Russians on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. How are they given a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Number of stars on the Walk of Fame

Going to Los Angeles today and not going to the Hollywood Walk of Fame is like being in Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. It is common knowledge that the stars with celebrity names embedded in the sidewalk slabs along the 18 blocks along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street are awarded for special contributions to the entertainment industry. But only employees of the “dream factory” can claim such an award? How do they even get on this historical list and is their own star worth it? Let's figure it out.

The idea of an alley glorifying names prominent figures entertainment industry, was proposed by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President E.M. Stewart in 1953. Many people liked the idea, but it took almost 8 years to bring it to fruition. The five-year period was spent compiling a list of candidates by a special Selection Committee (which included Walt Disney and Cecil DeMille, among others), developing designs and other technical details, then there was a temporary test laying of eight stars, later moved to a new location, and only in March 1960 The names of Hollywood celestials have finally begun to be laid out en masse on the Los Angeles sidewalk, starting with director Stanley Kramer.

Whether to call Kramer the first lucky person to receive a personal monument, or to consider the members of the “test” eight as such is a matter of taste. The Selection Committee and the Chamber of Commerce are of the opinion that there cannot be any “very first” here, since the starting 8 candidates were selected at random (this list, in particular, included both Burt Lancaster, who was at the zenith of his fame, and those who had long since fallen out of the profession actresses Olive Borden and Louise Fazenda). All 8 slabs were installed into the sidewalk at the same time, and the laying itself was of a test nature, that is, not final. Kramer, in turn, also cannot be considered the first - after eight predecessors, certainly... At the same time, on the list compiled by the organizers, there were another fifteen hundred people who were worthy of perpetuation no less than Lancaster and Kramer, but who were waiting for the name stars gradually, in order queues.

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It was decided to make the slabs for the alley from terrazzo, a coral-pink mosaic material containing lime and granite chips. A gray background, matching the boulevard surface, was left around the five-pointed star; the name of its bearer was imprinted into the star itself. In addition to film workers, television, sound recording and radio workers received similar awards for their services (later, outstanding theater workers were added to them). The Selection Committee was also composed of relevant professionals, so that each branch of the entertainment industry had its own lobbyists. To make it clear to passers-by what a particular name is associated with, each star had a corresponding emblem - a movie camera, a television, a vinyl record, a radio microphone or a theater mask. At first, it was planned to also place a caricature of the corresponding figure on the slab, but it turned out to be difficult to lay out such a picture using a brass rim, so they decided to keep it simple and limit themselves to copper inscriptions.

While the first list was being compiled, the committee members quarreled quite a bit: some thought that “unworthy” ones had been squeezed into the list of worthy candidates, others were offended that their personal favorites were ignored. But both of them decided that Charlie Chaplin, who irritated many Hollywood people with his “leftist” views, had no place on the list. Chaplin's son found such discrimination offensive and sued the Chamber of Commerce for a long time to restore his father to the list or pay $400,000 in compensation for moral damages he suffered, but achieved nothing except stalling the start of construction of the alley for several years. Some time later, the chamber, however, reconsidered its attitude towards the great comedian: Charlie Chaplin, even after his death, still received his personal star.

So, after much shaking and delay, the opening of the Walk of Fame finally took place, although the completion of all work was delayed for another whole year, until the spring of 1961. Hollywood Boulevard was renovated for the occasion, equipped with new lights and planted with trees. Residents of the area were happy: they managed to get out of any participation in the renovation through the courts, so the townspeople got the improvement for free. The start was promising, but the beautiful idea cost the organizers a pretty penny, and public interest in it turned out to be far from being as widespread as planned. Therefore, the continuation did not follow soon.

For almost a decade, the Chamber of Commerce considered how to revive the stalled initiative and where to find funding for it, until it came up with new system: now the committee selected candidates for the star from among celebrities who could be nominated by anyone, be it an organization, company, fan club or just an individual - and the applicant himself had to pay for its production and laying (at that time it was 2500 dollars, today - 30,000). Each application had to be accompanied by a letter from the nominee stating that he would not mind receiving a star. In addition, the development of the “Walk of Stars,” conceived as an exhibition of world-class names, had to be actively promoted by the press and those being honored: the latter were strictly obliged to attend the opening ceremonies of their personal stars. If the “hero of the occasion” did not want to attend, the event was cancelled. The new strategy turned out to be effective, as it managed to attract both finance and media interest.

