Christopher Walken is an American actor who portrays the character of Shaddam Corrino IV in the 2024 film Dune: Part Two.
General overview[]
When he was 15, a girlfriend showed Walken a magazine photo of Elvis Presley and Walken later said, "This guy looked like a Greek god. Then I saw him on television. I loved everything about him." He changed his hairstyle to imitate Presley and has not changed it since.[1] As a teenager, he worked as a lion tamer in a circus.[2] Walken initially trained as a dancer at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to dramatic stage roles and then film. Since his breakthrough, Walken has appeared in films in various genres, both in lead and supporting roles.[3]
Some of Walken's credits include A View to a Kill (1985), At Close Range (1986), The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Prophecy (1995, and its two sequels), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Hairspray (2007), on film. He has also provided voice work for the animated films Antz (1998) and The Jungle Book (2016) respectively. On television, Walken starred in television series The Outlaws (2021–), and Severance (2022–), the latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nomination. As a stage actor, Walken starred with Irene Worth in a 1975 Broadway revival of "Sweet Bird of Youth." Walken has played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus. His performance in the original rendition of James Joyce's The Dead (2000), earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane (2010). He also wrote and played the lead role in the 1995 play Him, about his idol Elvis Presley.[4]
In May 2022, Walken joined the cast as Shaddam IV.[5]
Trivia[]
- Christopher Walken famously appeared in the music video for "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim. The song's lyrics contain several references to Dune ("Don't be shocked by the tone of my voice. Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice" and "Walk without rhythm, It won't attract the worm").
External links[]
Christopher Walken on the Internet Movie Database
Christopher Walken on Wikipedia
References[]
- ↑ Christopher Walken A to Z - Internet Archive
- ↑ Christopher Walken Isn’t as Weird as You Think - NY Times
- ↑ Cinema's unforgettable character actors - The Guardian
- ↑ [https://web.archive.org/web/20100626102218/http://www.celebratingchristopherwalken.com/him_review.htm/ VILLAGE VOICE/PERSONALISMS BYLINE: Michael Feingold - Celebrating Christopher Walken]
- ↑ Christopher Walken Joins Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya in ‘Dune: Part Two’ - Hollywood Reporter