The planet is rapidly heating. Fascism is on the rise in the Western world. America is threatening to embark on another useless war in the Middle East. These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.
A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.Ā
Walken became famous as a serious actor after his breakout roles in āAnnie Hallā (1977) and āThe Deer Hunterā (1978) so people were pretty shocked in 1981 when he tap-danced in Steve Martinās āPennies from Heaven.ā
But Walken actually started his career in entertainment as a dancer. He took his first dance lessons at the age of three. āIt was very typical for peopleāand I mean working-class peopleāto send their kids to dancing school,āĀ he told Interview Magazine.Ā āYouād learn ballet, tap, acrobatics, usually youād even learn to sing a song,ā he later explained to Interview magazine.
As a child, he also studied tap dance and toured in musicals. HeĀ even danced with a young Liza Minelli. āIād been around dancers my whole life, having watched my parents make musicals at MGM, and Chris reminded me of so many of the dancers I knew growing up,ā Minelli said according toĀ Entertainment Weekly.Ā āHeās talented in every way.ā
Craig Zadan, Executive Producer of āPeter PanĀ Live!,ā agrees with Minelli. āI think that if he had been around in the heyday of MGM, he would have been a big star of musicals on film,ā he told Entertainment Weekly.
His dance moves were put center stage in 2001 in Spike Jonzeās video for Fatboy Slimās song āWeapon of Choice.ā Walken says he did it because one day heāll be too old to cut a rug. āYou think, āWell, do it now!ā You know, you get too decrepit to dance,ā he told Entertainment Weekly.