News | Entertainment
29 Mar 2024 19:08
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Christopher Walken worked as a “trainee lion tamer” when he was 16

    The 78-year-old actor has dismissed rumours that he ran away from home to join the circus when he was a teenager, as he says he actually got hired as a trainee lion tamer for one summer and knew it wasn’t a job that he could turn down


    He said: “I didn’t run away, I just got a job as a trainee lion tamer.

    Who’s going to turn that down?”

    And speaking about his few months working with a lion named Sheba, he

    added: “I would come into the cage and wave my whip, and she’d lazily get up and sit like a dog and maybe give a little roar. I like cats a lot. I’ve always liked cats. They’re great company.”

    The ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ star also reflected on his childhood growing up in New York as the son of two first-generation immigrants.

    He said: “My parents were first-generation immigrants, both of them fortysomething when I was born. They came to America during the Depression and made a life. My dad was a baker from Germany. My mother was from Glasgow.”

    Christopher – who was born Ronald Walken – was pushed into acting as a child by his mother, and said he “never got paid a cent” for his early roles.

    He explained: “I was one of those kids who was on TV shows. I was in sketches with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Never got paid a cent!”

    And although he tried out other career options, nothing has captured his heart quite like acting.

    Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, the ‘Outlaws’ star said: “I love to work – that’s one of the reasons I didn’t have children – and I probably won’t ever retire.

    “I’ve never had hobbies, just a strong work ethic like my father.

    Tennis? Swimming? Golf? They never did it for me. Acting is really what I love. I don’t really like to go out of the house unless I’m working.”

    © 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     29 Mar: Queen Camilla hosted authors and actors at a star-studded event in London to celebrate reading
     29 Mar: Simon Cowell has adopted another puppy just months after he brought home a new German Shepherd called Pebbles
     29 Mar: Tracee Ellis Ross has paid a glowing birthday tribute to Diana Ross
     29 Mar: YouTube star Ninja has been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 32
     29 Mar: Pierce Brosnan has given his seal of approval to Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the next James Bond
     29 Mar: Katie Price has warned young women to avoid filler and Botox and urged them to think twice about cosmetic surgery
     29 Mar: Anne Hathaway created a "protective layer" between herself and her 'Mother's Instinct' character
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Matakana Smokehouse in its recall of a specific batch of two of its salmon products because of the possible presence of Listeria More...



     Today's News

    Rugby League:
    NRL Good Friday: Bulldogs take on desperate Rabbitohs, Broncos renew rivalry with Cowboys 19:07

    Rugby:
    The Chiefs are backing young first-five Josh Jacomb to step up in tonight's Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Queen Camilla hosted authors and actors at a star-studded event in London to celebrate reading 18:53

    Law and Order:
    A man's due in court tomorrow facing a murder charge, after a body was found in a burnt-out car in Longlands, Hastings 18:47

    Business:
    New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Matakana Smokehouse in its recall of a specific batch of two of its salmon products because of the possible presence of Listeria 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Simon Cowell has adopted another puppy just months after he brought home a new German Shepherd called Pebbles 18:23

    Entertainment:
    Tracee Ellis Ross has paid a glowing birthday tribute to Diana Ross 17:53

    Cricket:
    Cricket's best female all-rounder has led England to a 4-1 T20 series win over New Zealand 17:27

    Entertainment:
    YouTube star Ninja has been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 32 17:23

    Rugby League:
    The South Sydney rugby league team is ready to lift itself off the canvas and floor the Canterbury Bulldogs in their Good Friday NRL contest 17:17


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd