What is the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk in Los Angeles lined with more than 2,800 brass-and-pink-terrazzo stars honoring people in film, TV, music, radio and live performance.
The Walk of Fame stretches along about 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. It was created in 1958 to celebrate the entertainment industry, and the first permanent star, for director Stanley Kramer, was installed in 1960. About ten million people visit each year.
Each star has a five-pointed shape with the honoree's name and an emblem showing their category: a film camera, a television set, a record, a radio microphone or theater masks. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce chooses honorees from nominations each year, and a fee covers creation and upkeep.
Famous stars
Gene Autry is the only person with stars in all five categories. Fictional characters also have stars, including Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Snow White, Kermit the Frog and Godzilla. Some entertainers have several stars, one for each category in which they were honored.
Did You Know?
Muhammad Ali's star is the only one mounted on a wall, because he did not want people to walk on the name Muhammad.