Having embarked on new rails, the laying of personalized paving slabs resumed in 1968 and has since become permanent. Every year, 20-25 new stars are installed, and today their total number has already exceeded 2500. The selection continues to adhere to certain principles: for example, a nominee for a star must have worked professionally in the entertainment industry for at least five years, and at least the same must have passed after leaving nominee from life, if we're talking about about the posthumous star.

However, the understanding of who is entitled to receive a personalized plaque and in what form their contribution should be recognized has changed over time. In the field of cinema, of course, not only artists were awarded, but also directors, producers, special effects masters, costume designers, and animators. But there were also those who dealt with the “dream factory” only tangentially, for example, writers Sidney Sheldon and Ray Bradbury, whose books were actively transferred to the big and small screens for many years. A dozen inventors also joined the ranks of Hollywood figures who helped move film technology forward, for example, the designer of the first film projector, Thomas Edison.

For the sake of special occasions special stars were also made: for example, on the alley there are “collective” slabs (the largest went to the group of actors who played short munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” - 134 people). Twin sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have one star between them. A number of stars, such as musician Liberace and illusionist Houdini, have recorded under stage names because they real names were little known. In the late 70s, fictional characters began to appear on the sidewalk - Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Muppets, Shrek, The Simpsons, Godzilla and others. There are puppeteers here (for example, the author of The Muppets, Jim Henson), and makeup artists (Max Factor).

Today, Hollywood Boulevard is no longer covered only with stars; there are also other “special marks” on it, although located somewhat away from the main alley. What marks are we talking about? To honor corporations and organizations that have worked with Hollywood for many years, the committee came up with 19 special categories with special emblems - among those awarded corporate plates, for example, you can see the clothing and cosmetics manufacturer Victoria's Secrets and the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. The so-called “friends of the Walk of Fame” (simply put, sponsors who help develop and renew it) - for example, Absolut vodka.

When a nominee cannot be directly attributed to any of the awarded areas of the entertainment industry, but at the same time he is the pride of the nation and the world famous figure, the committee can deviate from the rules and find some convenient excuse to perpetuate it, since today it is impossible to be a celebrity and not at all come into contact with the sphere of mass entertainment. Thus, stars dedicated to American astronauts appeared on the alley (in this case, the Moon was depicted instead of a star, and the “television” emblem hinted that the broadcast of the Apollo 11 lunar landing had attracted a record number of viewers). Athletes such as basketball player Magic Johnson and boxer Muhammad Ali can boast of their own stars (the committee found a way to reward the former for investing in the construction of multiplexes, while the latter was generously classified as a theater figure, since the concept of theater is interpreted very loosely in the United States today). At the same time, Ali is also the only owner of a star installed vertically - at his personal request, it was mounted in the outer wall of the Kodak Theater, because the ex-champion did not want his name to be “trampled on by those who do not respect him.”

Such whims are not prohibited by the rules. Each owner of a star can make special recommendations about where he would like to place it, and from time to time the Chamber of Commerce listens to these wishes. This is how slabs “with a legend” appear, sometimes in the form of playful hints - for example, actress Carol Burnett in 1977 asked to install her star in front of the Warner Cinema, where she was fired 25 years earlier, calling her a “worthless usherette.” It is not necessary to explain your choice - information about why the star appeared there and not somewhere else may accidentally emerge many years later in an interview or memoir. The chamber also has its own considerations regarding the placement of stars - for example, they try to place the slabs of Oscar winners closer to the Kodak Theater, where the award ceremony for this award is traditionally held.

Celebrities who do not pass the selection sieve, but wish to continue the fight, are moved to the next year and again considered by the committee in the general list. If they are unlucky the second time, they drop out of the race, and for each such nominee they again need to fill out a written application (every year the evaluators have to deal with about two hundred applications, that is, the competition is at least ten people per sidewalk space). Individuals selected by the committee who do not schedule time for the ceremony within five years thereafter are ineligible for a star and must be nominated again. The posthumous star is installed only once a year, and one of the relatives of the deceased must be present at the laying ceremony. Living stars must appear themselves, otherwise the bookmark of the star will be cancelled. The only exception over the years was done for Barbra Streisand: despite the fact that the actress and singer was unable to attend her own ceremony in 1976, the installation of her slab still took place. But George Clooney, for example, missed out on the star because of his busy schedule. But there were also those who simply refused to be included in the honorary list - oddly enough, there were four dozen such figures over half a century (among them Clint Eastwood and Julia Roberts).

