Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor, director and writer. In addition to film, Walken has made a number of television appearances, including periodic guest spots on the nighttime comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. Walken has acted for more than 50 years and has directed for seven.

Christopher Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943 in Queens, NY. The child of immigrants, Walken worked in his parents' store, Walken's Bakery, during his early years. Despite the family's down-to-earth location and livelihood, Walken's Scottish mother, Rosalie, is said to have instilled dreams of stardom in her children. By the 1950s, Walken's two brothers, Ken and Glen, were already child stars on television, and in 1953, following several small roles, Walken landed a regular TV part of his own, narrating on The Wonderful John Acton.

Spurred on by these early successes, Walken continued his education but eventually lost interest in his studies, leaving Long Island-based Hofstra University before he was able to graduate to focus on both dancing and acting as a career. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he continued to win roles in various television productions. It was during this time that the actor changed his billing from Ronnie Walken to his now well-known on screen name, Christopher, and married Georgianne Thon (today, a casting director).

In 1971, the already seasoned actor made his cinematic debut in The Anderson Tapes. The role was a small one, but it placed Walken opposite screen great Sean Connery and was a major step toward making the actor an big-screen presence. The following year, Walken won the part of a sociopathic U.S. soldier in the sci fi movie The Mind Snatchers. The role, in addition to Walken's unusual looks-- very pale skin and large eyes of two different colors, a condition known as heterochromia--and somewhat high-strung on screen presence, set the stage for future eccentric roles for the actor.

Walken's career continued on a high note, with such films as the Woody Allen classic, Annie Hall (1977). Then, in 1978, Walken landed the role that would win him his first Academy award: that of Vietnam veteran Nick Chevotarovich in the hard-hitting and controversial The Deer Hunter. (True to his craft, Walken reportedly underate his way down to a gaunt weight in order to make the role seem more realistic.)

Walken's knack for portraying emotionally disturbed individuals in a wry manner made him an object of fascination among fans and Hollywood moguls alike, and such roles as villain Max Zorin in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill; sexual deviant Robert in The Comfort of Strangers (1990) and crime boss Brad Whitewood in At Close Range (1986) followed his Deer Hunter success. But the versatile actor also had a penchant for humor that began to appear as he accepted such parts as the graphically hilarious Captain Koons in 1994's Pulp Fiction and the tango-dancing star in A Business Affair, also released in 1994.

Today, Walken enjoys something of a cult status among fans, with frequent appearances in Saturday Night Live (including his signature "more cowbell" Blue Oyster Cult persona) and self-parodies on various television shows, such as the cartoon Dave the Barbarian. He continues to act on the big screen, with an amazing 90 film credits to his name. Walken has earned more than 20 acting awards and nominations and in recent years has taken on the role of director to add to his already impressive resume.

The actor currently lives with his wife, Georgianne, in Connecticut.