Watch Christopher Walken in his first ever acting role
Known for his diverse roles and distinct cadence, Christopher Walken is one of those actors who — like Jeff Goldblum or Bill Murray — possesses a persona larger than life. One that is, in fact, often more prominent than the screen that frames him.
Ask almost anyone, and there’s a good chance they can attempt the iconic voice of Walken. Fellow actors line up to give their best shot at an impression. There are countless tales and anecdotes from industry players involving the beloved actor. Few have achieved the same immortalisation through the eccentricity of their character to be as treasured off-camera as they are in front of it.
Turning in sensational performances for films such as The Deer Hunter and True Romance, working under the direction of the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg, Walken has worked with the greats and put in the hours, earning himself an Oscar, BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award along the way. But before Christopher Walken, there was Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Walken.
In this rare snippet from 1953, in an opening credits sequence for an NBC show called Wonderful John Acton, we get an invaluable glimpse of Christopher Walken’s first-ever acting role. Set in Ludlow, Kentucky, in 1919, the show follows the trials and tribulations of an Irish-American family, The Actons. Recalling childhood memories, the show’s format has the grandson, Kevin Acton, narrating episodes depicting his coming-of-age years and the story of his Irish immigrant grandfather, the titular John Acton. Aged ten years old, Walken was still credited with his birth name, Ronnie.
Running for 12 episodes of 30 minutes each during the summer of 1953, Wonderful John Acton featured Walken as Kevin throughout the show. Walken wouldn’t grace the cinema screens until 1969, in a minuscule role in Robert Frank’s Me and My Brother, before making a more substantial starring appearance in The Mind Snatchers in Bernard Girard’s 1972 science fiction thriller. Considering we know the impressive and culturally significant acting career that Walken would go on to forge, it feels especially pertinent to see his humble beginnings.
We know that even the most remarkable and widely known actors had to start somewhere, and footage of stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts in their first on-screen roles isn’t too difficult to come by. For someone like Walken, however, with their vast range of performances and long-established status as a legend of cinema, it feels like a particular privilege to watch their fledgling thespian endeavours. To see Walken in his very first role, watch the clip below and keep an eye out for the 02:20 mark.
