The sidewalk plays a trick on you the moment you step off the curb onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine. Instead of looking up at the palm trees or the Hollywood sign in the distance, you find yourself scanning brass and pink terrazzo for a star you recognize. Within seconds, you spot one and then another. Soon you’re walking slower than the other visitors around you, phone out, snapping photos of stars under your feet like you’ve struck gold.
In a way, you have. This sidewalk, actually sidewalks, hold more than 2,850 stars, and each one tells you something about how Hollywood decided to remember its own.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame
How a Sidewalk Became a Monument
You might assume the Walk of Fame has been part of Hollywood since the silent film era. After all, the hand and footprints at the Chinese Theatre starting appearing in the late 1920s. However, the starry idea didn’t take shape until the 1950s. As television started pulling audiences away from movie theaters, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce needed a way to keep tourists coming back to the boulevard. E.M. Stuart, a local businessman, pitched the idea of honoring entertainers with a permanent sidewalk display, and the Chamber ran with it.
The First Eight Stars on the Walk of Fame
Construction began in 1958, and the first eight stars went into the sidewalk that year at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, honoring Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward. By 1960, the Walk of Fame officially opened to the public, and Woodward became the first honoree to receive her star at a dedicated public ceremony. You’ll notice the design hasn’t changed much since then: a five-pointed terrazzo star framed in charcoal, set into rose-colored terrazzo, with a bronze emblem at the center indicating the category of achievement. That emblem might be a film camera, a television set, a phonograph record, a radio microphone, or a pair of comedy and tragedy masks representing live theater.
Fictional Characters on the Walk of Fame
You should know that getting a star isn’t simply a matter of fame. Nominations go through the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and a committee reviews each candidate’s career achievements, charitable work, and cultural impact. Once approved, the honoree or their representative typically covers the cost of the star’s creation and installation, which today runs in the tens of thousands of dollars. Despite the price tag, most recipients see it as a small cost for a permanent piece of Hollywood real estate.
As you continue walking, you’ll pass stars for actors, musicians, directors, producers, and even fictional characters. For instance, Mickey Mouse has one, as well as Snow White. So does Big Bird. That’s not to mention the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz and Godzilla. The category system means you can find a rock legend next to a radio pioneer next to a silent film star from the 1920s, all sharing the same stretch of pavement decades apart.
Why This Sidewalk Still Matters
You might wonder why people still care about a sidewalk covered in names when so much of Hollywood has moved on to streaming platforms and social media fame. The answer lies in its permanence. Unlike a trending post or a viral clip, a star on this boulevard doesn’t disappear after a news cycle ends. It stays there, weathering foot traffic and sunshine, long after the honoree has passed away or faded from headlines.
Because of that permanence, the Walk of Fame has become something like a physical archive of American entertainment. You can trace the evolution of pop culture just by walking a few blocks, moving from Golden Age film stars near Hollywood and Highland to more contemporary musicians and YouTube personalities further down the boulevard. Every generation adds its own names, and every generation’s tourists come looking for the ones that matter to them.
10 Stars You Won’t Want to Miss
If you only have an afternoon to explore, prioritize these ten. They represent some of the most photographed, most searched, and most emotionally resonant names on the entire boulevard.
Marilyn Monroe
Her star sits along Hollywood Boulevard and remains one of the most visited spots on the entire walk. Even decades after her death, her image still defines an era of Hollywood glamour that visitors can’t get enough of.
Related: Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon Exhibit at the Academy Museum
Elvis Presley
The King has not one but two stars, one for music and one for film, a rare honor that reflects his dual career. You’ll likely see visitors pause here to snap a photo, especially fans who grew up on his music.
The Beatles
Their group star represents one of the few band honors on the boulevard, a nod to the group’s massive cultural influence on American entertainment. Beyond that shared star, each member also earned an individual star of his own. In fact, you’ll find all four clustered together outside the Capitol Records Building on Vine Street. John Lennon received his in 1988, George Harrison followed in 2009, Ringo Starr in 2010, and Paul McCartney rounded out the set in 2012, making that stretch of sidewalk a required stop for any Beatles fan.