While walking along Hollywood Boulevard, you may come across a star with the same person's name on it several times. This is not a mistake or a hallucination: those who have distinguished themselves in various professions have recognition accordingly. At least 30 people can be proud of three stars; today there are four four-time winners, but so far only musician Gene Autry, who was wildly popular in cinema, TV and radio in the middle of the last century, has collected all five stars. It is relatively easy to get two stars - it is enough, for example, to be a popular actor and singer at the same time. In addition, a number of musicians were awarded two stars for the same thing - in different times they were awarded both their own personalized plaque and as part of the groups that glorified them: for example, Michael Jackson was immortalized both on his own and as a member of the Jackson 5, the same thing happened with the members of the Beatles.

But fans can also be confused by the banal confusion with namesakes, of which there are plenty in the entertainment industry - not everyone uses unique pseudonyms. For example, there are 15 Williams, 14 Moore and 12 Jones in the alley. Harrison Ford has a full namesake from the times of silent cinema, and Michael Jackson is often confused with the American radio DJ, to whose name plate a whole mountain of flowers was brought after the death of the musician. Among other things, individual slabs can be moved from place to place during repairs. It also happens that it is not possible to find the desired figure because his name is indicated on the plate with a typo - such errors are sometimes discovered and corrected only decades later.

Clarity should be brought into the award system serial numbers, with which the stars were originally equipped, but these numbers are not indicated on the plates. But those who are armed with a catalog and walk around the entire alley will notice that at least two stars are missing - where did the name plates go? opera singers Richard Crooks and Geraldine Farrar, or whether they were ever identified, no one knows. Theoretically, of course, they could have simply been stolen, but practice shows that vandals steal the stars of more “pop” figures - as, for example, happened with the slab of Kirk Douglas or the same five-time “record holder” Gene Autry. This has happened at least four times already; The popularity of the Walk of Fame in the new century has grown to such an extent that someone has become willing to steal 136-kilogram pieces of marble. The stars were removed from the sidewalk at night, using saws, and they were irreversibly damaged, and even if they were eventually found, each slab had to be redone entirely. The last such incident occurred in 2005 with star Gregory Peck, and to reduce the likelihood of such incidents in the future, both sidewalks along Hollywood Alley are now monitored by video cameras.

In 2008, the alley was reconstructed, repairing almost 800 stars damaged by time and vandals. Today it is a popular place of pilgrimage for tourists who endlessly take photographs against the backdrop of sidewalk monuments (up to 10 million people come every year to gaze at the names of celestial beings cast in copper, which surpasses any other place in Los Angeles in popularity). There are so many people wanting to take photos in the evening hours that they have to line up in front of one or another star; The task is further complicated by the fact that Hollywood Boulevard is often clogged with passersby walking on the nameplates and making it difficult to get a good photo. Most stars belong to film workers (47% of total number), least of all - theater (2%).

Although the idea of the alley was presented in the 50s, and modern rules for “distributing stars” were developed in the 60s, the boulevard gained real popularity only in the 80s - largely thanks to the comedian Johnny Grant, who laid down the tradition of beautiful and memorable ceremonies. The Chamber of Commerce was so pleased with Grant's event to receive a star for his contributions to television that he was invited to chair the Walk of Fame Committee. Johnny immediately proposed a number of innovations - in particular, he added a fifth, “theatrical” category to the list of nominations, and also ordered to save space on the boulevard (which, although long, is not endless) and lay star slabs along the roadway in more than one row, but in two. Under Grant’s patronage, the alley managed to become a landmark not just of a city, but also of an all-American scale: for its popularization, Johnny, who until his death in 2008 opened the opening ceremonies of sidewalk stars, was honored with his own unique slab near the Kodak Theater.

