Sonny and Vivian Walton were the epitome of an every day modern family living in their version of the American Dream. Sonny, a lawyer to the stars met Vivian, a vivacious brunette who was already making strides for herself in the competitive world of fashion design, and as the story goes that he would tell for years, the moment that he laid eyes on her from across the room, he knew that he was done for. The couple would go on to date, then marry, and on a humid summer day in 1978 would welcome a beautiful baby boy into the world. Kameron Harper Walton would quickly become the apple of both of his parents eyes, neither willing to give up their lucrative careers, the pair managed to find ways to make it work. The new family had made the decision to settle in New York, the first time parents wanting a sense of normalcy in their lives for the sake of their young son.
Always the illustrious working woman, Vivian managed to juggle the growing of an empire with taking care of hew newborn baby. Kameron was a handful from the beginning, but numerous discussions from both parents came to the conclusion that the young boy was born with “a personality bigger than his body.” When it was time for Kameron to begin school, the family decided to relocate, buying a nice place in the upper east side of Manhattan, and used the new opportunity to enroll their son in a private school that specialized int the arts. It had occurred early on to Vivian that Kameron excuded the personality right for acting, and she only felt it right to give him the best available opportunities which included the best starts from the best schools. Vivian knew what it was like to have a dream within your grasp and it was something that she never wanted to look back on and think of what could have been.
From a very early age, two things about Kameron were apparent, the first being the way that the young boy absolutely adored being on stage, how he reveled in being the center of attention and having all eyes on him. Everything about the arts were things that Kam excelled in, Art, Theater, English, anything that had to do with expression, was something that he was all about. The second thing that his parents were quick to notice, was that just as much as Kam enjoyed being the center of attention, there were moments where he would only want to be alone, holing himself up in his room alone for days that would be spent drawing or painting, basically burying himself in his thoughts. Being first time parents, Sonny and Vivian just chalked the acts up to their child having a flair for the dramatics and for a while never thought anything more of it.
Soon enough, the periods of being sequestered away would soon lead to periods of sadness that Kameron could not verbalize, or explain to a worried Vivian where it was coming from, or what kinds of things were going through his mind. It was around the age of ten that Vivian finally decided to take action, setting up appointments with a childs’ psychologist who would eventually diagnose young Kameron with manic depressive disorder. A chemical imbalance in his brain that he couldn’t control. There was no indication of when the periods would onset, so to combat with preventative measures, both Vivian and the doctor agreed that Kameron would be put on medication. The pills would not be able to cure his depression but at least work to even out the regulators in his brain of where there was surplus to none at all. It was one of the few things that the parents fought over in their joint child rearing, but eventually as much as Sonny was against using modern medicine, Vivian put her foot down, insisting that they would do whatever it took to help their child.
With his condition now managed with the help of medication, Kameron returned back to his life of normalcy, maintaining straight a’s in school and continuing to participate in as many school based shows as he possibly could, the prospect of not knowing who was watching, always carrying a secret thrill. There wasn’t anything about it that was easy, but Kameron managed to finish high school and graduate with the rest of his class, summa cum laude. Unbeknownst to Kameron, focusing his entire young life on acting would eventually pay off in his favor. A fresh face right out of high school, he was sure that he would get a gig in no time. But the reality of the acting world was much harsher than landing the lead in the school play every year. There was always someone out there that was better than you. While there may have been better, Kameron made it his mission that no one would work harder to obtain this goal of becoming a professional actor. This wasn't just a pipe dream for eighteen year old Kameron Walton. This was his calling. He believed there was nothing in this world he wanted to do more than act.
College, as much as it was something that his parents wanted Kam to do, he knew would have to wait, his heart was set on acting and acting alone. The months of summer came and went and Kameron had to make a decision. He could either continue to go from audition to audition or focus his attentions elsewhere for now and please both parents by going to college. So a compromise came. He promised his mother and father that he would go to college, yet his major was his to choose and his alone. After many hours of meticulous research he found that Columbia was the right fit. It has earned praise for its' theater and arts departments. So Columbia it was. Kameron buried himself in learning all that he possibly could. Majoring in Visual Arts he absorbed it all like a sponge. Any guest lecture, anything his teacher said, he took it in because someday all of this might come in handy. You could always learn more and Kam made it a point to keep an open mind. What he loved most about his major was the push to explore things outside of just the visual arts. Which lead Kameron to taking different electives throughout his college experience. Wanting to broaden all horizens he took advantage of the theater program they offered. Getting himself involved with acting and dramaturgy courses his first year. Once he felt comfortable in his college life Kam took on more. Exploring classes that centered around writing and even took up philosophy and art history. He had always been a precocious kid.
By the age of twenty-one Kameron Walton was a college graduate. He never once deterred from his true goal of becoming an actor though. Odd jobs through college kept him humble though. Trying to shed the cocky attitude he'd once held. Though that would only shed completely later on in life. Kameron had become close to one of his acting coaches. Stayed late to pick his brain on different techniques, go over lines with him. A week after graduating Kameron received a phone call from his acting coach, telling him of a movie that was currently casting for a supporting role that he thought he would be perfect for. He knew the casting director and had passed his name along as a hopeful. Kam took this and went running. Within two days he was packed and on his way to beautiful, sunny California, ready to become a big time Hollywood actor. Life was all about timing and this time felt right.
Doing what he did best, Kam dutifully impressed both the casting agent and direct of the film. It was a starting point, a platform to step on for his career. At least his foot was in the door. His face was on the big screen. Kameron road the coattails of his heart-throb days, landing another film in the same year and soon after the sequal to 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. While work was steady he fell on a rough year in 2002 when being away from home become a little rough for him. California living wasn't the same as it was in New York. Kameron missed the seasons, missed the hustle and bustle of the New York City lifestyle. It left him in a bout of depression that lasted longer than any had in his young adult life. He wasn't sure if he would ever find work again until he landed an eight episode guest spot on 'Six Feet Under' as 'Joe'. In Kam's eyes it was something. It was work. Something better would come his way. He wasn't going to be one of those guys that only had his early 20's to look back on and reminse of when he was once something.
It wasn't until landing the role of 'Phil' in the upcoming Hangover franchise did Kameron's career take a turn for the better. It gave him the right exposure and made sure he had steady work. It opened many doors for him to accept different roles and helped bring diversity to his career. He didn't want to be boxed in as just a comedic actor.
