Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken, March 31, 1943) is an American actor of screen and stage who has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, including Annie Hall (1977), The Deer Hunter(1978), The Dogs of War (1980), The Dead Zone (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), Batman Returns (1992), True Romance (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), Antz (1998), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Hairspray (2007), Seven Psychopaths (2012), the first three Prophecy films, The Jungle Book (2016), as well as music videos by many popular recording artists. Walken has received a number of awards and nominationsduring his career, including winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Nikanor "Nick" Chebotarevich in The Deer Hunter. He was nominated for the same award and won BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance as Frank Abagnale Sr. in Catch Me If You Can.
Walken's films have grossed more than $1 billion in the United States. He has also played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Coriolanus. He is a popular guest-host of Saturday Night Live, having hosted seven times. His most notable roles on the show include record producer Bruce Dickinson in the "More Cowbell" sketch, the double-entendre-named, disgraced Confederate officer Colonel Angus and, in multiple appearances, The Continental.
Walken debuted as a film director and scriptwriter with the short film Popcorn Shrimp in 2001. He also wrote and acted the main role in a play about his idol Elvis Presley, titled Him, in 1995.