Anyone can become a witness to the star ceremonies. Announcements about when and whose star will be opened in the near future can be read on the official website of the alley (however, this information cannot be trusted blindly, since dates are often postponed). Free public ceremonies occur approximately twice a month. They usually start at 11:30 and last no more than 45 minutes, after which the gathered crowd is asked to quickly disperse so as not to interfere with pedestrian traffic. When the star is unveiled, the celebrity is presented with a framed certificate containing a photo of their nameplate and the date it was laid.

When the owner of a particular star dies, a mountain of flowers and photographs brought by grieving fans traditionally grows near his name on the sidewalk - in such cases, the impromptu memorial even has to be fenced off. Flowers also appear later - on anniversaries; This is how the public said goodbye to Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Robin Williams and many others.

Over the decades, the Walk of Fame has developed its own myths and superstitions, spread by fans with a particularly rich imagination. Some of the slabs on it (for example, Charlie Chaplin's slab) are considered “bad” and bring bad luck, so touching them is not recommended. Others, on the contrary, have a reputation for being “happy.” For financial well-being recommend going to the stove of Carol Lombard or Veronica Lake, and those who want to meet true love, put a rose on Audrey Hepburn's stove and walk around it 9 times, making a wish. In addition, since the 80s there has been a widespread tradition of the “star touch”, which supposedly energizes any visitor to the Walk of Fame with good luck. To do this, you need to bend over the star with your favorite name, cover the first letter of the name with your left palm, and with your right palm, touch all the tips of the star one by one, doing this clockwise, starting from the top ray.

Of course, in reality everything is not as beautiful as it is described in books and catalogues. Every mega-popular tourist attraction is surrounded by people who want to make money from it, so you are unlikely to be able to calmly stroll along the alley without being harassed by cosplayers dressed up as movie characters and offering to take pictures with them for money, as well as all sorts of flyer distributors, beggars and scammers pushing clean tickets to visitors. CDs disguised as music. You may be disappointed by the area itself and the poor condition of some of the slabs. But if you find yourself on the West Coast, it would be unwise to ignore this piece of Hollywood history: after all, as was said at the beginning of the article, going to Los Angeles and not going to the Walk of Fame is the same as visiting Paris and not seeing Eiffel Tower. And there’s probably nothing to add to this.

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The process of receiving a personalized star on the Walk of Fame is initiated by representatives of the person whose name they want to perpetuate with his own consent. In general, the process can be described as follows.

Anyone, including fans of the person whose star is proposed to be pledged, can nominate a person active in one of the entertainment categories, including obtaining his (or his representatives') consent to the nomination. About two hundred such appointments are received per year.
Next the process is underway review by the Selection Committee of received applications, as a result of which about twenty people are selected who should receive Stars over the next year (including one posthumous one awarded annually.)
After this, living candidates for receiving the Star must give their consent and personally attend the appointment ceremony (although the date of the ceremony can be determined by the celebrity herself at any time within five years). The unveiling ceremony of the posthumous Star must be attended by a relative of the deceased.
The organization nominating an approved candidate must provide a fee of approximately $30,000 for the manufacture and installation of the Star. The nominating organization can be film studios, music labels, journalists, fan clubs and any other people involved in the nomination.
The location for the new Star is determined, the slab is made, and all associated ceremonies and activities are carried out.

There are several restrictions on who can be appointed:

The candidate must have worked in the assigned category for at least five years.
At least five years must pass from the death of the candidate receiving the posthumous star.
Stars of members of the Selection Committee cannot be placed on the Walk of Fame (except for the Chairman's stars) to avoid abuse of position.
The candidate's contribution must be significant and recognized in the field in which he is nominated.

If a celebrity is nominated but fails the initial screening process, they may be considered again the following year without repeating the nomination cycle. However, if failure occurs again, it is necessary to re-initiate the entire process of submitting documentation for appointment and undergo selection along with the general list.

Of course, sometimes certain deviations from the established procedure occur. For example, Barbra Streisand was unable to attend the opening ceremony of her own Star in 1976, but still received it. Under similar conditions, George Clooney, for example, lost his monument.

