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Q: Has Christopher Walken ever been on Broadway?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Not only has film actor Christopher Walken appeared on Broadway, he actually appeared there first.

With his off-beat delivery and not-quite-leading-man looks, it seems like a cinch that film star Christopher Walken was not a Hollywood creation.

And indeed, prior to his first feature-film role (a tiny part in 1969's "Me and My Brother"), he had already made a name for himself in New York's legendary theater industry.

He had a head start, though, having attended the prestigious Professional Children's School, a performing arts school for children from grades 6 to 12. He began touring in plays immediately after leaving the school at age 18 and only started in film in his mid-20s (by the time of his breakout role, in 1977's "Annie Hall," he was already 34).

Though he's now an established film star, Walken has continued to return to Broadway periodically. He most recently appeared in a 2010 production of "A Behanding in Spokane," written by Martin McDonagh. The two worked together again in 2012 on the film "Seven Psychopaths," written and directed by McDonagh.

Here's an interesting piece of trivia: Walken's real first name is Ronald, by which he was credited for his first few stage roles. He changed it at the whim of someone he was performing with in a nightclub act, according to Biography.com. "Now I wish I'd picked a shorter name," he said, "because when I see my name in print, it looks like a freight train."

 

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