The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,817[1] five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. The stars are monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry and bear the names of a mix of actors, filmmakers, musicians, inventors, businessmen, fictional characters, and more.
The original idea for the Walk of Fame came about in 1953, the first stars were unveiled in 1958, and the first permanent stars were placed in 1960. The Walk has been expanded on multiple fronts since then, including the number of stars displayed; categories, entities, and organizations honored; and blocks covered.
The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust. The Hollywood Chamber collects fees ($85,000 as of 2025) from each new star's sponsor, which fund the creation and installation of the star as well as maintenance for the Walk of Fame as a whole. Approximately thirty stars are added every year.
The Walk of Fame is one of Los Angeles's most popular tourist attractions, receiving an estimated 10 million annual visitors in 2010.[2][3]
The Walk of Fame runs 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from east to west on Hollywood Boulevard, from Gower Street to the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway at La Brea Avenue in addition to a short segment on Marshfield Way that runs diagonally between Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea; and 0.4 miles (0.64 km) north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard. According to a 2003 report by the market research firm NPO Plog Research, the Walk attracts about 10 million visitors annually—more than the Sunset Strip, the TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's), the Queen Mary, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art combined—and has played an important role in making tourism the largest industry in Los Angeles County.[2]
As of July 10, 2025[update], the Walk of Fame consists of 2,816 stars,[1] which are spaced at 6-foot (1.8 m) intervals. The monuments are coral-pink terrazzo five-point stars rimmed with brass (not bronze, an oft-repeated inaccuracy)[4] inlaid into a charcoal-colored terrazzo background. The name of the honoree is inlaid in brass block letters in the upper portion of each star. Below the inscription, in the lower half of the star field, a round inlaid brass emblem indicates the category within the entertainment industry of the honoree's contributions. There are six fixed categories and honorees must fit into one of them.[4] The six categories and their emblems are:
Classic film camera representing motion pictures.
Television set with aerial representing broadcast television.
Phonograph record and tonearm representing audio recording or music.
Ribbon microphone representing broadcast radio.
Comedy/tragedy masks representing theater/live performance (added in 1984).
Athletic trophy representing sports entertainment (added in 2023).
Of the stars on the Walk to date, 47% have been awarded in the motion pictures category, 24% in television, 17% in audio recording or music, 10% in radio, fewer than 2% in theater/live performance, and fewer than 1% in sports entertainment. According to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, approximately 30 new stars are added to the Walk each year.[4]
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The blocks outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel are considered the "prime" locations for stars.[5] Stars of particularly well-known celebrities are often placed in front of the Chinese,[6] Oscar winners' stars near the Dolby Theatre,[6] and Disney-related stars outside or near El Capitan.[7] Family members' and co-stars' stars are usually placed near each other.[8]
Some stars are located outside businesses related to the individual. Examples include Ray Bradbury and John Waters, whose stars were placed outside Larry Edmunds Bookshop, which they frequented;[9][10] Tim Burton, whose star was placed outside Hollywood Toys & Costumes, a business he credited as one of his childhood inspirations;[11] and Alfred Hitchcock, whose star was placed outside Fox Hollywood, a theater that was showing his film Psycho at the time of the unveiling.[12]
Locations are occasionally chosen for ironic or humorous reasons: Mike Myers's star was placed outside an adult store called the International Love Boutique,[13] an association with his Austin Powers roles; Roger Moore's and Daniel Craig's stars are located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard in recognition of their roles in James Bond 007 films;[14] Ed O'Neill's star was placed outside a shoe store in reference to his character's occupation on the TV show Married ... with Children;[15] Steve Guttenberg's star was placed outside the Police Activities League in reference to his roles in the Police Academy films;[8] and The Dead End Kids' star is located at the end of the walk, near the corner of La Brea and Hollywood Boulevard.[16][17]
