Keith David now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Emmy Award-winning actor unveiled the star on Thursday as he celebrated his 70th birthday.
“All my life I wanted to be an actor,” David told the large crowd assembled on Hollywood Boulevard.
“I started out as a singer, then I wanted to a be preacher, then I wanted to be a lawyer, and I wanted to be a bank president when I watched Topper on TV,” he said. “I discovered that I could be an actor and be all those things.”
Actress Ryan Michelle Bathe hosted the ceremony honoring David, whose career spans nearly five decades.
David beamed with pride. The actor was sharply-dressed for the summer heat and had a cast on one of his arms.
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The veteran performer was joined by family members and friends, including actors Glynn Turman, Obba Babatundé, Lynn Whitfield, Yvette Nicole Brown, and John C. McGinley; director John Carpenter; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; and City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents the neighborhood.
Bass praised David for giving back to the community, and said he is a longtime mentor and supporter of L.A.’s Inner City Youth Orchestra. “You didn’t just lend your name, you showed up,” said Bass.
David and Whitfield shared the screen in the Chris Rock political comedy Head of State (2003), and played husband and wife on the OWN network series Greenleaf.
Carpenter directed David in the science fiction horror film The Thing (1982), and the horror film They Live (1988).
David and McGinley were castmates in multiple projects, including the award-winning film Platoon (1986).
David was born in Harlem, New York on June 4, 1956. The classically-trained actor graduated from Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts, and from Juilliard in 1979.
He was awarded the 2,847th star on the Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard, next to L.A.’s iconic Pantages Theatre.
You can watch the full ceremony on the Walk of Fame YouTube channel.
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