Who were the first actors to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
“The Hollywood Walk of Fame is the ultimate honour for a performer,” said Steve Carell at Jennifer Garner’s unveiling in 2018. “Induction into this rarefied group is a celebration of career excellence.”
Many actors dream of one day having a star on the Walk of Fame. To many, it’s the ultimate sign that you’ve made it, an immortalised representation of all the hard work you have done, and physical proof that your legacy is precisely that – a legacy. Many of those with the honour of getting a star echo similar sentiments to Carell, mainly because many of them have also seen its transition from humble beginnings to one of the greatest signs of recognition in Hollywood.
Tim Burton touched upon this in his speech, saying that, when he was younger, he hadn’t really realised the extent of the Walk of Fame’s importance, his macabre-leaning mind initially thinking they were just gravestones of Hollywood legends. Of course, he eventually developed an appreciation for what it stood for, but maybe not the reasons you might think.
“I used to come down here and visit the Larry Edmunds bookshop and come here, and when I found out it was here, I almost started crying because I’ve been coming here ever since I was a little child, and the store hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “So for me, it’s such an honour to have a star but also to have it right here in front of this incredible shop, museum, toy shop, everything… I used to spend my life here; thank you so much.”
Who was the first to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The idea for the Walk of Fame came from Hollywood Chamber of Commerce volunteer EM Stuart, who, in 1953, came up with the idea as a way of maintaining “the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world.” Over the following years, plans were agreed upon, and a strategy was pulled together, ready for the unveiling of an initial eight stars in 1958.
That year, the first names to have their stars on the Walk of Fame included: Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward.
Woodward is usually the one people cite as the first-ever to have a star installed, mainly because of the famous picture of her posing by one, but they each had them unveiled at the same time, although they weren’t celebrated with the kinds of ceremonies we see nowadays.
Since 1960, over 2,800 people have been added to the Walk of Fame, but as with most markers of achievement in film, people have discussed whether it still holds as much importance as it once did, and why there are still disparities between those with stars and those without – even though many without have arguably done just as much, if not more, to earn their place.
All things considered, however, and despite the extensive eligibility process – which consists of self-entry and then consideration through the committee – the Walk of Fame remains a prominent touchpoint across Hollywood, especially as many see it now as more of an opportunity for peers to honour each other, with speeches that often use humour and heartwarming stories to add a personal touch to each unveiling.