Honorees may request a specific location for their star, although final decisions remain with the Chamber.[18] Jay Leno, for example, requested a spot near the corner of Hollywood and Highland because he was twice picked up at that location by police for vagrancy (though never actually charged).[19] George Carlin requested his star be placed in front of the KDAY radio station near the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Vine St., where he first gained national recognition.[20] Lin-Manuel Miranda requested a site in front of the Pantages Theatre where his musicals In The Heights and Hamilton played.[21] Carol Burnett explained her choice in her 1986 memoir: while working as an usherette at Warner Brothers Theatre during the 1951 run of Strangers on a Train, she advised a couple arriving during the final few minutes of a showing to wait for the next showing, to avoid seeing and spoiling the ending. The theater manager fired her on the spot for "insubordination" and humiliated her by stripping the epaulets from her uniform in the theater lobby. Twenty-six years later, at her request, Burnett's star was placed in front of the theater.[22]
Special category stars recognize various contributions by corporate entities, service organizations, and special honorees, and display emblems unique to those honorees.[23] Many special category stars honor people or organizations important to Los Angeles: former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley's star displays the seal of the city of Los Angeles;[24][25] the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) star emblem is a replica of a Hollywood Division badge;[26] the Los Angeles Times star displays the Los Angeles Times Building;[27] and the star for the local KTLA television station depicts a satellite dish.[27] Stars representing corporations, such as Victoria's Secret and the Los Angeles Dodgers, display the honoree's corporate letter.[23][28] Likewise, stars representing non-corporate entities, such as the Recording Academy and the Screen Actors Guild, also display the honoree's logo.[29][30] The "Friends of the Walk of Fame" monuments are charcoal terrazzo squares rimmed by miniature pink terrazzo stars displaying the then five standard category emblems,[31] along with the sponsor's corporate logo, with the sponsor's name and contribution in inlaid brass block lettering.[32][33] Special stars and Friends monuments are granted by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce or the Hollywood Historic Trust, but are not part of the Walk of Fame proper and are located nearby on private property.[32][34]
The monuments for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon are uniquely shaped: Four identical circular moons, each bearing the names of the three astronauts (Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins), the date of the first Moon landing ("7/20/69"), and the words "Apollo XI", are set on the four corners of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.[35]
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce credits E.M. Stuart, its volunteer president in 1953, with the original idea for creating a Walk of Fame. Stuart reportedly proposed the Walk as a means to "maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world".[36] Harry Sugarman, another Chamber member and president of the Hollywood Improvement Association, received credit in an independent account.[37] A committee was formed to flesh out the idea, and an architectural firm was retained to develop specific proposals. By 1955, the basic concept and general design had been agreed upon, and plans were submitted to the Los Angeles City Council.[38][39][40]
Multiple accounts exist for the origin of the star concept. According to one, the historic Hollywood Hotel, which stood for more than 50 years on Hollywood Boulevard at the site now occupied by the Ovation Hollywood complex and the Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre[41]—displayed stars on its dining room ceiling above the tables favored by its most famous celebrity patrons, and that may have served as an early inspiration.[38] By another account, the stars were "inspired ... by Sugarman's Tropics Restaurant drinks menu, which featured celebrity photos framed in gold stars".[37][42]
In February 1956, a prototype was unveiled featuring a caricature of an example honoree (John Wayne, by some accounts[43]) inside a blue star on a brown background.[36] However, caricatures proved too expensive and difficult to execute in brass with the technology available at the time, and the brown and blue motif was vetoed by Charles E. Toberman, the legendary real estate developer known as "Mr. Hollywood", because the colors clashed with a new building he was erecting on Hollywood Boulevard.[36][44]
By March 1956, the final design and coral-and-charcoal color scheme had been approved. Between the spring of 1956 and the fall of 1957, 1,558 honorees were selected by committees representing the four major branches of the entertainment industry at that time: motion pictures, television, audio recording, and radio. The committees met at the Brown Derby restaurant,[45] and they included such prominent names as Cecil B. DeMille, Samuel Goldwyn, Jesse L. Lasky, Walt Disney, Hal Roach, Mack Sennett, and Walter Lantz.[36]
A requirement stipulated by the original audio recording committee (and later rescinded) specified minimum sales of one million records or 250,000 albums for all music category nominees. The committee soon realized that many important recording artists would be excluded from the Walk by that requirement. As a result, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was formed to create a separate award for the music industry, leading to the first Grammy Awards in 1959.[46]
