With family and friends by his side, Bill Duke was honored with the 2,837th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, Feb. 26, Duke’s 83rd birthday.
“This star is not only a celebration of my industry and accomplishments, but it will be an ongoing legacy that my daughter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren can experience long after I am gone,” Duke said at the ceremony.
Related: Why A Star On The Hollywood Walk of Fame Costs $75,000
He told he audience he was born in Poughkeepsie, a small town in upstate New York. He dedicated the star to his parents for guiding him to success “through discipline.”
“This star belongs to them as much as it does to me. Thank you Ethel, Bill Duke, my sister Yvonne, and my daughter,” he said.
His daughter later joined him for pictures next to the star. Instead of lying down on the landmark as is customary, the octogenarian sat on a walker alongside actor Glynn Turman, rap mogul Dr. Dre, and American Black Film Festival founder Jeff Friday.
Duke was born on Feb. 26, 1943. He secured a scholarship to Boston University to pursue a career in medicine, but switched to English and studied the performing arts.
After graduating, he headed to New York City, and was part of the original cast of the 1971 Broadway musical, Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death.
The cast also included Garrett Morris, who would become an original cast member on Saturday Night Live. Morris was in the audience at Thursday’s ceremony.
Duke’s first dramatic television role was on the 1970s TV series Kojak, according to his IMDb page.
He has appeared in dozens of TV shows and films, including Car Wash, Commando, Predator, Menace II Society, Black Lightning, Get Rich or Die Tryiin’ and X-Men: The Last Stand.
He directed the films A Rage in Harlem (1991), Deep Cover (1992), Not Easily Broken (2006), plus numerous TV shows, and a Dr. Dre music video.
You can watch Thursday’s ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame YouTube page.
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