When Christopher Walken studied to become a lion tamer
Christopher Walken is undoubtedly among the greatest treasures of the film industry, known for his versatile performances in a wide variety of projects. Having worked with talented filmmakers such as Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino, Walken has established himself as a top acting talent, but his background is incredibly diverse.
Born in New York City, Walken’s parents were first-generation immigrants who owned a bakery in the city. Walken has always maintained that his peculiar voice is the result of growing up around his parents, who had heavy accents. Their mannerisms and speech rhythms helped him find his own unique speech patterns.
According to Walken, he and his brothers were influenced by their mother, who wanted her sons to pursue the illusory and elusive myth of stardom. As a result, he worked as a child actor on TV in the 1950s alongside his siblings. In an interview with The Guardian, Walken revealed: “I was one of those kids who was on TV shows. I was in sketches with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Never got paid a cent!”
This was during the Golden Age of Television, and Walken got the opportunity to work on variety shows and anthologies as an extra. It was only after he appeared in a sketch with the iconic duo Martin and Lewis that Walken decided he wanted to become an actor, but his teenage years had a lot of wild experiences.
At one point, Walken even worked as a trainee lion tamer for a travelling circus when he was 16. Although the job lasted for just a month, Walken considers it to be one of the most important experiences in his life. He developed a special bond with the lioness he was assigned to – Sheba – and remembers her fondly.
“I didn’t run away; I just got a job as a trainee lion tamer. Who’s going to turn that down?” Walken mused while talking about the experience. “I would come into the cage and wave my whip, and she’d lazily get up and sit like a dog and maybe give a little roar. I like cats a lot. I’ve always liked cats. They’re great company.”
However, Walken did not take the lion-taming job seriously and left for university. After attending classes at Hofstra University for one year, the actor dropped out to work on his performance art and trained at the Washington Dance Studio before eventually graduating to roles in film and television.