Construction of the Walk began in 1958, but two lawsuits delayed completion. The first lawsuit was filed by local property owners challenging the legality of the $1.25 million tax assessment (equivalent to $14 million in 2024) levied upon them to pay for the Walk, along with new street lighting and trees. In October 1959, the assessment was ruled legal.[36] The second lawsuit, filed by Charles Chaplin Jr., sought damages for the exclusion of his father, whose nomination had been withdrawn due to pressure from multiple quarters. Chaplin's suit was dismissed in 1960, paving the way for completion of the project.[36][47][48]
While Joanne Woodward is often singled out as the first person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame—possibly because she was the first to be photographed with it[18]—the original stars were installed as a continuous project, with no individual ceremonies. Woodward's name was one of eight drawn at random from the original 1,558 and inscribed on eight prototype stars that were built while litigation was holding up permanent construction.[49][50][51] The eight prototypes were installed temporarily on the northwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in August 1958 to generate publicity and to demonstrate how the Walk would eventually look.[36] The other seven names were Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, and Ernest Torrence.[36][52] Official groundbreaking took place on February 8, 1960.[38] On March 28, 1960, the first permanent star, director Stanley Kramer's, was completed on the easternmost end of the new Walk near the intersection of Hollywood and Gower.[36][53]
Although the Walk was originally conceived in part to encourage redevelopment of Hollywood Boulevard, the 1960s and 1970s were periods of protracted urban decay in the Hollywood area as residents moved to nearby suburbs.[54][55] After the initial installation of approximately 1,500 stars in 1960 and 1961, eight years passed without the addition of a new star. In 1962, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance naming the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce "the agent to advise the City" about adding names to the Walk, and the Chamber, over the following six years, devised rules, procedures, and financing methods to do so.[36] In December 1968, Richard D. Zanuck was awarded the first star in eight years in a presentation ceremony hosted by Danny Thomas.[36][45][56] In July 1978, the city of Los Angeles designated the Hollywood Walk of Fame a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.[57]
Radio personality, television producer, and Chamber member Johnny Grant is generally credited with implementing the changes that resuscitated the Walk and established it as a significant tourist attraction.[45][58] Beginning in 1968, Grant stimulated publicity and encouraged international press coverage by requiring that each recipient personally attend his or her star's unveiling ceremony.[45] Grant later recalled that "it was tough to get people to come accept a star" until the neighborhood finally began its recovery in the 1980s.[55]
In 1980, Grant instituted a fee of $2,500 (equivalent to $9,541 in 2024), payable by the person or entity nominating the recipient, to fund the Walk of Fame's upkeep and minimize further taxpayer burden.[45] The fee has increased incrementally over time. By 2002, it had reached $15,000 (equivalent to $26,223 in 2024),[59] and stood at $30,000 in 2012 (equivalent to $41,089 in 2024).[4] As of 2025[update], the fee was $85,000, about eight times the original amount adjusted for inflation.[60]
Grant was himself awarded a star in 1980 for his television work.[36] In 2002, he received a second star in the "special" category to acknowledge his pivotal role in improving and popularizing the Walk.[61] He was also named chairman of the Selection Committee and Honorary Mayor of Hollywood (a ceremonial position previously held by Art Linkletter and Monty Hall,[62][63] among others).[36][61] He remained in both offices from 1980 until his death in 2008 and hosted the great majority of unveiling ceremonies during that period. His unique special-category star, with its emblem depicting a stylized "Great Seal of the City of Hollywood",[64] is located at the entrance to the Dolby Theatre adjacent to Johnny Grant Way.[65][66]
In 1984, a fifth category, Live Theatre, was added to acknowledge contributions from the live performance branch of the entertainment industry, and a second row of stars was created on each sidewalk to alternate with the existing stars.[36]
In 1994, the Walk of Fame was extended one block to the west on Hollywood Boulevard, from Sycamore Avenue to North LaBrea Avenue (plus the short segment of Marshfield Way that connects Hollywood and La Brea), where it now ends at the silver "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo and the special "Walk of Fame" star.[67] At the same time, Sophia Loren was honored with the 2,000th star on the Walk.[36]
During construction of tunnels for the Los Angeles subway system in 1996, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) removed and stored more than 300 stars.[68] Controversy arose when the MTA proposed a money-saving measure of jackhammering the 3-by-3-foot terrazzo pads, preserving only the brass lettering, surrounds, and medallions, then pouring new terrazzo after the tunnels were completed;[69] but the Cultural Heritage Commission ruled that the star pads were to be removed intact.[70]
