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May the 4th: Carrie Fisher gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Published May 4, 2023last updated May 4, 2023

Six years after her death, Carrie Fisher has been inducted into Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The ceremony came as Star Wars fans celebrate the saga's unofficial holiday of May the Fourth.

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Carrie Fisher in 2013
Carrie Fisher, who died in 2016, was digitally recreated for a later Star Wars filmImage: Dave Bedrosian/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance

Carrie Fisher, perhaps best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, was posthumously commemorated on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday with her own Walk of Fame star.

Fisher, who died in 2016, is being added to the famous Hollywood tourist attraction on the unofficial Star Wars holiday May the Fourth — an allusion to the oft-quoted line from the films, "May the force be with you."

Her daughter, Billie Lourd, will accept the star, which is being placed alongside Fisher's co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford on the 6800 block of the boulevard, close to the location of the original film's premiere back in 1977.

Billie Lourd, daughter of the late actor Carrie Fisher, poses with Mark Hamill at the unveiling her mother's Hollywood star
Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, took part in ceremony on behalf of her late mother — but was flanked by Star Wars icons Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and the franchise's two most famous droidsImage: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/picture alliance

Lourd wore metallic dress bearing her mother's portrait at the ceremony.

"My mom used to say you weren't actually famous until you became a Pez dispenser," she said, referencing a type of novelty candy dispenser that ejects small sweets from the heads of famous characters or cartoons.

"Well, people eat candy out of her neck every day. I say you aren't actually famous until you get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame," Lourd added.

"My mom is a double-whammy — a Pez dispenser and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame now. Mama, you've made it," she added.

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, honored the role she played in his life and remembered her feisty spirit.

"She played such a crucial role in my personal and professional life and both would have been far emptier without her. Was she a handful? Was she high-maintenance? No doubt! But everything would have been drabber and less interesting if she hadn't been the friend that she was," Hamill said.

The star of actor Carrie Fisher is pictured during its posthumous unveiling ceremony
Carrie Fisher was awarded her own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, several years after the actor passed awayImage: Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS

Devotees celebrate Fisher's induction to Walk of Fame

Fans had campaigned for Fisher's inclusion in the Walk of Fame for years after Ford received his star in 2003 and Hamill got his in 2018.

Several people in the crowd dressed up as Star Wars characters, donning the costumes of famous droids like C-3P0 and R2-D2. Others wore Fisher's iconic braided, twin bun hairstyle that Princess Leia donned.

Performers can be given a Walk of Fame star if they are nominated, but they require a fee of $75,000 (€67,600) to make and maintain the actual star.

A number of events were planned to mark the occasion, with retailers also offering discounts on Star Wars merchandise. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also livestreamed Fisher's induction ceremony to the Walk of Fame at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time (1830 UTC).

A still from the original Star Wars film showing Harrison Ford, as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher, as Princess Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill, as Luke Skywalker
Carrie Fisher, here playing her role as Princess Leia, is to join co-stars Harrison Ford (left) and Mark Hamill (right) on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of FameImage: 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation/AP/picture alliance

Not just Princess Leia

Fisher became a worldwide star when she took up the role of Leia Organa at just 19.

After starring in the original trilogy, she later reappeared in the second set of sequels as well as the Star Wars film "Rogue One" — giving her a total of six appearances in the Star Wars saga.

The actor also appeared in other cult movies such as "The Blues Brothers" and "When Harry Met Sally."

Fisher had bipolar disorder and drug addiction, which she talked about publicly. In 2016, Harvard University presented her with the "Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism" for her public engagement.

Later that year, on December 27, she passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. She was 60 years old.

ab/sms (AP, dpa)