He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
Ranked #76 in The 100 Greatest EastEnders (1985) Characters of All Time for his performance as Patrick Trueman (2015).
Father of Darren Walker (b. 1971) and Sheona Walker (b. 1975). Grandfather of Jack Walker (b. March 1995) and Luke Walker (b. July 1999) through son Darren and his wife Tracy.
As of 2020, he is the fourth-longest serving actor in the history of EastEnders (1985) (behind only Adam Woodyatt, Steve McFadden, and Perry Fenwick), having played the character Patrick Trueman for 19 years (from 2001 onwards).
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2020 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama and Charity in London W1G, England.
On his 70th birthday, he founded the Rudolph Walker Foundation, whose mission includes helping to provide opportunities and incentives for disadvantaged children becoming actors.