In 2023, a sixth category, Sports Entertainment, was added to acknowledge contributions of athletes to the entertainment industry.[71]
In 2008, a long-term restoration project began with an evaluation of all 2,365 stars on the Walk at the time, each receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F. Honorees whose stars received F grades, indicating the most severe damage, were Joan Collins, Peter Frampton, Dick Van Patten, Paul Douglas, Andrew L. Stone, Willard Waterman, Richard Boleslavsky, Ellen Drew, Frank Crumit, and Bobby Sherwood. Fifty celebrities' stars received "D" grades. The damage ranged from minor cosmetic flaws caused by normal weathering to holes and fissures severe enough to constitute a walking hazard. Plans were made to repair or replace at least 778 stars at an estimated cost of over $4 million.[72]
The restoration is a collaboration among the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and various Los Angeles city and county governmental offices, along with the MTA, which operates the Metro B Line that runs beneath the Walk, since earth movement due to the presence of the subway line is thought to be partly responsible for the damage.[73]
To encourage supplemental funding for the project by corporate sponsors, the "Friends of Walk of Fame" program was inaugurated,[72] with donors recognized through honorary plaques adjacent to the Walk of Fame in front of the Dolby Theatre.[32] The program has received some criticism; Alana Semuels of the Los Angeles Times described it as "just the latest corporate attempt to buy some good buzz", and quoted a brand strategist who said, "I think Johnny Grant would roll over in his grave".[32]
Los Angeles introduced the "Heart of Hollywood Master Plan", which promotes the idea of closing Hollywood Boulevard to traffic and creating a pedestrian zone from La Brea Avenue to Highland Avenue, citing an increase in pedestrian traffic including tourism, weekly movie premieres[74] and award shows closures, including ten days for the Academy Award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre.[75][76] In June 2019, the city of Los Angeles commissioned Gensler Architects to provide a master plan for a $4 million renovation to improve and "update the streetscape concept" for the Walk of Fame.[77][78][79] Los Angeles city councilmember Mitch O'Farrell released the draft master plan designed by Gensler and Studio-MLA in January 2020. It proposed widening the sidewalks, adding bike lanes, new landscaping, sidewalk dining, removing lanes of car traffic and street parking between the Pantages Theater (Gower Street) at the East and The Emerson Theatre (La Brea Avenue) at the west end of the boulevard.[80] The approved phase one includes removing the parking lanes between Orange Drive and Gower Street, adding street furnishings with benches, tables and chairs with sidewalk widening. Phase two is in the schematic stage. Phase two is planned for 2024 and will include closing down the boulevard to two lanes, adding landscaping with shade trees and five public plazas made up of art deco designed street pavers and kiosks.[81][82] Planned to be completed by 2026, funding is being raised for the $50 million project.[83][84]
Each year an average of 200 nominations are submitted to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame selection committee. Anyone, including fans, can nominate anyone active in the field of entertainment as long as the nominee or their management approves the nomination. Nominees must have a minimum of five years' experience in the category for which they are nominated and a history of "charitable contributions".[85] Posthumous nominees must have been deceased at least five years. At a meeting each June, the committee selects approximately 20 to 24 celebrities to receive stars on the Walk of Fame. One posthumous award is given each year as well. The nominations of those not selected are rolled over to the following year for reconsideration; those not selected two years in a row are dropped, and must be renominated to receive further consideration. Living recipients must agree to personally attend a presentation ceremony within two years of selection. If the ceremony is not scheduled within two years, a new application must be submitted. A relative of deceased recipients must attend posthumous presentations. Presentation ceremonies are open to the public.[4]
A fee of $85,000 (as of 2025[update]),[60] payable at time of selection, is collected to pay for the creation and installation of the star, as well as general maintenance of the Walk of Fame. The fee is usually paid by the nominating organization, which may be a film studio, record company, broadcaster, or other sponsor involved with the prospective honoree.[45][86] The Starz cable network, for example, paid for Dennis Hopper's star as part of the promotion for its series Crash.[45][87]
