Wave Staff and Wire Reports
HOLLYWOOD — Retired British soccer star David Beckham and animated film producer Chris Meledandri have received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Beckham was honored in the sports entertainment category June 12, coinciding with the U.S. team beginning play in the World Cup.
The sports entertainment category was announced in 2021 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Walk of Fame. It honors individuals — not teams or sports affiliated groups — who have made significant contributions to the world of entertainment and demonstrated “longevity of excellence.”
Beckham, the former L.A. Galaxy star, received the star because of his founding of the content studio, Studio 99, which specializes in developing and producing premium documentary features, series, and formats for global platforms and networks, including Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, Ana Martinez, the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s producer, told City News Service.
Tom Cruise and Beckham’s singer-turned-fashion-designer wife Victoria joined him in speaking at the ceremony outside the Ovation Hollywood shopping complex. Beckham and Cruise have been friends since 2007 when he signed with the Galaxy.
“I give thanks to this country, to the fans that embraced us, the people that welcomed us and made our adventure so much fun,” Beckham said. “I want to thank my teammates, my friends, my team, for always being in my corner and cheering me on. Most of all, I want to thank my incredible family.”
Cruise told the crowd that Beckham changed the face of American soccer when he signed with the Galaxy, creating an excitement for the sport that had never been seen.
“Before David ever played a match for the Galaxy, stadiums across the league began to sell out,” Cruise said. “People who had never watched football — or soccer — suddenly had a reason to. When David arrived, Major League Soccer had 13 teams. Today it has 30.”
Victoria Beckham said her husband “has achieved the extraordinary.”
“And now, with the World Cup upon us, football — I’m sorry, soccer — in America is entering one of the most exciting chapters in its history,” she said.
New York Giants Hall of Fame defensive end- turned-“Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan was the first recipient in the sports entertainment category, in 2023.
The second recipient was the late Carl Weathers, honored for a nearly 50-year acting career after playing for the Oakland Raiders, best remembered for his portrayal of Sylvester Stallone’s boxing nemesis-turned-friend and mentor Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” movies.
Tennis legend and feminist pioneer Billie Jean King became the third recipient last year.
Meledandri received his star June 10.
The 67 year old has produced the four “Despicable Me” films and its three “Minions” prequels, including “Minions & Monsters,” set for release July 1, along with the two “The Secret Life of Pets” films, the two “Super Mario Bros.” movies and the Dr. Seuss films “The Lorax” and “The Grinch.”
Meledandri founded the animation studio Illumination in 2007 and continues as its CEO.
“I was 21 when I arrived in Hollywood, and soon after discovered the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” he said. “And these stars, they were like breadcrumbs to me, leading me further towards my fantasy of being part of the motion picture industry. I was on the outside looking in, and I wondered what stories I would tell if I ever got the chance.”
He recalled that the first film he worked on was “horrible,” and the second was a “massive failure.” But he said he was miraculously not fired, but allowed to persevere, and found his success decades later.
“Hardly an overnight success. I was 43 years old,” he said. “The thread that connects all of the films I have made since ‘Ice Age’ is their aspiration to bring joy to audiences. That is what Illumination does. We manufacture joy.”
Meledandri was joined at the ceremony at 6357 Hollywood Blvd. by Steve Carell and Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment. Carell supplied the voice of the supervillain Gru in the “Despicable Me” and “Minions” films.
Danny DeVito and Lake Bell also were among those attending the ceremony. DeVito supplied the voice of the Lorax and the curmudgeonly, adventure-averse Uncle Dan in the Meledandri-produced “Migration.” Bell was the voice of Chloe, a fat and apathetic gray tabby cat, in the two “The Secret Life of Pets” films.
