Bill Nye, television’s science guy, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Sept. 22. ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ aired in syndication from 1993 to 1999.
Photo by Lorenzo Gomez
Wave Staff and Wire Reports
HOLLYWOOD — Two people with different careers on television are the latest recipients of star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bill Nye, television’s science guy, received a star Sept. 22, four days after television newscaster Chris Wallace received his star.
Nye went from being an engineer at Boeing to winning an Emmy for hosting “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” with a boost from winning a regional Steve Martin lookalike contest.
Actor and game show host Joel McHale, Boston Celtics guard-forward Jaylen Brown and comedian Ross Shafer were among those joining Nye at the ceremony at 6357 Hollywood Blvd., between Cahuenga Boulevard and Ivar Avenue.
Shafer hosted “Almost Live!,” the Seattle sketch-comedy show on which Nye made his television debut. McHale was a cast member of “Almost Live!” and guested on “Bill Nye the Science Guy” in 1998.
“Recognition by one’s peers always means a great deal, but being here in Hollywood means a great deal to people far beyond our peers in television and movies,” Nye said. “We export our culture around the world.
“For me, being a permanent part of all this, of Hollywood, is quite an honor. As has been said many times, when you’re in love, you want to tell the world. And I love science. I love comedy. I love television.”
Born Nov. 27, 1955, in Washington, D.C., Nye earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell in 1977 and took an engineering job at Boeing, where he specialized in hydraulics systems on 747s.
After winning a regional Steve Martin lookalike contest in 1978, Nye began performing at Seattle-area comedy clubs. He quit his job at Boeing in 1986 to devote himself fulltime to his comedy career.
Another boost to Nye’s career came at his 10-year reunion at Cornell, where he received the opportunity to meet with Carl Sagan, best known for hosting the 1980-81 documentary series “Cosmos: A Personal Journey.”
Nye had taken an astronomy course from Sagan and in 1987 sought hints to increase his chances of having a successful series. Sagan’s advice was to focus on pure science.
“Bill Nye the Science Guy” aired in syndication from 1993 to 1999, receiving 36 Emmy nominations and winning 19 Emmys. Nye won the Emmy for outstanding performer in a children’s series in 1998, winning in a field that also included Fred Rogers, LeVar Burton and Caroll Spinney, who portrayed Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and other characters on “Sesame Street.”
Nye later hosted the 2005 public television series, “The Eyes of Nye,” aimed at an older audience, the 2017-18 Netflix series, “Bill Nye Saves the World,” described by the streaming service as “a talk show exploring scientific issues that touch our lives,” and the 2022 Peacock series, “The End Is Nye,” exploring natural and unnatural disasters.
Nye’s other television appearances include two episodes of “The Big Bang Theory.” He portrayed author and 1934 California Democratic gubernatorial nominee Upton Sinclair in the 2020 film “Mank.”
Nye has been CEO of the Planetary Society since 2010. The organization was co-founded by Sagan in 1980. Its mission is “empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration.”
Nye received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, on Jan. 4, from then-President Joe Biden for earning “the trust of millions of children and families,” through his experiments on “Bill Nye the Science Guy” and inspiring “generations of Americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it.”
Wallace’s star was placed next to the star of his late father, longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace.
The Wallaces join such parent-and-child combinations on the Walk of Fame as Lloyd Bridges and his sons Beau and Jeff; Kirk Douglas and his son Michael; Judy Garland, director Vincente Minnelli and their daughter Liza Minnelli; Diane Ladd, Bruce Dern and their daughter Laura Dern; and Robert Montgomery and his daughter Elizabeth.
The Walk of Fame customarily places the stars of family members next to one another, according to Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno joined Wallace in speaking at the ceremony at 6253 Hollywood Blvd., near Vine Street. Wallace told City News Service in an email he interviewed both Schwarzenegger and Leno on his CNN show, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” “and we made special connections.”
Wallace thanked the Chamber of Commerce for placing his star next to that of his father.
“It’s an interesting thing because when … growing up as the son of somebody famous is not [always a] blessing,” Wallace said. “There are some aspects to it that are difficult — ‘Are you living in the shadow? Did you get this job on your
own?’”
“And it was something that I had to deal with. But by the end of his life we had become best friends. And now I find that whenever his name is mentioned, instead of it having mixed feelings, I actually feel delighted that people still remember my father. Which is just an indication that 25 years of intense therapy is not a waste of time and money.”
Born Oct. 12, 1947, Wallace was an assistant to Walter Cronkite at the 1964 Republican National Convention when his stepfather Bill Leonard led CBS News’ election division. After graduating from Harvard University, Wallace became a reporter with the Boston Globe, initially covering City Hall and eventually becoming a roving national correspondent.
Wallace began his television career in the early 1970s at WBBM-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Chicago. He worked at NBC News from 1978-89, including six years as its chief White House correspondent, moderating “Meet the Press” and anchoring the Sunday edition of the “NBC Nightly News.”
Wallace moved to ABC in 1989, spending 14 years as chief correspondent for the news magazine “Primetime” and chief substitute anchor for “Nightline.”
Wallace worked for Fox News from 2003-21, hosting “Fox News Sunday,” participating in the coverage of nearly every major political event, and interviewing Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Wallace hosted “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” from 2022-24 and “The Chris Wallace Show,” a CNN Saturday morning panel show with reporters and commentators joining Wallace to discuss the notable stories of the week, from 2023-24.
Wallace declined to remain with CNN after his contract ended in November 2024.
Wallace is now a senior adviser for news and media investments at RedBird Capital Partners. The investment management firm is a major investor in Skydance, which recently purchased Paramount, the parent company of CBS.
Wallace is advising David Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Paramount, about CBS News.