Traditionally, the identities of selection committee members, other than its chairman, have not been made public in order to minimize conflicts of interest and to discourage lobbying by celebrities and their representatives (a significant problem during the original selections in the late 1950s). However, in 1999, in response to intensifying charges of secrecy in the selection process, the Chamber disclosed the members' names: Johnny Grant, the longtime chair and representative of the television category; Earl Lestz, president of Paramount Studio Group (motion pictures); Stan Spero, retired manager with broadcast stations KMPC and KABC (radio); Kate Nelson, owner of the Palace Theatre (live performance); and Mary Lou Dudas, vice president of A&M Records (recording industry).[88] Since that 1999 announcement, the chamber has revealed only that Lestz (who received his own star in 2004) became chairman after Grant died in 2008. Their current official position is that "each of the five categories is represented by someone with expertise in that field".[4]
In 2010, Lestz was replaced as chairman by John Pavlik, former Director of Communications[89] for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While no public announcement was made to that effect, he was identified as chairman in the Chamber's press release announcing the 2011 star recipients.[90] In 2016, the chair, according to the Chamber's 2016 selection announcement, was film producer Maureen Schultz.[91] In 2023, the selection committee chair was radio personality Ellen K.[92]
Walk of Fame rules prohibit consideration of nominees whose contributions fall outside the six major entertainment categories, but the selection committee has been known to adjust interpretations of its rules to justify a selection. The Walk's four round Moon landing monuments at the corners of Hollywood and Vine, for example, officially recognize the Apollo 11 astronauts for "contributions to the television industry." Johnny Grant acknowledged, in 2005, that classifying the first Moon landing as a television entertainment event was "a bit of a stretch".[18]
Muhammad Ali's star was granted after the committee decided that boxing could be considered a form of "live performance". Its placement on a wall of the Dolby Theatre makes it the only star mounted on a vertical surface, acceding to Ali's request that his name not be walked upon,[85][93] as he shared his name with the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[94][95]
All living honorees have been required since 1968 to personally attend their star's unveiling, and approximately 40 have declined the honor due to this condition.[18] The only recipient to date who failed to appear after agreeing to do so was Barbra Streisand, in 1976. Her star was unveiled anyway, near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland.[96] Streisand did attend when her husband, James Brolin, unveiled his star in 1998 two blocks to the east.[97]
Once unveiled, stars are not removed. In answer to various requests, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that because the Walk is a historical landmark,[Note 1] "once a star has been added ... it is considered a part of the historic fabric" and cannot be removed.[100] The Chamber gave further clarification in response to demands to remove Sean Combs' star after multiple accusations of rape and a conviction for transportation to engage in prostitution, in which it stated that "while it has the authority to nominate star recipients, manufacture and install stars upon city approval and conduct the Walk of Fame installation ceremony, it lacks the authority to remove them."[101]
The following have been honored with stars in multiple categories:
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4: Bob Hope, Roy Rogers, Tony Martin (three of his own and one as part of Sons of the Pioneers), and Mickey Rooney (three of his own and one with his wife Jan Chamberlin)[104][105][106][107]
3: Thirty-three in total, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Gale Storm, Danny Kaye, Perry Como, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Jack Benny[102]
2: Numerous, including:
Cher forfeited her opportunity to join this list by declining to schedule the mandatory personal appearance when she was selected in 1983.[116] She did, however, attend the unveiling of the Sonny & Cher star in 1998, as a tribute to her recently deceased ex-husband, Sonny Bono.[117]
Sixteen stars are identified with a one-word stage name (e.g., Liberace, Pink, Roseanne, and Slash). Clayton Moore is so inextricably linked with his Lone Ranger character, even though he played other roles during his career, that he is one of only two actors to have his character's name alongside his own on his star. The other is Tommy Riggs, whose star references his Betty Lou character.[118]
Two pairs of stars share identical names representing different people. There are two Harrison Ford stars, one for the silent film actor[119] and the other for present-day actor,[120] and two Michael Jackson stars, one for the pop singer[121] and the other for the radio personality.[122] After Michael Jackson's death in 2009, many fans mistook the radio personality's star for the musician's, the latter of which was inaccessible due to the premiere of Brüno.[123]
Several below-the-line filmmakers have been included in the Walk, such as: Edith Head and Ruth E. Carter (costume designers); Max Factor and The Westmores (make-up and hair stylists); John Chambers, Stan Winston, and Rick Baker (special effect make-up artists); and Ray Harryhausen and Dennis Muren (visual and special effects artists). Max Factor was a prominent cosmetics manufacturer as well.
