Christopher Walken – Bio, Age, Wife, Children, Net Worth, Is He Gay?

Quick Facts

Simply put, Christopher Walken is a living legend. No list of the greatest Hollywood entertainers alive should be deemed complete without the inclusion of his name. Making his foray into the entertainment industry in the 1950s, Walken has served several generations over the course of his career and in recent times remains ever so relevant in the industry, showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. The Academy Award-winning actor began making films in the new millennium and continues to set the precedence for others to follow. Here is an overview of his illustrious career and personal life.

Christopher Walken Bio (Age)

Christopher Walken was born as Ronald “Ronnie” Walken on the 31st of March 1943 in Astoria, New York. He’d come to change his name to Christopher after a friend told him it fitted him better than Ronnie, however, his wife and two brothers still call him Ronnie. Walken was born to Paul Wälken, a bakery owner and Rosalie (née Russell). He has German roots from his father’s lineage and Scottish roots from his mother’s lineage. Together with his brothers, Kenneth and Glenn, Walken was raised as a Methodist.

Christopher Walken’s mother had a lifelong dream of becoming a star, as a result, Walken and his brothers became influenced by this from childhood and all launched careers as child actors. Walken began by appearing as extras in shows in the 1950s. To facilitate his dreams, Walken attended Professional Children’s School and by 1959 had become a professional theater actor.

After starring in a number of stage productions and TV shows, Walken made his first film appearance in The Anderson Tapes (1971). He turned heads with his performance in Annie Hall (1977) and the next year in 1978, he earned his breakthrough with The Deer Hunter, earning an Oscar for Best Actor.

As his career progressed, Christopher Walken earned a reputation among critics for portraying intense eccentric roles, and at some point becoming a typecast villain. Walken’s career rose to new heights in the 80s as he aced a number of challenging roles in The Dead Zone (1983) and the James Bond film, A View to a Kill (1985). His role in the 1991 TV film, Sarah, Plain and Tall, earned him an Emmy nod.

His notable performances in the 90s include Batman Returns, True Romance, and Pulp Fiction. Younger generations became endeared to Christopher Walken thanks to his portrayals in films like Catch Me If You Can (2002), Wedding Crashers (2005), and Hairspray (2007). In more recent years, his films have included Seven Psychopaths (2012), The Jungle Book (2016), and Father Figures (2017).

His Net Worth

Christopher Walken once revealed that he has never turned down any role given to him and as a result, he has starred in well over 100 films and looks to go over 200. Most of his films have been blockbusters and all have a combined gross of over a billion dollars, thus it comes as no surprise that Walken is worth $50 million.

Christopher Walken’s Wife and Children

A long-term successful marriage is not an achievement that many entertainers can boast of, but Walken, of course, is far beyond regular. This actor has remained married to the wife of his youth for decades and counting. In January of 1967, Walken got married to the love of his life (née Thon). Georgianne is a former casting director and the two came to meet in Chicago while Walken toured the “West Side Story“. They have since remained inseparable.

Walken’s wife was born in 1944, making her just a year younger than he is. A casting director from 1990 to 2007, Georgianne is as successful in her career as Walken has been, serving as the casting director for over 80 TV shows mostly working with casting partner Sheila Jaffe. Some of her credits include shows like The Entourage and The Sopranos, the later where she had a minor acting role. The couple acted together in the 1983 science fiction film Brainstorm. Georgianne hails from Wilton, Connecticut, and for years now, she’s been living with Walken in Westport, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. They also own a vacation mansion in Rhode Island.

Christopher Walken and his wife Georgianna, despite being married for donkey years, have no children together. The actor has come to credit his lack of children as the reason why he has been so successful in Hollywood. Both cat lovers, they own one named Bowtie.

Is Christopher Walken Gay?

Walken’s lack of children has caused many to speculate that he is gay, however, his longterm marriage more than proves that his sexual orientation is straight. That said, one could almost wonder if Walken was drawing from a personal experience to play the role of an influential gay man in the 1998 romantic comedy, Illuminata, but it’s nothing of that sort. When you do something for so long, you’re bound to be incredibly good at it and Walken is just a great actor.

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