted it so many times. He’s parodied himself and his movies in numerous sketches, one of the more recent ones depicting a fictional Walken family reunion. He performed opposite Will Ferrell in some of his best-known ones including what in is likely his (and SNL’s) most quoted scene ever, which we all know as "more cowbell":
3. He plays villains dastardly
When he’s not tickling our funny bones, he’s haunting our dreams. He’s even been quoted as saying ‘I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own.’ Walken’s top performances as the baddie include the likes of A View to Kill, Prophecy, Batman Returns, Nick of Time and True Romance. The characters are almost caricature-like in hindsight, but damn does he make them charismatic and exhilarating to watch:
4. Boy, can he dance
Walken initially trained as a dancer in music theatre at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to acting. Fortunately, we got to see the guy strut his stuff in the likes of Wayne’s World 2, Pennies from Heaven, Romance and Cigarettes, and SNL among others, but his most unforgettable dance performance has to be in the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." He also helped choreograph it, FYI:
5. And he sings
While he may not be the strongest vocalist, Walken pulls it off and and makes it work, especially when it comes to musical theatre. He’s delighted audiences by singing during his monologues on SNL and more recently he showed he could still use those chops in Hairspray, Peter Pan Live! and The Jungle Book:
6. He’s been referred to as the King of Cameos
Walken has a similar self-awareness of his persona to the likes of Bill Murray and he’s exploited that to brilliant comedic effect. He has cameoed in the likes of Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, Sleepy Hollow, Mousehunt and True Romance. Our personal favourite has to be that single-shot scene of Pulp Fiction in which he gives an unforgettable monologue as Captain Koons:
7. He’s inspired countless impressions…
Walken is such a unique and recognisable character, possessing a distinctly personalised way of speaking and performing, that he’s highly impressionable. Here are just some of the great impersonations of him:
8. … and memes
Again, this is related to the persona the actor has developed around himself – and his name is pretty meme-able too.
9. He's been described as a delight to work with and an inspiration
Basically, he's just a fantastic all-round guy. Walken has been praised by numerous fellow actors, including Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio. Some popular figures, such as Kat Dennings and Benicio del Toro, have even cited him as a sources of personal inspiration.
10. He’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon
Christopher Walken is currently working on a film called The War with Grandpa, starring his old buddy Robert de Niro and Uma Thurman. Just a few weeks ago it was announced that he’s been cast in Irreplaceable You opposite Steve Coogan, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Game of Thones actor Michiel Huisman. We’re glad to see he’s not Walken away (sorry…) from the industry anytime soon.
