How To Get a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame draws 10 million visitors every year. Over 2,700 terrazzo stars make up the walk which winds its way along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The stars are permanent public monuments to honor the achievements of people (and even some fictional characters) in entertainment including actors, producers, musicians, and more!
There are five different types of stars, distinguished by brass symbols inlaid in black terrazzo representing motion pictures, broadcast television, audio recording, broadcast radio, and theater/live performances.
How Did the Hollywood Walk of Fame Get Its Start?
The idea of the walk is credited to E.M Stuart who was the volunteer president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 1953. A committee was formed to start planning the walk which was meant to maintain the glory and glamor of Hollywood.
By 1955, a plan was in place and by 1957 the first 1,588 honorees were selected. The official groundbreaking took place in 1960 with the first permanent start put in place honoring director Stanley Kramer.
After it was completed, it took eight years for another star to be added to the walk. It wasn’t until the 1980s when Johnny Grant implemented changes such as requiring stars to attend their stars’ unveiling ceremony that it became a tourist attraction drawing crowds and press coverage.
You can also check out 5 Fun Facts About The Hollywood Sign
How Do You Get a Star on the Walk of Fame?
There’s a list of requirements when it comes to being nominated for a star on the famous walk. Each year about 200 people are nominated and then the anonymous committee narrows the list down to 20-24 recipients.
Here are some of the requirements of the selection process:
- The nominee must be active in the field of entertainment they are being nominated for and have been for at least five years.
- The nominee’s management must approve the nomination although anyone can make the nomination including fans.
- Living recipients must agree to attend a presentation of the star within two years of being chosen
- A fee of $55,000 must be paid at the time of selection. This fee is for the production, installation, and general upkeep of the star and is typically paid for by the nominating organization, like a production company, for example. It’s not cheap to have a spot on the world’s most famous sidewalk.
The rules can be bent and even broken a little bit when it comes to the selection process. For example, Muhammad Ali has a star after the committee decided boxing could count as a live performance and the four moon landing astronauts have stars for their contribution to broadcast television.
Fun Fact: Gene Autry is the only Walk of Famer with a star in all five categories.
Take a walk down the 1.3-mile strip to get a glimpse into Hollywood’s rich history as now the Hollywood Walk of Fame is as iconic as Hollywood itself.
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