Two novelists have stars on the Walk: Sidney Sheldon, who wrote screenplays before becoming a novelist,[124] and Ray Bradbury, whose stories have formed the basis for dozens of movies and television programs.[125] Movie theater proprietors are also included, mostly notably Sid Grauman, creator of the Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian theaters,[18] and Magic Johnson, former owner of Magic Johnson Theaters.[126]
Eight inventors have stars on the Walk: George Eastman, inventor of roll film;[127] Thomas Edison, inventor of the first true film projector and holder of numerous patents related to motion-picture technology;[128] Lee de Forest, inventor of the triode vacuum tube[129][130] and Phonofilm; Herbert Kalmus, inventor of Technicolor; Auguste and Louis Lumière, inventors of important motion picture camera components; Mark Serrurier, inventor of film editing technology; and Ray Dolby, co-developer of the first video tape recorder and inventor of the Dolby noise-reduction system. Hedy Lamarr, co-inventor of a frequency-hopping radio guidance system that was a precursor to Wi-Fi networks and cellular telephone systems, is also honored but for her acting work.[131]
A few star recipients moved on after their entertainment careers to political notability. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump have stars on the Walk, and Reagan is also one of two California Governors with a star; the other is Arnold Schwarzenegger.[132] Additionally, one U.S. senator (George Murphy) and two members of the U.S. House of Representatives (Helen Gahagan and Sonny Bono) have stars. Ignacy Paderewski, Prime Minister of Poland between World War I and II, is the only European head of government represented.
Three dogs are included in the Walk: the fictional character Lassie and animal actors Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. An additional animated dog, Snoopy, is also included, as are several other animated animals.
In 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, Mickey Mouse became the first animated character to receive a star, and nearly twenty more followed over the next decades. Other fictional characters on the Walk include Godzilla, Pee-Wee Herman as portrayed by Paul Reubens,[133] animated film characters such as Shrek and Snow White, and animated television characters including the Simpsons and the Rugrats.
