Christopher Walken's SNL Appearances Go Well Beyond "More Cowbell"
The SNL cast has never shied away from poking fun at the actor's unmistakeable accent, as discussed in the SNL50 anniversary special.
Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken is no stranger to performing in a host of genres, and, in addition to his top-billing roles in blockbuster films and on stage over the decades, Walken’s aptitude for comedy has left a lasting impression on Saturday Night Live.
Walken’s numerous contributions as an SNL Host and performer will be highlighted in the upcoming Peacock docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, celebrating the iconic comedy series after 50 years on the air. His role in Season 25's iconic “More Cowbell” sketch — for which Beyond Saturday Night has devoted an entire episode — and his performance opposite Season 33 cast member Bill Hader in the "Walken Family Reunion" are just a few of the star’s notable sketches.
Here's what to know about Christopher Walken’s SNL appearances:
RELATED: See Pics From Chris Rock’s SNL Era with Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, and More
How many times has Christopher Walken hosted SNL?
Christopher Walken has hosted SNL seven times, easily earning himself a spot in the show’s five-timers club.
He most recently made a surprise appearance in the cold open of Season 49's October 28 episode, his first time on the series since 2008. Later in the same episode, Walken introduced Musical Guest Foo Fighters for a second time, the first being in 2003, as touched on in Episode 3 of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.
“I got to meet him for the first time on Saturday Night Live,” band frontman Dave Grohl said in the docuseries. “Before introducing the band, he asked me if the accent was on ‘Foo’ or ‘Fighters.’ So, we were standing there on the stage as we’re about to go to air, and I’m like, ‘He’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna f---ing do it.’ Pin-drop silence, and he says, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Foo Fighters.’”
Of course, Grohl mimicked Walken’s unmistakable inflection when recalling the event.
Iconic Christopher Walken sketches
Christopher Walken starred in several memorable sketches since first appearing on the show in 1990. In fact, SNL’s Season 29, Episode 21, is devoted to his appearances, titled “The Best of Christopher Walken.” They include:
"More Cowbell" (Season 25, air date: April 8, 2000)
Perhaps one of SNL’s most famous sketches, “More Cowbell," featured Walken guest-starring as musical producer Bruce Dickinson, in the studio with Blue Öyster Cult to record their 1976 rock hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Written by Season 25 cast member Will Ferrell, who played the fictional cowbell-clanking Gene Frenkle, Walken’s request for “more cowbell” became a cultural phenomenon.
“I went to see Christopher Walken years later in a play he was doing, and I talked to him backstage,” Ferrell recalled in the docuseries, delivering his take on Walken’s accent. “He was like, ‘You know, you’ve ruined my life … Every show, people bring cowbells for the curtain call and bang them, and it’s quite disconcerting.”
Still, Ferrell said he had no regrets about creating the famous sketch.
"The Continental" (recurring)
Walken’s recurring role in "The Continental" was based on the 1952 – 1953 series starring Renzo Cesana as a smooth-talking ladies’ man. Since first appearing on SNL in 1990, the camera provided a P.O.V. angle as Walken’s female guest, giving audiences an up-close look at Walken's cringworthy seduction attempts.
It remains one of Walken’s most beloved roles. After all, who could resist his endless reasons for a glass of ‘champagna?’
After its 1990 premiere, Walken reprised the role in Season 18 (air date: October 24, 1992), Season 26 (air date: May 19, 2001), and Season 28 (air date: February 22, 2003).
"The Trivial Tales of Ed Glosser" (Season 18, air date: October 24, 1992)
Walken played Ed Glosser, a man who developed psychic powers following a tanning bed accident and used them to “foretell insignificant events of the immediate future.” He had audiences rolling when making physical contact with his coworkers, stiffening into a trance-like state, and giving trivial predictions, including one colleague purchasing coffee and getting stuck in traffic on the way home from the office.
The foreboding background music that played every time Glosser gave a reading only added to Walken’s memorable performance.
RELATED: When Were Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall on SNL? All About Season 11 Cast
Christopher Walken impressions on SNL
Because of his distinctive speaking style, Walken has also been the subject of numerous impersonations. SNL poked fun at that in the "The Walken Family Reunion" (Season 33, air date: April 5, 2008), featuring most of the Season 33 cast. Hader, Andy Samberg, Amy Poehler, Jason Sudeikis, Fred Armisen, Darrell Hammond, Kristen Wiig, and Kenan Thompson each gave their taken on Walken in a single sketch as they caught one another up on family events.
These impressions weren’t the only ones in SNL’s 50 years.
Comedian Jay Mohr (an SNL cast member in Seasons 19 and 20) gave several spot-on Walken impressions during his tenure (air dates: October 9, 1993, May 7, 1994, November 19, 1994, and April 8, 1995). One of them included “Christopher Walken’s Celebrity Psychic Friends Network,” with Tim Meadows as Todd Bridges and David Spade as Crispin Glover, helping Walken invite callers (or lack thereof) to a toll-free number to learn if they were in “grave danger.”
Of course, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as proven in SNL’s numerous sketches of the legendary actor.
