The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored movie mogul Tyler Perry with the 2,675th Star on the World Famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Category of Motion Pictures, on October 1, 2019, in Los Angeles. The star has been dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures at 7024 Hollywood Boulevard.

“Tyler Perry is a force in the entertainment world. Coming from a world of poverty and pushing his way to the top – his creative work has been an inspiration for many people. We are proud to honor him for his work and perseverance and welcome our newest Walk of Famer!” said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Helping Emcee Rana Ghadban, President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to unveil the star will be Walk of Famer will be actress Crystal Fox.

Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Perry fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows. His inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood’s A-list is truly legendary.

In the year 2000, I Can Do Bad All By Myself marked the first appearance of the now-legendary Madea. The God-fearing, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea, was played by Perry himself. Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays – Madea’s Family Reunion (2002), Madea’s Class Reunion (2003), Madea Goes To Jail (2005) – and set the stage for Perry’s jump to the big screen.

In early 2005, Perry’s first feature film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, debuted at number one nationwide. His ensuing 10 Madea films have all been met with massive commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world.

In 2007, Perry expanded his reach to television with the TBS series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time, which went into syndication after only a year. His follow up effort, Meet the Browns, was the second highest debut ever on cable – after House of Payne.  In late 2012, Perry teamed up with Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive deal to bring scripted programming to her cable network, OWN, and launched with the half hour sitcom, Love Thy Neighbor, and the hour-long drama, The Haves and The Have Nots, which made its debut in 2013 and has continued to break ratings on the network.  In August 2016, Perry debuted a new drama series called Too Close to Home on TLC, the network’s first scripted series.  OWN recently premiered a House of Payne spinoff series, The Paynes, on the network in 2018. It was announced in July 2017 that Perry signed a multi-year content partnership with Viacom, in which he will produce original drama and comedy series across the Viacom networks, in addition to having a first-look feature film deal with Paramount Pictures group.

In the fall of 2008, Perry opened his 200,000 square foot Studio in Atlanta, situated on the former Delta Airlines campus in the Greenbriar area of southwest Atlanta. During the course of its operation, the space was home to production of over 15 films and over 800 episodes of Perry’s five television series. In 2015, TPS announced plans to expand operations with the acquisition of Fort McPherson, which sits on over 330 acres.  Perry and the studio’s Atlanta-based employees will remain in production of Perry’s five current television series, in addition to major feature films and television shows filming in Atlanta.

Production is already underway at the new studio, which will contain twelve soundstages ranging in size between 10,000 and 60,000 square feet. The grand opening for Tyler Perry Studios is set for October 5, 2019.

In 2016, Perry reprised the role of “Madea” in Lionsgate’s smash-hit Boo! A Madea Halloween, which spent two weeks at number one on the US box office.  The sequel to the film was released in October 2017 and took top spot at the box office on opening weekend.  In 2018 Perry also released Acrimony starring Taraji P. Henson with Lionsgate, and Nobody’s Fool starring Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, and Whoopi Goldberg with Paramount. On the silver screen, Perry most recently can be seen on Adam McKay’s Oscar-nominated film, VICE, about Dick Cheney, where he portrays “Colin Powell”. In March 2019, Perry also his newest movie with Lionsgate, A Madea Family Funeral, which brought his popular character back to the big screen for her final moment.

But listen to Tyler and you’ll hear a man who hasn’t forgotten about the people that have helped him reach the top of a mountain he could once only dream of climbing. Research into his history of philanthropic acts, and you’ll find that Tyler gives from a personal place, aiding people and charities that help others overcome the obstacles that he, too, once faced. And on a grand scale. He has been intimately involved and donated generously to civil rights causes through work with the NAACP and NAN. He also strongly supports charities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Global Medical Relief Fund, Charity Water, Feeding America, Covenant House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and Perry Place – a 20-home community that Perry built for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In January 2010, Perry pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler Perry Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those affected by the earthquakes in Haiti and another $1,000,000 in 2017 to help Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas. After Hurricane Maria, he personally sent a plane full of supplies to Puerto Rico and ensured the return was filled with a group of survivors. Perry did so again in September 2019 to help victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has honored actress Kirsten Dunst with the 2,671th Star on the World Famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Category of Motion Pictures, on August 29, 2019, in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce proudly honored Rita Wilson   with the 2,659^th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today, March 29, 2019. PDT. The star was dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard, adjacent to the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