Jim Henson, one of four puppeteers with star, has three stars dedicated to his creations: one for The Muppets as a whole and the others for Kermit the Frog and Big Bird.[134][135][136] Conversely, the largest group represented by a single star is the estimated 122 adults and 12 children collectively known as the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz.[137]
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins share four Walk of Fame markers, one on each corner of Hollywood and Vine, all in the television category.[35] Similarly, George Eastman was given two stars in the same category for the same achievement: the invention of roll film.[138]
Charlie Chaplin is the only honoree to be selected twice for the same star. He was unanimously voted into the initial group of 500 in 1956, but the Selection Committee ultimately excluded him, reportedly due to questions regarding his morals[139] but more likely due to his left-leaning political views.[140] Chaplin was re-selected and added to the Walk in 1972, the same year he received his Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.[48]
The committee's Chaplin difficulties reportedly contributed to its decision in 1978 against awarding a star to Paul Robeson, the controversial opera singer, actor, athlete, writer, lawyer, and social activist.[141] The resulting outcry from the entertainment industry, civic circles, local and national politicians, and many other quarters was so intense that the decision was reversed and Robeson was awarded a star in 1979.[142][143][144]
Commercial organizations are only considered for businesses with an entertainment industry connection of at least fifty years. While not technically part of the Walk, as a city ordinance prohibits placing corporate names on sidewalks, these stars are installed on private property adjacent to it.[145] Stars in this category include Chevy Suburban, Disneyland, Hollywood Reporter, KTLA, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Times, Musso & Frank, Variety, and Victoria's Secret Angels.[145][146][147][148]
Other organizations honored with stars in or adjacent to the Walk are the Los Angeles Police Department, Screen Actors Guild, Recording Academy, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame itself.[148]
Three honoree's stars contain an emblem that does not match the category they were honored in. Carmen Miranda was honored in the motion picture category but her star bears the television emblem,[149][150] Larry King was honored in the television category but his star bears a motion picture emblem,[151][152] and Monty Woolley was honored in the motion picture category but his star bears a television emblem,[153][154]
Several stars have been unveiled with the wrong name. Most notably, film and television actor Don Haggerty's star originally displayed the first name "Dan". The mistake was fixed, but years later when the television actor Dan Haggerty (no relation to Don) received a star, confusion due to the former misspelling sprouted an urban legend that Dan Haggerty was the only honoree to have a star removed from the Walk of Fame.[155][156] Another star bearing the wrong name was Mauritz Stiller, which for 28 years read "Maurice Diller". This mistake was finally corrected in 1988.[157][158]
In addition to incorrect names, some honoree's names have been misspelled. In 2010, Julia Louis-Dreyfus's star was constructed reading "Julia Luis Dreyfus".[159] The actress was reportedly amused and the error was corrected.[160] Similarly, Dick Van Dyke's star misspelled his last name as "Vandyke" before it was rectified,[161] and four stars remain misspelled: Lotte Lehmann (misspelled as "Lottie"),[162] Merian C. Cooper ("Meriam"),[163] Auguste Lumière ("August"),[164] and Mary Livingstone ("Livingston").[165]
Donald Trump's star, obtained for his work as owner and producer of the Miss Universe pageant,[166] has been vandalized multiple times.[167][168][169][170][171] During the 2016 presidential election, James Otis, a claimed heir to the Otis Elevator Company fortune,[172][173] used a pickaxe and sledgehammer to destroy the star's brass inlays. He readily admitted to the vandalism[174] and sentenced to three years' probation.[175] The star was repaired and served as a site of pro-Trump demonstrations[176] until it was destroyed again in July 2018 by Austin Clay.[177] Clay later surrendered himself to the police, after which James Otis posted his bail.[178][179] Clay was sentenced to one day in jail, three years of probation, and twenty days of community service. He also was ordered to attend psychological counseling and pay $9,404.46 in restitution to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.[180] On December 18, 2018, the star was defaced with swastikas and other graffiti drawn in permanent marker,[181] and the star was again vandalized with a pickaxe on October 2, 2020.[182]
In August 2018, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously passed a resolution requesting permanent removal of Trump's star due to repeated vandalism. The resolution, however, was symbolic, as West Hollywood has no jurisdiction over the Walk.[183]
Activist groups called for the removal of other stars, including Sean Combs, Gig Young, Emil Jannings, Louis B. Mayer, Clark Gable, Michael Jackson, Billy Graham,[184] Errol Flynn,[185] Spade Cooley,[186][187] Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, Gal Gadot, Fatty Arbuckle,[188] Charlie Chaplin[189] and Brett Ratner.[190][191][192]
