Christopher Walken's Incredible Career Through The Years

Born on March 31, 1943 in New York, Christopher Walken had already started acting by the 1950's. His career started in theatre, but then shifted into television soon after. Today, Walken has appeared in more than 100 films and has won multiple awards and accolades. Fun fact: his hairstyle is all due to his teen obsession with Elvis Presley growing up, and he hasn't changed it since. 

The Deer Hunter was one of Walken's most prolific roles, where he stars alongside Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. This 1978 war drama earned Walken his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination under the same category. 

In Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992), Walken portrays "Max Shreck", a wealthy business who is just one of the villains of Gotham. The film grossed $266.8 million worldwide against an $80 million budget. Burton was initially skeptical of casting Walken as "Shreck", on the account that the actor scared him, according to the casting director. 

Christopher Walken stars in one of the greatest Tarantino films - Pulp Fiction. In it, he stars as "Captain Koons", a veteran of the Vietnam War. Out of the film's 26 total nominations, the film earned 8 awards, respectively. The movie includes John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis as its main actors.

Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can was one of the big movie hits of 2002. Walken stars opposite Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in the crime drama. The film won rave reviews, and Walken won a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part. 

In 2016, Christopher Walken voiced the orangutan "King Louie" in The Jungle Book. The film is just one of many of Disney's live-action adaptations, including Aladdin and The Lion King. Having grossed over $966 million worldwide, The Jungle Book is currently the 30th highest-grossing film of all time.

Almost unrecognizable, one of Walken's earlier roles was in the western film Heaven's Gate. While the film garnered negative reviews upon its initial release, it has since been edited and revised, gaining more justice as a western. When you're bored and have the time, the edited version is 219 minutes long... yes, that's over 3 hours long. 

As one of the most successful movies of 2005, Walkens surprises viewers in the raunchy comedy, Wedding Crashers. He plays the role of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, "William Clearly", the father of the bride. His daughters in the film are Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher, who face their own troubles with wedding crashers Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.

In 2015, Walken starred alongside Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman in The Family Fang, a comedy-drama that received positive reviews. In it, Walken plays a famous figure, who is also the father of Bateman and Kidman's characters. This artsy film is worthy of checking out!

In 2004, Walken portrayed an absentee father who escapes prison to be reunited with his son and grandson. For his role, Walken won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor –
Motion Picture.