6800 star on the Walk of Fame. Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles: photos, list of stars, their contribution to the film industry

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 selection 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:

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the main attractions of Los Angeles. Along both sides of Hollywood Boulevard, which runs for fifteen blocks, and for another three blocks along Vine Street, there are terracotta-colored stars engraved on them. Here you can not only famous actors and directors, but also others who made great contributions to the film industry. Some stars feature fictional characters, there are stars dedicated to or music groups, producers, politicians and others famous personalities. But the majority belongs to filmmakers - 47%, the remaining categories are the development of sound recording, theater, radio and television.

The exception is names American astronauts who walked on the moon, and the star of Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer.

New stars appear on the Walk of Fame every year, increasing total quantity about a couple of dozen. Therefore, the exact figure is always changing. The calculation is complicated by the fact that they do not have status - the fact is that according to the rules for the laying of a terracotta monument on Hollywood Boulevard, the person to whom it was dedicated must be present. Some celebrities refused this honor, others were simply unable to attend the ceremony due to other reasons.

Number of stars on the Walk of Fame

In total, on both sides of the boulevard you can count about two and a half thousand stars: about half of them are officially open, others - not according to all the rules. There are also posthumous stars: on the one hand, their owners were not present at the ceremony, on the other hand, this official title. And every year this figure grows. Every year, about two hundred candidates in various fields are chosen to become stars, and they must meet certain conditions: for example, they have worked in this field for at least five years. From several hundreds, several dozen are selected, usually no more than thirty people for whom the stars are selected.

In order for a star to receive official status, the celebrity must give his consent and later appear at the ceremony. If the person to whom a monument is erected on the Walk of Fame has already died, then the presence of his relative is desirable.

Stars for Richard Crooks and Geraldine Farrar (for their work in the film industry) were supposed to be installed on Hollywood Boulevard, but they were never found: either they were forgotten during the renovation of the Alley, or they were moved to another location.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has stars with the names of hundreds of prominent figures culture and art. 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 his 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, Kostelyanets had his own musical program - “Andrey Kostelyanets 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 - who has 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.

Goldie Hawn and her partner Kurt Russell were honored with stars on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 4, 2017. Many fans were surprised that these celebrities waited so long to receive their award. But you will be even more surprised when you find out how many others are just as talented people never received their star. Most of them have already won countless awards, including more than one Oscar, but their names have never appeared on Vine Street. Let's hope that one day this will happen.

1. Julia Roberts

She was nominated for several Academy Awards and won an Oscar for main role in the film "Erin Brockovich" back in 2000. But Julia has yet to see her name on the Walk of Fame.

2. Angelina Jolie

The actress, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador, won an Oscar for her on-screen prowess and was recognized for helping the world's poor, but somehow she was never given a star of her own.

3. Al Pacino

This actor became famous back in 1972, after his role in the cult film “ Godfather”, but he is still waiting for his name to appear on the Walk of Fame.

4. Denzel Washington

No, you won't find the name of the owner of two Oscar statuettes on the Walk of Fame.

5. Robert De Niro

Like his colleague Al Pacino, Robert never received recognition as a star on the Walk of Fame, despite decades of success in the film industry.

6. Clint Eastwood

He has been nominated for eight Oscars and even has three wins, both as an actor and as a director, but he still doesn't have a star.

7. Oprah Winfrey

It is impossible to list all the awards that the former talk show host has received over the years. However, she never managed to get her star on the Walk of Fame.

8. Christopher Walken

This amazing actor has played over a hundred roles over his decades of work, but apparently this is not enough to get his star.

9. David Letterman

During his time as Late Show host, he interviewed many of the celebrities who are on the Walk of Fame, but was never able to get on there himself.

10. Leonardo DiCaprio

After five nominations, he was finally able to receive a gold statuette for his role in the film The Revenant. Let's hope he won't have to wait as long for a star on the Walk of Fame.

11. Steve Martin

This actor has been making us laugh every time we watch his movies for decades, but he still keeps waiting for a star with his name on Vine Street.

12. Judi Dench

It turns out that even a lady whose talent was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II herself cannot change anything when it comes to the famous sidewalk of the stars.

13. Jerry Seinfeld

It seems strange that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has failed to recognize this actor's comic talent and has yet to give him his own star.

14. Will Smith

This talented actor Over his long career, he has appeared in many films and won many awards, but it seems that this is not enough to get a star with his name.

15. Diane Keaton

There is no star on the Walk of Fame for the actress, who has been working in the film industry since her screen debut in 1970.

16. James Earl Jones

It is truly incomprehensible how this iconic actor could work in cinema for so long and not be awarded this honor?

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 untrue 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 USA website would like you to walk along this famous alley, and perhaps someday see your name there.