On August 15, 1958, the Hollywood Walk of Fame was shown to the public for the first time. The street located on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles then presented its first stars, each paying tribute to an entertainment star. But which personality was the first to be honored?
Some people dream of winning an Oscar, others aspire to have their star on Hollywood Boulevard. Today, 2,799 stars are listed on the pavement of this famous Los Angeles street which makes tribute to personalities from the art world. It is estimated that 10 million people come to visit it each year.
As was the case recently for Jude Law and Kerry Washingtonit is the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that decides who has their place on the precious asphalt.
Who created the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The “reward” exists since 1958. We have to EM Stuartformer volunteer president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, who a few years earlier presented his project to adorn the ground of Hollywood Boulevard of “stars”. No one knows how the American came up with the idea, but rumors claim that the ceiling of a Hollywood hotel, decorated with stars and celebrity names, inspired him.
Who was the first star on Hollywood Boulevard?
We often read that she is the American actress and producer Joanne Woodward who had the honor of being among the first stars of the boulevard. It is true and false at the same time. After months of negotiations, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City organized August 15, 1958 an inauguration ceremony during which eight stars are presented. Among them, Joanne Woodward. But the event simply allows “generate enthusiasm and show what the Promenade would look like”explains the official website of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was only two years later that the true starry path saw the light of day. The first star was deposited on March 28, 1960making tribute to Stanley Kramera 20th century American director, famous for his anti-racist and anti-fascist films. A year later, his plaque was accompanied by 1,558 other stars.
Why is Muhammad Ali's star on a wall?
Today, several big names in cinema, audiovisual and theater have the right to their stars on Hollywood Boulevard. This is the case of the Lumière brothers, the Beatles, Céline Dion, Sarah Bernhardt and even Muhammad Ali. The plaque of the latter also has a particularity. She is not not installed on the groundlike her sisters, but on a wall. In 2002, when he had just received his star, the boxer asked that it not be on the ground, on the boulevard, so that the name of his prophet would not be trampled.
Other insignia are also unique. We can cite, for example, the plaque of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, who have never been in showbusiness. It is also not in the shape of stars, but in a circle, and celebrates them as the first men on the Moon.
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