Stars are not always awarded to obviously candidates related to five of the categories considered: film industry, television, music, radio, theater. In some cases, the Committee deviates somewhat from the rules and looks for a convenient excuse to put a star on a nominee who is the pride of the nation. This is how the stars appeared on the Alley American astronauts. True, instead of a star, the moon was depicted, and the monument was classified as television, since the broadcast of the Apollo 11 landing attracted a record number of viewers. And, for example, Mohammed Ali received his Star in theater category, since the Committee took advantage of a free interpretation of the concept of “theater” and classified boxing as this activity.

The location of the star is also not always determined by the Committee. From time to time, its members listen to the wishes of celebrities. So, Mohammed Ali did not want tourists to go by the name of the prophet, so his Star was installed on the wall. Or, for example, actress Carol Burnett insisted that her Star be located at the Warner Cinema, from which she was fired, calling her a “worthless usherette” 25 years before receiving a place on the Alley.

Hollywood Alley Fame is considered one of business cards Los Angeles. This alley is famous for the fact that many stars with the names of the most famous Hollywood artists are built into its sidewalks. Today, the Walk of Fame stretches for 15 blocks on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Wine Street. Undoubtedly, this monument to show business is one of the most successful ever created. marketing moves. Every Hollywood actor, musician or TV presenter dreams of seeing his name on this famous alley, and there are more than 10 million people who want to walk along it every year.

There is a lot of inaccurate and untruthful information floating around the history of the construction of the Walk of Fame, so we consider it important to provide our readers with true story creation and development of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

History of the creation of the Walk of Fame

The idea of creating the Walk of Fame came in 1953 to the president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Industry E.M. Stewart. Stewart wanted to immortalize the names of famous Hollywood artists on the sidewalk, thereby increasing their already high popularity, as well as attracting tourists to Hollywood. While developing the Walk of Fame project, Stewart instructed his assistants to find original ideas to reflect the names of Hollywood actors on the sidewalk. Where exactly the idea of placing names in the shape of stars came from, history is silent, but there are suggestions that this idea was taken out of thin air. Namely, from the ceiling of the Hollywood Hotel restaurant, on which stars were depicted, with the names of the actors inscribed inside.

In 1955, the Walk of Fame project was completed and sent to collect signatures. A year later, the plan to build the alley was approved by the Los Angeles City Council, which allocated the necessary amount for construction work.

In February 1956, the first example of the Walk of Fame star was presented to the public. It featured a caricature of John Wayne, a popular actor at the time. However, due to the high production costs and the difficulty of applying a pattern to the surface of the tile, this version of the star was rejected. It was also proposed to change the colors of the alley, instead of the originally proposed combination of brown and blue colors on black coral.

For an objective selection of candidates whose names were to be placed on the Walk of Stars, 4 committees were created, each of which represented one or another entertainment industry, namely: cinema, television, sound recording and radio. The list of committee members included the most famous names in the field of show business, such as: Walt Disney, Cecil DeMille, Samuel Goldwyn, Hal Roach, Jesse Lasky, Walter Lantz and Mack Sennett.

After the first week of the committee's work, 150 names were proposed. The selection process was not without heated debate. One of them flared up because Charlie Chaplin’s name was not included in the original list.

To demonstrate what the Avenue of Stars would look like, 8 randomly selected stars were temporarily installed on Hollywood Boulevard.

This experimental eight included: Ronald Colman, Edward Sedgwick, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Olive Borden, Burt Lancaster, Ernest Torrance, and Joan Woodward.

Who was the first to get on the Walk of Fame?

Due to the fact that a photo of actress Joanne Woodward posing next to her star hit the press earlier than others, many decided that it was her star who became the first on the Walk of Fame. However, this is not true, because all 8 stars were placed simultaneously with a single ceremony for all.

It was expected that after this event, construction of the Walk of Fame would begin in accelerated mode, however lawsuits, concerning the cutting down of trees and lighting the area, delayed construction for another 1 year.

The first star to be placed on the Walk of Fame was directed by Stanley Kramer and placed on the eastern side of Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960. In the spring of 1961, work on installing the stars was completed, at that time 1,558 stars were laid on the Walk of Fame.

Due to bureaucratic procedures, the next star on the Walk of Fame appeared only on December 11, 1968. Its owner was comedian Danny Thomas. Since that time, ceremonies for presenting stars on the Walk of Fame have been held quite often. In 1972, Charlie Chaplin finally received his star.

