In 1955, 12-year-old Christopher Walken dressed as a clown. Well, not quite. Back then the child star was called Ronald Walken, one of a family of child actors with his brothers Glenn and Ken.
He made his acting debut as Ronald Walken in the 1953 NBC sitcom Wonderful John Acton, the story of an Irish-American family living in the Ohio River Valley, Kentucky, in 1919. The show, which ran for 13 episodes, starred Walken as 12-year-old Kevin acting out the reminiscences of his adult self who narrates the story each week.
It sounds a lot like The Waltons, which went on for ever and ever and ever.
Ronald became Christopher Walken in 1964. He would go on to greatness, starring in such treats as The Deer Hunter, True Romance, King of New York, The Dead Zone and Hairspray.
Glenn and Ken also acted professionally.
Glenn appeared in Apocalypse Now (1979), Guiding Light (1952) and The World of Mr. Sweeney (1954). Ken has appeared in The Big Story (1949), Johnny Staccato (1959) and Perry Mason (1957).
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