“Rita Wilson is one of Hollywood’s most beloved entertainers. As a matter of fact she is a Hollywood native and grew up in this town!” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies.  “The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to have her join our Walk of Fame family” added Martinez.

Helping Emcee Rana Ghadban, President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, to unveil the star will be Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.  Celebrities in attendance included: Larry David, Martin Short and Nia Vardalos to name a few.

Rita Wilson is a multi-talented actress, producer, and singer/songwriter.  A native of Hollywood, California, Wilson’s illustrious career on screen started with her role on the beloved series, The Brady Bunch, where she earned entry to the Screen Actors Guild.  Her additional early TV appearances were on such staples as M*A*S*H, Three’s Company, Happy Days, Hawaii Five-O, Moonlighting, Frasier and more.  She also appeared on the Emmy-Award winning series From The Earth To The Moon, followed by recent stints on such acclaimed series as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls and The Good Wife among others.

Rita is currently appearing in the American remake of the feature film Gloria Bell from Academy Award-winning director Sebastian Lelio, starring Academy Award-winner Julianne Moore and Jon Turturro.

Audiences will never forget her in Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle (with the unforgettable scene referencing An Affair to Remember).  Rita has appeared with some of the finest actors of her generation in such films as It’s Complicated, Mixed Nuts, Now and Then, That Thing You Do!, Jingle All The Way, Psycho, Runaway Bride, Invisible Child, The Story of Us, Auto Focus, Raise Your Voice, The Chumscrubber, Beautiful, Ohio, My Life in Ruins and  Old Dogs.  Additional recent film work includes wrapping production on the independent film, Emmett for which she also contributed an original song.  Rita also stars in the upcoming film Simple Wedding which made its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in September 2018.  Rita also co-wrote and sang the end-credits song, “Heart Unknown” for Simple Wedding.

She first donned her producers cap for the record-breaking box-office hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and returned as a producer and actor in its sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, released in 2016. Additionally, Rita co-wrote and performed Even More Mine, the song which plays over the film’s credits. Wilson, the driving force behind bringing Nia Vardalos’ semi-autobiographical story to the screen with Vardalos as the lead, was honored with the Producer’s Guild of America’s Visionary Award, the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, as well as receiving Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Rita’s instincts proved solid once again when she saw the theatrical production of Mamma Mia! in London shortly after it opened. Rita’s love of ABBA’s music led her to secure the rights and develop the 2008 Universal hit starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. Wilson served as an Executive Producer for its sequel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! released on July 20, 2018 by Universal Pictures.

Music has always also been one of Rita’s passions.  Her new album, Halfway to Home was also released, making for a notable day along with her honor on the Walk of Fame. Halfway to Home blends Southern California rock with Nashville country and was largely recorded in Nashville.  The first single, “Throw Me A Party,” is available now and was exclusively premiered by Rolling Stone who called the track, “evocative.”

Halfway to Home follows Rita’s acclaimed album Bigger Picture released in fall of 2018, which saw her expand on her gifts as a prolific storyteller.  Shortly after its release, Rita made her debut at the historic Grand Ole Opry, and also presented at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards.

Her previous album releases include her debut AM/FM (2012), an elegant and beautifully sung collection of covers of her favorite songs from the ‘60s and ’70s, and her self-titled second album, Rita Wilson (2016), which showcased her songwriting talents through eloquent singer-songwriter pop music etched with stunning honesty. The New York Times declared “Ms. Wilson has a catch in her voice that conveys yearning and potential heartbreak behind a facade of cheer,” while Billboard commented she is “growing even more comfortable as a songwriter.”