In 1972, the Hollywood Walk of Fame was included in the list of cultural and historical monuments of Los Angeles.

In 1980, she appeared on the Walk of Fame new star TV presenter Johnny Grant, this event changed the further history of the famous alley. Johnny was so delighted with the honor that he was given all possible support for the Walk of Stars. The House was impressed by Grant's efforts and asked him to chair one of the committees. From then until his death (January 2008), the name Johnny Grant became synonymous with the Walk of Fame.

In 1984, under his leadership, a fifth category of stars was added - "Live Theater". Johnny insisted that the artist to whom the star was awarded attend the presentation in person. He is also credited with determining the location of the new stars. When planning the construction of the Walk of Fame, it was assumed that it could accommodate no more than 2,518 stars. In this regard, at the end of the 1990s, places for stars began to run out. To solve this problem, Johnny Grant decided to create a second row of stars on the sidewalk, which would alternate with the existing stars.

In February 1994, as part of the intensification of the Los Angeles reconstruction project, the Walk of Fame was expanded by another 1 block. To attract public attention, 30 new stars were opened in the new block of the Walk of Fame, and the symbolic two thousandth star was awarded to Sophia Loren.

In 2008, the Walk of Fame was reconstructed. 778 stars were repaired or completely replaced. A total of $4.2 million was spent on restoration, most of which was donated by well-known companies and representatives of show business.

Who owns the most stars on the Walk of Fame?

Gene Autry is the only artist who owns stars in all 5 categories. 4 stars have Mickey Rooney, Tony Martin, Roy Rogers and Bob Hope. 30 artists have stars in 3 categories, including Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye and George Barnes.

Interesting facts about the Walk of Fame

Ronald Reagan is the only US President and 1 of 2 California governors (the other is Arnold Schwarzenegger) to have his own star on the Walk of Fame.

Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon character to receive a star, followed by Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Winnie the Pooh, Shrek, The Simpsons, etc.

There are no stars on the Walk of Fame for Clint Eastwood and Julia Roberts due to the fact that they disagreed with their placement, and George Clooney and John Denver refused to attend the unveiling of their stars.

Pseudonyms are indicated on the 7 stars laid out on the Walk of Fame.

During the existence of the Walk of Fame, several stars were installed with spelling errors, but after some time these stars were replaced.

To the question: “ how many stars are on the Walk of Fame?"It is impossible to give an exact answer, because their number is constantly growing. Today there are more than 2.5 thousand of them, each of which is built into a terrazz slab of the sidewalk.

Today, Walks of Fame have appeared in other cities in the USA, Europe and Asia. Now you can see stars on the sidewalk in Kyiv, Berlin, Vienna, Kazan, Delhi, etc. But the Hollywood Walk of Fame remains the most famous, longest and most visited in the world. The editors of the All About the USA website would like you to walk along this famous alley, and perhaps someday see your name there.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has stars with the names of hundreds of outstanding cultural and artistic figures. Since 1960, it has recognized people for their contributions to the film, television, recording and music industries, radio and theatre. In total, there are more than 2.5 thousand memorial signs made of brass. Among them, of course, there should have been a place for Russians, although in reality there were very few of them.

Among Russians whose contribution to world culture is recognized in the United States, special place occupied by Igor Stravinsky. A student of Rimsky-Korsakov, an outstanding pianist and composer, very early came to the attention of Sergei Diaghilev and began writing for productions of the Russian Seasons in Paris. It is not surprising that in 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I, the Stravinsky family moved to Switzerland, where Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet was based. Since then, the composer has not returned to his homeland for a very long time.

Until 1940 Stravinsky lived in France, he was one of the living guardians of pre-revolutionary culture Russian Empire. Then he began to spend more time overseas until he finally moved to San Francisco. In 1945 Stravinsky received American citizenship. It was a life of constant touring.