Walt Disney
Fittingly, Disney holds two stars as well, one for motion pictures and one for television, honoring his massive impact on both mediums. Families often make a special stop here, especially if they’re headed to a Disney-related attraction afterward.
Bruce Lee
For years, fans campaigned for Lee to receive a star, and when he finally got one in 2019, it became an instant pilgrimage site for martial arts enthusiasts. You’ll often see visitors posing in fighting stances beside it, a playful tribute to his legendary on-screen presence.
Audrey Hepburn
Her star captures the elegance she brought to both her film career and her humanitarian work later in life. Visitors often describe a certain reverence when they find her name, a quiet nod to a woman who represented grace both on and off screen.
The Doors
Jim Morrison and his bandmates helped define the sound of Los Angeles in the late 1960s, and their star draws a steady stream of classic rock fans. Many visitors linger a little longer here, half expecting to hear “Light My Fire” drifting out of a passing car.
Judy Garland
Long before pop stardom existed in its modern form, Garland was already living it, and her star honors a career that stretched from The Wizard of Oz to some of the finest recordings of the twentieth century. You’ll often see fans pause here to reflect on a legacy that still shapes how audiences think about musical performance.
Jimi Hendrix
Though his career burned bright for only a few short years, Hendrix changed the way people thought about the electric guitar forever. Music lovers of every generation still seek out his star, treating it as a quiet tribute to one of the greatest performers rock has ever produced.
Elton John
Between the rhinestone glasses, the piano theatrics, and decades of chart-topping hits, Elton John earned his place among Hollywood’s most beloved honorees. His star tends to draw fans humming a favorite song under their breath as they snap their photo.
Don’t Miss the Four Ladies of Hollywood
Before you wrap up your visit, make your way to the western end of the boulevard, where Hollywood Boulevard meets La Brea Avenue. There, you’ll find a striking silver gazebo known as the Four Ladies of Hollywood, officially called the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway. Four caryatid-style statues hold up its Art Deco roof, each one representing a trailblazing actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age: Dolores del Río, Dorothy Dandridge, Anna May Wong, and Mae West. Designed by Catherine Hardwicke and dedicated in 1994, the sculpture was created to honor women whose careers broke barriers of race and culture long before the industry made much room for them. Please note that Anna May Wong’s sculpture was damaged by a hit and run driver. Hopefully, it will be repaired in the near future.
Look up, and you’ll notice a small gilded figure perched atop the spire. That’s a tribute to Marilyn Monroe in her famous billowing-skirt pose, though the original statue was stolen in 2019 and later replaced. As you walk around the base of the gazebo, keep an eye on the sidewalk itself, since this spot also marks the western terminus of the Walk of Fame. On the other hand, you may have already visited this spot, since the stars for both The Beatles and Elvis Presley are located here.
Making the Most of Your Visit
Before you go, know that the Walk of Fame stretches across roughly 1.3 miles along Hollywood Boulevard and .4 miles on Vine Street. In other words, comfortable shoes matter more than you’d think. Morning visits tend to be quieter, giving you better photo opportunities before the tour buses arrive. If you’re hoping to find a specific star, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce maintains an online directory with exact addresses, which saves you from wandering aimlessly in the midday sun.
You should also budget extra time nearby. After all, the TCL Chinese Theatre sits just steps away, with its famous handprints and footprints in concrete. The Dolby Theatre, home to the Academy Awards, is right around the corner too. Together, these landmarks turn a simple sidewalk stroll into a half-day exploration of Hollywood’s entertainment legacy.
By the time you leave, you’ll likely have a favorite star of your own, one that made you stop, smile, or maybe even pull out your phone for a quick photo to send via Instagram or Facebook. That’s the real magic of this boulevard. It’s not just a tourist attraction. Indeed, it’s a living, walkable record of who Hollywood decided was worth remembering, one star at a time.
Related: The Academy Museum: 2026 Guide to Hollywood’s Best Museum
About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, MSN.com and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and is a Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW) member.
