Hollywood heavyweight Christopher Walken continues to captivate audiences, gaining a fresh wave of fans through his portrayal of the kindly Burt Goodman in Apple TV+’s Severance.

His character, a mild-mannered Optics and Design worker at Lumon Industries, and his romance with Irving (John Turturro) has kept viewers gripped. Many are eager to learn more about the 81 year old actor’s life off-screen.

Born in New York City in 1943, Walken has led an extraordinary life and career since he first entered show business as a child actor at just five years old. Originally named Ronald Walken, he was encouraged to adopt the name Christopher by actress and singer Monique van Vooren while working as a dancer for her nightclub act. In his teens, he trained as a lion tamer at a circus.

He has worked alongside industry giants such as Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino. His breakthrough role came as troubled Vietnam veteran Nick Chevotarevich in The Deer Hunter, earning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Over the decades, he has amassed numerous accolades and award nominations. Some of his most notable projects include James Bond movie A View to a Kill, Pulp Fiction, Catch Me If You Can, The Prophecy, Batman Returns, King of New York, True Romance, Man on Fire, and The Dogs of War, among many others, reports the Mirror.

Christopher Walken’s illustrious career has spanned various genres, from horror in Sleepy Hollow to musicals in Hairspray and romantic comedies Wedding Crashers. The actor also featured as the angel of death in Madonna’s 1993 music video for Bad Girl and showcased his dancing skills in Fatboy Slim’s 2001 music video for Weapon of Choice.

He has lent his voice to animated films such as Antz and The Jungle Book (2016). Recently, he appeared in Dune: Part Two and the TV series The Outlaws, and according to IMDb, he is set to feature in That’s Amore!, which is currently in pre-production.

Walken is married to former casting director Georgianne Thon, whom he met in the early 1960s and wed in 1969. The couple does not have any children, a fact that Walken says allowed him to focus on his work.

In a recent interview, Walken revealed that Burt is the first gay character he has portrayed on screen, but added that it wasn’t a “big deal”. Speaking to The Independent, he said: “The truth is that I don’t really make a distinction there. Straight? Gay? That’s never been very interesting to me. People love each other.”

Reflecting on his friendship with fellow Severance star John Turturro, 67, Walken likened their relationship to that of a “married couple in real life”, having first met at a Yale Drama School party in the early 1980s.

In addition to his acting career, Walken was the subject of an internet hoax in 2006 when it was falsely announced on a forum that he would be running for President of the United States. A fake website claiming to be his official campaign site was even set up in 2005, sending his fans into a frenzy with the false news.

However, Walken’s publicist quickly dismissed these claims. Interestingly, despite starring in a show like Severance where sinister technology is central to the plot, Walken has shunned technology in his personal life.

He previously revealed to the Wall Street Journal that he watches Severance on DVDs as he doesn’t subscribe to Apple TV+. Furthermore, he confessed to not owning a mobile phone, never using social media, sending an email or even owning a watch – the latter being particularly ironic given his famous monologue in Pulp Fiction.

Severance season 2 airs weekly on Apple TV+ on Fridays