Rita has toured extensively; in addition to her own headlining shows she toured with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band CHICAGO in 2015 and created Liner Notes: Songwriters, Stories and Music, in which she is joined by special guests for an evening of songwriters performing and sharing the stories behind their songs.  The show has been performed in such famed venues as the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, the Bluebird Café in Nashville and the iconic Café Carlyle in New York City multiple times.  For her LA performances of Liner Notes, Rita won the Broadway World Award for Best Female Cabaret – Large Venue.

Her theater credits include her starring Broadway debut role as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago and Larry David’s hit Broadway original comedy Fish in the Dark.  She has also appeared in the New York and Los Angeles stage productions of Love, Loss & What I Wore, written by Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron, Lisa Loomer’s world premiere Distracted, and the Pulitzer-Prize winning Dinner With Friends, directed by Tony winner Dan Sullivan. Rita continues to work with the Shakespeare Festival/LA, a charity that provides free Shakespeare to the citizens of LA, as well as providing a program for youths in the community.

For more than twenty years she and her husband, Tom Hanks, along with Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg have raised 75 million dollars for women’s cancer research through the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.  And along with Hanks, Rita has also helped raise funds for the WWII Memorial in Washington DC, The National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles opening in 2019.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has honored acclaimed producer and choreographer Kenny Ortega with the 2,667th Star on the World Famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Category of Motion Pictures, on July 24, 2019, in Los Angeles at 6243 Hollywood Boulevard next to the historic Pantages Theatre.

“Kenny Ortega has been part of the history of films and television that many fans have grown up with and those same fans have children that continue to enjoy his work and will continue pass on the love of his films for generations to come!” said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kenny Ortega is a multi-award-winning director, choreographer, and producer. He was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio “Tibby” Ortega, a factory worker.

Initially, Ortega came out of the San Francisco Arts scene, working with the Tubes. In 1979, Ortega was contracted to work with KISS on their Dynasty Tour. He became more recognized after working with dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly on the film Xanadu, Ortega went on to choreograph the dance for the Menudo video “Hold Me”, as well as the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, and has won awards for choreography in music videos, such as Madonna’s “Material Girl”. He also worked with The Tubes on their stage shows and directed the video for “She’s a Beauty”, as well as the choreography for Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” video.

In 2002, Ortega was honored with Directing and Choreography Emmy awards for his work as supervising chorographer and co-artistic director of the Salt Lake Olympic Ceremonies and in 1996, earned an Emmy and American Choreography award for for the Atlanta Olympic Ceremonies.
One of the top creatives in television and film today, Ortega is known for the “High School Musical” franchise, which earned him a Primetime Emmy and Directors Guild of America Award. He is also the executive producer for the film’s multi-platinum soundtracks. In 2008, Ortega directed and executive produced “High School Musical 3: Senior Year (HSM 3)” for Walt Disney Motion Pictures. “HSM 3” was the biggest theatrical box office opening for a musical in history.

Widely acclaimed for his genre-bending work in musicals, drama, comedy, and family programs, Ortega has directed and/or choreographed international phenomenon’s including the “Descendants” trilogy, “Newsies,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Pretty in Pink,” among others.

Recently, Ortega directed “Descendants 3,” the third installment of the widely successful Disney Channel trilogy which will be released Friday, August 2nd. His other work includes “A Change of Heart” (winner of the OUTshine Film Festival Audience Award for Best Feature),“The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again” for FOX (which premiered during Halloween 2016), and The Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Special for Freeform.

Ortega has also received The Fred & Adele Astaire Lifetime Achievement Award, The Bob Fosse Award, an American Choreography Lifetime Achievement Award, an MTV Video Music Award, an American Music Award, Billboard Award, and an NAACP Image Award, among others.

Ortega is involved with the Make-a-Wish Foundation.