Stravinsky himself conducted the concerts

Before his death, Stravinsky managed to visit his homeland - in 1962 he came on tour to Moscow and Leningrad. A decade later he died in New York and was buried in Venice, not far from Sergei Diaghilev, who played such an important role in the composer's life

A graduate of the Moscow Choreographic School Fyodor Kozlov received world fame thanks to participation in the legendary Russian Ballet troupe of Sergei Diaghilev. Diaghilev personally selected the most promising and talented dancers to participate in the company, so Kozlov flew to the USA as a promising Russian star. So in 1909 he was introduced to film director Cecil DeMille, who would later become one of the most influential people in Hollywood. This acquaintance marked the beginning of Kozlov’s cinematic career, thanks to which he is remembered today in the United States.

DeMille's first film with the participation of a Russian dancer was released in 1917, and in the 20s there was a real surge in the popularity of Fyodor Kozlov: in total, he starred in several dozen films. But the “Russian brunette,” of course, remained a dancer and choreographer. He participated in the preparation of the “Russian Seasons” tour in the USA and staged musicals on Broadway. He was extremely popular, so much so that emigrants from Kazan, according to the Los Angeles Times, even offered Kozlov the Tatar throne.

“It’s better to be a living actor than a dead king,” Kozlov

Kozlov's brilliant career ended with silent films. His Russian accent did not go away during the years of living in the USA and this turned out to be a serious obstacle to new contracts with film studios. Recent years Kozlov dedicated his life to choreography: he created his own dance school in Los Angeles, where he taught until his death in 1956.

On February 9, 1960, Fyodor Kozlov became one of the first recipients of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - as an actor, not as a dancer, in the category “For Contribution to the Development of the Film Industry.”

Composer Andrei Kostelyanets, who is rarely remembered in his homeland, gained fame in the United States. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1901, a few years after October Revolution and started Civil War fled with his family abroad, just to the United States. Education and love for music led the immigrant to radio, where he began conducting orchestras. Already in the 1930s, Kostelyans had his own musical program - “Andrey Kostelyans Presents” on CBS. He recorded a huge number of popular orchestral melodies, which sold millions of copies. He became an “icon” of Light Music and personified an entire era in the life of the New York Philharmonic, where great success concerts of “Andrey Kostelyants with his orchestra” took place. It is not surprising that in 1960 the living legend was included among the first musicians whose memory they wanted to immortalize on the Walk of Fame.

In the United States, Grigory Ratov, a native of Samara, is considered one of their own, an American actor. He emigrated with his family after the October Revolution. At first he lived in France, where he published the Russian Journal, then even returned to his homeland for a while, only to finally leave in 1925. Ratov came to the states as a Jewish immigrant. In New York, he began to participate in productions of the Jewish Theater, then he ended up on Broadway, and when the crisis broke out, following the example of many actors of that time, he “fled” to Hollywood.

Ratov was lucky to start his film career with a role that was close to him - a Jewish immigrant who dies on the operating table of his son, a doctor. Even a strong accent did not stop him from starring in a whole series of films, and then becoming one of the most recognizable actors.

Ratov’s most famous work is his role in the film “All About Eve,” which won 6 Oscars. Well, his most scandalous work was “Song of Russia” in 1944. This picture in the USA was declared one of the most bright examples propaganda of communism.

Because of the “Song of the Motherland” he was called an agent of the USSR

After a scandal and a series of public hearings, Ratov’s reputation as a director was destroyed. He continued to act as an actor, and a few months before his death - in February 1960 - he, along with dozens of other film figures of the past and present, was immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the development of cinema.

Perhaps the only Russian - without any reservations - owner of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is Fyodor Chaliapin. He was honored "for his contributions to the recording industry." Chaliapin was well known in the USA not only thanks to records with his voice, but above all thanks to his personal performances.

As you know, Chaliapin had already made a brilliant opera career when the revolutions of 1917 took place. Soviet power he was the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater, by the way, he was the first to receive the title People's Artist Republic and was one of the first to go on tour abroad.

The trips dragged on, Chaliapin seemed to be in no hurry to return to his homeland, for which he very soon fell out of favor. Adding to the discontent were rumors about warm relations singer with the White Guards.

After 5 years of touring, Chaliapin was deprived of the right to return to the USSR

The legendary bass finally became an emigrant. His family lived in Paris, although in fact Chaliapin spent most of his time on endless travel and tours. For another ten years he traveled around the world - from the United States to Manchuria and Japan. In 1937, Chaliapin was diagnosed with leukemia. A year later he died in the arms of his wife. The artist was buried in Paris, and almost half a century later he was moved to Moscow to the Novodevichy cemetery.

