Hollywood Walk of Fame
Look down as you walk along Hollywood Boulevard and you'll see them: coral-pink five-pointed stars set into the sidewalk one after another, each bearing a name cast in bronze. The Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches fifteen blocks along Hollywood Boulevard and three along Vine Street — more than 2,800 stars honoring contributors to film, television, music, radio, live theater, and sports entertainment. Actors, directors, musicians, inventors, business figures, and even fictional characters all have a place here. The idea was conceived in 1953, and the first permanent star was laid on March 28, 1960. Don't spend all your time scanning for famous names: hidden among the stars are a compass-like directional flourish, a circular Apollo 11 memorial, and a pavilion held up by four Hollywood goddesses — each one with a story worth finding.
United States · 10 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
The Six Categories and Their Emblems
Crouch down and look at any star: beneath the name sits a small circular bronze emblem. That's not decoration — it's the honoree's category. The Walk of Fame recognizes only six fields of the entertainment industry, and every inductee belongs to exactly one. A motion-picture camera, a television set, a phonograph record, a microphone, two drama masks, and a pair of spurs for live performance — six symbols, six domains. If you spot a star with no emblem at all and a noticeably different typeface, that's the Board of Directors Award, given directly by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to an individual, organization, or company — a seventh category unto itself.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The Exception: The Apollo 11 Memorial
At the corner of Hollywood and Vine, look down — but not for a star. The memorial here is four circular discs, one at each corner of the intersection. They honor Apollo 11, and they are the only inductees on the entire Walk not cast in the shape of a star. Each disc bears an astronaut's name, the date of the Moon landing, and the words "Apollo XI" — making them among the rare memorials on the Walk to carry text beyond a name. In a sidewalk full of pointed stars, these four circles are easy to step over without noticing.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Where Each Star Falls
No star lands where it does by accident. The sidewalk in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is considered prime real estate; high-profile stars tend to be placed near the Chinese Theatre, Oscar winners cluster around the Dolby Theatre, and rock musicians often end up outside the Musicians Institute. Some placements run deeper: Ray Bradbury and John Waters have their stars outside Larry Edmunds Bookshop, a place both frequented; Tim Burton's is outside Hollywood Toys and Costumes, a childhood source of inspiration; Hitchcock's star was unveiled outside the very theater that screened Psycho during its opening run. And some placements are quietly funny: Roger Moore and Daniel Craig share an address of 7007; Ed O'Neill's star sits outside a shoe store, a nod to his shoe-salesman role on Married... with Children.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Beyond the Stars: The Pavilion, the Mural, and the Time Capsule
Walk to the western end of the Walk of Fame, at Hollywood and La Brea, and you'll find a structure that doesn't belong to any star: the Hollywood and Highland Pavilion, also known as the "Four Ladies of Hollywood." Installed in 1993 and officially unveiled on February 1, 1994, the pavilion was designed by architect Katharine Hardwicke. Its frame is an open-top Art Deco canopy of square stainless-steel members, with a life-sized goddess at each corner — Dorothy Dandridge, Anna May Wong, Dolores del Río, and Mae West — each in full regalia on a pedestal. The canopy arches up to a dome; on the dome, a central spire carries the word "Hollywood" in neon on each of its four faces, and the spire is capped by a gilded wind sculpture modeled on Marilyn Monroe's famous flying-skirt pose from The Seven Year Itch.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Behind the Camera: Craftspeople and Inventors
Most visitors scan the pavement for actor names — but a substantial portion of the Walk belongs to the people who worked behind the lens. Cinematographers Conrad Hall and Haskell Wexler are here, as are costume designers Edith Head and Ruth E. Carter, stuntman Yakima Canutt, animator Walter Lantz, visual effects artists Ray Harryhausen and Dennis Muren, makeup pioneers Max Factor and the Westmore family, and special-effects makeup artists John Chambers, Stan Winston, and Rick Baker. Novelist Sidney Sheldon and Ray Bradbury made the list; so did film critic Roger Ebert — whose star falls under the television category, since his review program aired on TV.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Animal Stars
Three real dogs have stars on the Walk of Fame — not as a celebrity's pet, but as performe… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Fictional Characters with Stars
More than twenty of the names you walk over on the Hollywood Walk of Fame never belonged t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Same Name, Different Person
Two pairs of stars on the Walk share an identical name but honor completely different peop… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Groups and Partnerships
The Walk of Fame honors more than individuals. Dozens of musical groups each have their ow… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Selected Twice: Charlie Chaplin's Story
Charlie Chaplin is the only person on the Hollywood Walk of Fame who had to be selected tw… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The Six Categories and Their Emblems, The Exception: The Apollo 11 Memorial, Where Each Star Falls and more — 10 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Hollywood Walk of Fame guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 5 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).