Vandalism on the Walk of Fame has ranged from profanity and political statements written on stars to damage with heavy tools.[193][194] Vandals have also tried to chisel out individual stars' brass category emblems,[195] and have stolen a component of The Four Ladies of Hollywood.[171] Closed circuit surveillance cameras have been installed on Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Vine Street in an effort to discourage these activities.[196]
,_Hollywood_Boulevard,_Gregory_Peck_--_2012_--_4975.jpg)
Four stars, which weigh about 300 pounds (140 kg) each, have been stolen from the Walk of Fame. In 2000, James Stewart's and Kirk Douglas' stars disappeared from their locations near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, where they had been temporarily removed for a construction project. Police recovered them in South Gate when they arrested a man involved in an incident there and searched his house. The suspect was a construction worker employed on the Hollywood and Vine project. The stars were badly damaged and had to be remade. One of Gene Autry's five stars was also stolen from a construction area. Another theft occurred in 2005, when thieves used a concrete saw to remove Gregory Peck's star from its site at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and North El Centro Avenue. The star was replaced almost immediately, but the original was not recovered and the perpetrators not caught.[197]
In May 2025, Gal Gadot's star was vandalized shortly after its unveiling. The phrase "baby killer" was written on top, alongside a sticker reading "Israeli snipers target children". Additionally, Gadot's last name was crossed out and replaced with "[G]reestien".[198]
The Hollywood and La Brea Gateway is a 1993 cast stainless steel public art installation by architect Catherine Hardwicke.[199] The sculpture, popularly known as The Four Ladies of Hollywood, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency Art Program as a tribute to the multi-ethnic women of the entertainment industry.[200] The installation consists of a square stainless steel Art Deco-style structure or gazebo, with an arched roof supporting a circular dome that is topped by a central obelisk with descending neon block letters spelling "Hollywood" on each of its four sides. Atop the obelisk is a small gilded weather vane-style sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in her iconic billowing skirt pose from The Seven Year Itch. The corners of the domed structure are supported by four caryatids sculpted by Harl West[200] representing African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge, Asian-American actress Anna May Wong, Mexican actress Dolores del Río, and Brooklyn-born actress Mae West.[201] The installation stands at the western end of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and North La Brea Avenue.[199]
The gazebo was dedicated on February 1, 1994, to a mixed reception. Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight called it "the most depressingly awful work of public art in recent years", representing the opposite of Hardwicke's intended tribute to women. "Sex, as a woman's historic gateway to Hollywood", he wrote, "couldn't be more explicitly described".[202]
Independent writer and film producer Gail Choice called it a fitting tribute to a group of pioneering and courageous women who "carried a tremendous burden on their feminine shoulders". "Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I'd ever see women of color immortalized in such a creative and wonderful fashion."[203] Hardwicke contended that critics had missed the "humor and symbolism" of the structure, which "embraces and pokes fun at the glamour, the polished metallic male form of the Oscar, and the pastiche of styles and dreams that pervades Tinseltown."[204]
In June 2019, the Marilyn Monroe statue above the gazebo was stolen by Austin Clay, who had vandalized Donald Trump's star a year earlier.[171] In 2025, a vehicle hit and damaged the statue of Anna May Wong and fled the scene.[205]
Some fans show respect for star recipients both living and dead by laying flowers or other symbolic tributes at their stars.[206] Others show their support in other ways; the star awarded to Julio Iglesias, for example, is kept in "pristine condition [by] a devoted band of elderly women [who] scrub and polish it once a month".[206]
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has adopted the tradition of placing flower wreaths at the stars of newly deceased awardees; for example, Bette Davis in 1989,[207] Katharine Hepburn in 2003, and Jackie Cooper in 2011.[208] The stars of other deceased celebrities, such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Lee, Farrah Fawcett, Elizabeth Taylor,[209] Charles Aznavour,[210] Richard Pryor,[211] Ricardo Montalbán, James Doohan, Frank Sinatra,[212][213] Robin Williams,[214] Joan Rivers,[215] George Harrison,[216] Aretha Franklin,[217] Stan Lee,[218] and Betty White[219] have become impromptu memorial and vigil sites as well, and some continue to receive anniversary remembrances.
"It was not an easy job to winnow down the extra large number of nominations this year to reach these 30 names", said John Pavlik, chair of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee ...
194 Hollywood Walk of Fame - Hollywood Boulevard (between Gower and La Brea) & Vine Street (between Sunset and Yucca) - 07/05/1978 Hollywood 13
In addition to architectural details, there are several fine urban design features: colored terrazo entryways, neon signage, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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