“Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson has cemented his spot among Hollywood royalty by earning a star on the Walk of Fame.
The NAACP Image Award winner celebrated receiving the honor on Saturday, Aug. 15, with a visit to his namesake’s permanent home, which the public was able to watch via the Walk of Fame’s first-ever virtual ceremony. Family, including his mother Doris Bowman, and some famous friends, including Don Cheadle and George Lopez, joined in person for the occasion.
Although Anderson was actually inducted into the 2018 Walk of Fame Class, he opted to hold off his ceremony until this year so that he could celebrate the achievement along with his 50th birthday, which was also on Aug. 15.
“It’s surreal in a way to see where I’ve come from, the work that I put into this and that I still put into this, and then it all culminating in and having that work paid off with a star on that same Hollywood Walk of Fame,” he told Variety. “You couldn’t write a story better than that.”
Anderson, raised in Compton, California, took an interest in acting and theater at the age of nine after watching his mother, a former actress, rehearse for a play.
“I remember looking up from the back of the theater and just seeing my mom on stage with the actors, and I said, ‘This is what I’m going to do with the rest of my life,’ ” he said. “Since I had that epiphany, that’s all I ever wanted.”
Initially known as a comedic actor when he stepped onto the Hollywood scene, the depth of talent that he displayed in serious roles like “The Departed” helped him when it came to potentially being typecast as “the funny guy.” The Emmy nominated actor has lent his talents to a variety of memorable films and TV shows, including “The Proud Family,” “Life,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Law and Order,” and both the “Barbershop” and “Scary Movie” franchises.
Anderson’s outgoing and down-to-earth personality has also made him a well-recognized TV host. The Golden Globe nominee has graced with his emceeing talents to shows like “To Tell The Truth,” “Eating America with Anthony Anderson” and “Carnival Cravings.”
The success of “Black-ish” took Anderson’s fame to new heights and the cast is already preparing to bring a seventh season to audiences. “We never shy away from anything that’s happening in the world and in particular our community,” Anderson told Deadline of the upcoming season. ” ‘Black-ish’ being ‘Black-ish,’ with our finger on the pulse of what’s happening, in particular within our community, you can rest assured that we will be dealing with the majority of it.”
Although the star’s Walk of Fame celebration was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson vows that when life as everyone knew it resumes, he’ll be throwing himself the bash he deserves.
“When the world does open up and when my star is on that Walk of Fame, we will have a party on that star!” he said. “I will go get a permit to shut down that part of the street, just so we can have our pomp and circumstance, so the fans and the public can enjoy it just as much as me and my family will enjoy it the day that it happens.”
