‘Love Story’ co-stars get Walk of Fame honors

Wave Wire Services

HOLLYWOOD — Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring “Love Story” stars Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal were unveiled in a virtual ceremony Feb. 12, three days after the release of a newly restored version of the 1970 romantic drama on Blu-ray.

The stars are located at 7057 Hollywood Blvd., near Sycamore Avenue and the star of O’Neal’s longtime companion Farrah Fawcett, following the Walk of Fame’s custom of placing stars of artists who are related to each other or worked together next to each other.

The great joy was I was lucky enough to work with Ryan on this film, because from the second we met it was just wonderful,” MacGraw said during the virtual ceremony.

O’Neal got emotional as he remembered his young days in Hollywood.

As a high school junior I used to come to Hollywood Boulevard with my lads and look for fights and the girls,” he said. “And who would have thought I would end up with a star on the Walk of Fame? I thought I’d end up in jail, and look where I am.”

The stars are the 2,692nd and 2,693rd since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 and the first since the star honoring “black-ish” star Anthony Anderson was unveiled during the walk’s first virtual ceremony Aug. 14, one day before his 50th birthday.

The most-recent in-person ceremony was on March 3 for NPR special correspondent Susan Stamberg.

Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones, who made his film debut in “Love Story,” and MacGraw’s son Josh Evans joined her in speaking at the event.

O’Neal was joined in speaking by his son Patrick O’Neal, a host and reporter for the Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket regional sports networks, and David Boreanaz, who played his son-in-law on the 2005-17 Fox crime procedural “Bones.”

MacGraw received a best actress Oscar nomination and O’Neal a best actor Oscar nomination for their portrayals of a working-class Radcliffe College music student and a Harvard College hockey player from an upper-class family who meet, fall in love, marry and then deal with her cancer diagnosis.

In her first film after “Love Story” — and third of her career — MacGraw co-starred with Steve McQueen in the 1972 action thriller “The Getaway.” MacGraw married McQueen in 1973, the year following her divorce from legendary producer and studio executive Robert Evans.

MacGraw took a five-year hiatus from acting following the birth of her son in 1971, returning to co-star with Kris Kristofferson in the 1978 action-comedy “Convoy.” She later appeared in “Players.” “Just Tell Me What You Want,” “Murder Elite,” “Natural Causes” and “Glam.”

MacGraw’s television credits include the 1983 miniseries, “The Winds of War,” and 14 episodes of the ABC prime-time soap opera “Dynasty” in 1985.

Love Story” helped make O’Neal one of the biggest movie stars of the 1970s. He co-starred with Barbra Streisand in the 1972 comedy “What’s Up Doc?,” with his daughter Tatum O’Neal in “Paper Moon,” which was released in 1973; the 1975 period drama “Barry Lyndon;” the 1977 World War II drama “A Bridge Too Far;” the 1978 “Love Story” sequel “Oliver’s Story;” and re-teaming with Streisand for the 1979 boxing comedy “The Main Event.”

O’Neal’s 1980s film credits included the 1982 gay-themed buddy comedy “Partners;” the 1984 comedy-drama “Irreconcilable Differences;” the 1985 sports gambling drama “Fever Pitch;” and the 1987 crime mystery comedy-drama “Tough Guys Don’t Dance.”

O’Neal later turned to television, co-starring with Fawcett in the 1989 two-part ABC made-for-television movie “Small Sacrifices” and the short-lived 1991 CBS comedy “Good Sports.” He also was part of the cast of the 2003 NBC comedy-drama “Miss Match” and had a recurring role on “Bones.”