The Gracie / Ruffalo Founding (1993–2001)

Lore & Background

The stars are ordered alphabetically by surname, and all names are shown as they appear on the stars. A performer can have more than one star, recognising their separate achievements in more than one category. While the first seven honorees received their temporary stars in 1958, the list had grown by February 8, 1960, when the first 1,563 permanent stars were placed in the sidewalks along Hollywood Boulevard, already including 199 performers with repeat recognitions, such as the first three (of four) stars for Bob Hope and the first four (of five) stars for Gene Autry.

In Their Own Story

The air in the Denver warehouse smelled like sweat, old carpet, and the faint metallic tang of blood on canvas. There were no seats, really—just folding chairs and a handful of people who'd driven four hours to watch eight guys fight. The cage was a simple square of chain-link, and the mat inside was a single layer of foam. Royce Gracie sat in the corner, barely big enough for the other guys, his gi already damp. The announcer's voice was flat, almost bored. 'Ladies and gentlemen, the main event.' No music. No pyro. Just a bell that sounded like a school hallway. Royce stood up, rolled his shoulders, and walked toward the center of the cage with the calm of a man who'd already seen the ending. The wrestler charged. Royce dropped level, slipped the takedown, and the noise in the room changed from a roar to a held breath. He was on the back. The wrestler thrashed, grunted, tried to stand. Royce just… waited. The tap came. The bell rang. And in a folding chair three rows back, a kid from Colorado dropped his beer and whispered, 'That's it. That's the whole game.'

Reader's Guide

All entries can be found on the Hollywood Walk of Fame website maintained by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. As of August 18, 2026, with a ceremony honoring Angélique Kidjo, there are 2,854 stars embedded along the boulevard.

Did You Know?

• The source does not mention any figure named Ruffalo associated with the founding of the UFC.
• The source does not describe any rules or lack of rules for early UFC events.
• The source does not mention weight classes or specific UFC event numbers.

The Weight of Uniforms: Military Endorsement

The Harris 2024 campaign drew endorsements from retired officers spanning every branch of the U.S. military, including multiple four-star generals and admirals. In the Air Force alone, figures such as Lloyd W. Newton, a retired four-star general, and Neil McCasland, who had led the Air Force Research Laboratory, lent their names. The Army list included Stanley A. McChrystal, Larry R. Ellis, and Charles F. Wald, all retired four-star generals, alongside numerous major and lieutenant generals. The Marine Corps contributed Richard D. Hearney and Michael J. Williams, both of whom had served as Assistant Commandant. The Navy roster featured Charles S. Abbot and Samuel J. Locklear, both retired four-star admirals. Even the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps were represented by retired rear and vice admirals. The sheer number of general and flag officers—dozens across all services—signals a campaign that courted the institutional credibility of the national defense establishment in a way that distinguished its support base from typical partisan coalitions.

Cross-Partisan Bridges and Personal Ties

Several endorsements carried particular political weight because of the endorsers' personal or partisan associations. Wesley Clark, a retired four-star general who had served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe and later run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, added a familiar face from national politics. Perhaps most striking was James McCain, a first lieutenant in the Arizona National Guard, whose father was Republican senator John McCain—making the endorsement a direct bridge across party lines. In the Marine Corps, Amy McGrath, a retired lieutenant colonel, was also the Democratic nominee for Kentucky's Senate seat in 2020, linking military service to active electoral politics. Alexander Vindman, a retired lieutenant colonel, brought recognition from his role in national security debates. These individual endorsements were not merely about rank; they represented personal reputations and, in McCain's case, a family name that historically anchored the Republican establishment, suggesting a campaign that reached beyond conventional partisan boundaries.

Cultural and Commercial Voices

Beyond the military and labor worlds, the Harris campaign attracted endorsements from a constellation of private enterprises and cultural organizations that reflected a distinctly progressive and creative sector of the economy. Ben & Jerry's, the well-known ice cream company, lent its brand recognition, while Cards Against Humanity brought its irreverent, internet-savvy audience. The list also included Gemini G.E.L., a contemporary art gallery, and Gibney Dance, a performing arts company, signaling support from the arts world. Little Gay Pub, a New York City establishment, and Team Love Records, a music label, pointed to endorsements from LGBTQ+ and independent music communities. Obey, the street-art collective, and Replacements, Ltd. PAC added further cultural and political dimensions. Vicente LLP, a law firm, and the Seattle Storm, a professional basketball team, rounded out a diverse commercial roster. Together, these endorsements painted a picture of a campaign embraced by the creative, entrepreneurial, and socially conscious segments of the private sector rather than traditional corporate powerhouses.

The Labor Infrastructure: Geography and Sector

The labor union endorsements formed a vast, geographically dispersed network that touched nearly every region of the country. State-level AFL-CIO affiliates spanned from Arizona and Nevada in the West through Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas in the South, up through the Northeast including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine, and into the Midwest with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. Specific local councils, such as the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council in California and the King County Labor Council in Washington, added granular community-level support. Sectorally, the endorsements covered teachers' unions in states like Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and Wisconsin; firefighters' associations in California and Minnesota; electrical workers' locals; postal workers; nurses through the Washington State Nurses Association; and healthcare workers via SEIU locals in New York and beyond. The Amalgamated Transit Union, Teamsters, and operating engineers' locals represented blue-collar transportation and construction workers. This breadth indicated a campaign that had cultivated relationships across the full spectrum of organized labor, from white-collar academics at Rutgers to factory and service workers in multiple states.