HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO HONOR STARS ALI MACGRAW AND RYAN O’NEAL IN VIRTUAL DOUBLE STAR CEREMONY IN CELEBRATION OF THE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ICONIC FILM “LOVE STORY” AND VALENTINE’S DAY
 
O’Neal’s Star Will Be Next to the Stars of Ali MacGraw and his Real-Life Love Farrah Fawcett

WHO: Honorees: Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal
Emcee: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO Rana Ghadban
WHAT: Dedication of the 2,692nd and 2,693rd Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of Motion Pictures 
WHERE: The stars will be in place in their permanent location at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard
WHEN: Friday, February 12, 2021 at 11:30 AM 
The event will be live-streamed exclusively on all of the Chamber’s social media platforms including www.walkoffame.com, www.instagram.com/hwdwalkoffame/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/HwdWalkofFame
 

COMMENTS:

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that actors Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal will be honored with the 2,692^nd and 2,693^rd stars in the first virtual double-star ceremony in history. The double ceremony, which will see both stars dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures, will take place on February 12 at 11:30 AM in honor of Valentine’s Day. The event will stream live exclusively on the Walk of Fame social media and at www.walkoffame.com.  Emcee Rana Ghadban, President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will unveil the stars during the dedication ceremony.

Through a completely virtual live ceremony, star recipients and fans alike can enjoy the magic of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to creating a virtual experience that not only replicates a live ceremony but also allows an opportunity for recipients to connect with their fans on such a momentous day.

“The Hollywood Walk of Fame makes an extra special effort to place the stars of artists who work together or are related next to each other,” said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “We are thrilled to honor Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw, the stars of one of the most iconic romantic films in cinema history, LOVE STORY. What makes this even more special is that Ryan’s star will also be next to the star of his real-life love, Farrah Fawcett, located at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard.”

O’Neal and MacGraw both received Oscar® nominations for their starring roles in the timeless, unmatched tale from the heart, LOVE STORY. Based on Erich Segal’s best-selling novel, LOVE STORY was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, and became a cultural phenomenon, earning over $100 million at the domestic box office.  The film spent 15 weeks at #1 in the U.S., continuing to expand to more theaters because of its popularity and ultimately becoming the top-grossing movie of the year.

In 2002, the AFI named it as #9 on its list of the 100 greatest love stories of all time.

A timeless classic about the highs and lows of young love, the film remains as impactful as ever, 50 years after its original release.  Newly restored for its anniversary, LOVE STORY will be available in a limited-edition Blu-ray^™ on February 9^th with collectible packaging, commentary by director Arthur Hiller, a look at the film’s impact, and more.

ALI MACGRAW

Ali MacGraw graduated from Wellesley college and began her professional career in 1960 as Diana Vreeland's assistant at Harper's Bazaar. After leaving Harper's Bazaar, she went to work as a stylist for fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky in New York for six years. Ali's acting career began when producer Stanley R. Jaffe and director Larry Peerce offered her the leading role of Brenda Patamkin in the screen version of Philip Roth's short novel Goodbye Columbus.  She followed this by starring in the phenomenally successful film Love Story, which proved to be her major break.  The film earned Ali international fame, an Academy Award® nomination, a Golden Globe award, and many additional honors world-wide. Ali’s third picture, The Getaway, co-starring her future husband, Steve McQueen, completed her trio of blockbuster films. After The Getaway, Ali took a five-year hiatus from Hollywood to raise her son. She returned to the screen to co-star in Sam Peckinpah's Convoy with Kris Kristofferson. Her other credits include the films Players and Just Tell Me What You Want as well as TV’s The Winds of War and Dynasty.

Ali’s autobiography, Moving Pictures (Bantam Books), climbed the New York Times Bestseller List and went on to become an international bestseller.

Ali travels extensively, appearing in documentaries and working on behalf of numerous social, animal and environmental causes.

  RYAN O’NEAL   

  Born Patrick Ryan O’Neal in Los Angeles, Ryan trained to become a professional boxer, competing in two Golden Gloves championships in 1956 and 1957. He had an impressive amateur fighting record – 18 wins to four losses, with 13 knockouts. In the late 1950s, Ryan and his family moved to Germany for his father's job writing broadcasts for Radio Free Europe. O'Neal continued his schooling at the Munich American High School until he landed his first job in the entertainment industry as a stuntman on the American television series Tales of the Vikings.

Ryan’s first major television role was on the daytime soap opera Peyton Place and his big break came when he was chosen from more than 300 hopefuls for the role of Oliver Barrett opposite Ali MacGraw in Love Story in 1970.

After Love Story, Ryan turned to comedy and starred opposite fellow Walk of Famer Barbara Streisand in the smash hit What’s Up Doc (1971). He then starred in The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973). Ryan next played a drifter working con games with his daughter (played by real life daughter, Tatum) in the critically acclaimed hit Paper Moon (1973) for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor, and which won Tatum an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress. Ryan then went on to star in Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 historical drama Barry Lyndon. After that he starred in Oliver’s Story, a sequel to Love Story.  His other films include: The Driver, The Main Event and Irreconcilable Differences.

In 1979, Ryan met and fell in love with actress Farrah Fawcett. Ryan and Farrah co-starred in the made-for-TV miniseries Small Sacrifices (1989), based on the true story of Diane Downs. Ryan returned to episodic television, again co-starring with Farrah in 1991 in the sitcom Good Sports. Ryan’s other credits include Chances Are (1989) with Robert Downey Jr., Faithful with Cher (1996), and the comedic Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003). With more than 60 credits to his name, O’Neal has continued to be a Hollywood fixture, with appearances on popular series including Desperate Housewives, 90210, and Bones.

In 2015 – 45 years after their onscreen Love Story – Ryan reunited with Ali onstage for the national tour of Love Letters, which earned the pair rave reviews for their performances.

Ryan is on the board of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation which raises funds for those faced with mounting expenses during cancer treatment. He is also a huge supporter and contributor to Diamond Willow Industries, which formed in 2002 for the purpose of building and strengthening the people of the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation.

 

* ARTISTS WHO HAVE STARS NEXT TO EACH OTHER:

Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner are the first married couple to be honored on the same day with double stars on October 16, 2008. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were honored on May 1, 2017. Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein worked together on the Broadway hit Kinky Boots and were honored on April 4, 2016.  Most recently honored on November 18, 2019 were Idina Menzel and Kristin Bell who both starred in Frozen. There are other related celebrities who have side-by-side stars but had separate ceremonies. They include: Bob and Dolores Hope, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and Betty White and Allen Ludden, to name a few.

  ★★★

All press must RSVP ONLY to Ana Martinez, Producer of the Walk of Fame

at [email protected]