Who invented and where did the Hollywood Walk of Fame come from? These questions are probably asked by many, although the concept itself is familiar to everyone, and every person has an idea of what this place is intended for. In this article you can learn a little more about Hollywood and about the stars who were captured on the Alley, and there are even those who did not receive such an honor or simply did not come to the award ceremony. “How many Stars are there on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?” - you ask. The answer can be found in the article below.

How it all started

Believe me, many people dream of leaving their mark on history, and especially on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the 50s, the idea arose to encourage and support the fame of artists who made a special contribution to the film industry. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at that time was headed by Stuart E.M., who gave instructions to allocate funds for the construction of the Walk of Fame. There are two opinions about how the idea of creating the Alley, which it is now, came about: some say that in one of the restaurants in Hollywood, stars were painted on the menu with photographs of celebrities, others claim that pentagonal stars were painted on the ceiling in the dining room of the Hollywood Hotel, which became the reason for the creation of the “Walk of Stars”.

The project was ready and approved in 1956, and construction of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ended in 1959. First of all, 1550 Stars were laid, which belonged to such celebrities as Joan Woodward, Ronald Colman, Burt Lancaster, Ernest Torrance, Preston Foster and many others.

What happened to the Walk of Fame?

In the 60s, a crisis began in America, the echoes of which affected Hollywood and everything connected with it. For eight years, not a single Star was added to the Alley. One day, a certain person decides to completely change the entire structure of choosing and awarding the Star, thanks to which the “Walk of Fame” slowly began to revive.

Johnny Grant appointed a certain fee for nominating a candidate for the Star and strictly demanded the personal presence of each selected person to lay the Star. Since then, about 20-30 Stars appear on the Alley every year.

Let's go back to 1958, when construction of the Alley was in full swing. At this time, two trial, which slowed down the construction of the project. One lawsuit was filed by Charles Chaplin the Younger - son of the famous famous Charlie Chaplin, who was greatly affected by the exclusion of his father from the List of Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And they say they were involved in that case Political Views Chaplin the Elder. But that's not the point.

The second lawsuit was filed by local property holders on the said Alley, demanding payment to them monetary reward, as a tax for construction. However, the claim was rejected.

List of stars on the 20th century Hollywood Walk of Fame

Stars are divided into five categories, each of which defines their contribution to the entertainment industry. Thus, celebrities receive a star for special achievements in the film industry, television, recording and music, radio and theater. The Hollywood Walk of Fame has thousands of Stars for various achievements. Here are a few famous people who made a special contribution to the development of the film industry in the 20th century:

List of celebrities on the 21st century Hollywood Walk of Stars

Stars of varying size and popularity were honored to have their contributions immortalized on the Walk of Fame. In the 21st century, the film industry developed at an active pace, and many popular actors and actresses received their Stars on the Hollywood Walk:

Stars who failed to get on the Walk of Fame list

The Hollywood elite is replete with various talented and promising actors. But Jim Parsons became the last American actor to receive his Star on the Walk of Fame. 2,545 Stars have found their way onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, but you'd be surprised which celebrities never received the honor or simply refused a Star. Here are some of them:

Robert De Niro, winner of two Oscars, was never considered for a Star on the Walk of Fame.
Tina Fey. This American actress, producer, screenwriter and writer has nine Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globes, but does not have a Star on the Walk.
Brad Pitt is the most sexy man Hollywood did not have the honor of being on the Star Walk.
Denzel Washington has been one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood since the 80s. He boasts awards such as two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and a Tony Award, but he never received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Clint Eastwood is an outstanding person in world cinema, he is the winner of four Oscars, but is absolutely not interested in receiving a Star on the Walk of Fame. However, there is always a place reserved for him there.

Above is the photo of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Fictional characters stars

In addition to the famous and outstanding people, the Walk of Fame also includes special stars, which were awarded to fictional characters who have become cult heroes of all times and generations:

Unusual stars

There are a number of Stars on Hollywood Walk that have become one-of-a-kind for one reason or another. Below are some unusual Stars: