Walken was born Ronald Walken (named after actor Ronald Colman) into a Methodist family in Queens, New York. His mother, Rosalie, was a Scottish immigrant, and his father, Paul Walken, emigrated from Germany. Both of his parents were bakers. Throughout his youth, Walken worked after school in the family bakery, Walken's Bakery, which was situated on Broadway and 30th Street in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York. Walken often worked alongside a young immigrant girl, Lidia Motika, who was interested in learning all about the food business. She grew up to become acclaimed restaurateur and TV cooking show host Lidia Bastianich; the two have remained close ever since.
Influenced by their mother's own dreams of stardom, he and brothers Ken and Glenn were child actors on television in the 1950s. Walken studied at Hofstra University on Long Island, but did not graduate. Walken initially trained as a dancer in musical theatre before moving on to dramatic roles in theatre and then film.
Walken has attracted a strong cult following as an actor. He is often imitated for his deadpan effect, sudden off-beat pauses, and strange speech rhythm. He is revered for his quality of danger and menace, but his unpredictable deliveries and expressions make him invaluable in comedy as well. He has been parodied on Dave the Barbarian by an unusual unicorn named Twinkle. Walken is also noted for turning down movie roles only rarely, having stated in interviews that he will decline a role only if he is simply too busy on other projects to take it. He regards each role as a learning experience.
He is one of the most frequently impersonated actors in Hollywood. Notable Walken impressionists include, Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eddie Izzard, Jay Mohr, Kevin Pollak, and Kevin Spacey. He is also frequently referenced in various other works of pop culture, such as in the Fountains of Wayne song "Hackensack." Walken remains one of the most popular portrayers of villains among film fans, with a page dedicated entirely to him on the movievillains.com website. MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch aired a match between Walken and Gary Oldman to determine who was the greatest cinematic villain. On February 15, 2008, he accepted Harvard's award as Hasty Pudding Man of the Year.
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