Ron Howard gets second star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Oscar-winning director Ron Howard received his second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday, a day before his latest directorial effort opens in theaters.

Howard is the first person to receive more than one star on the Walk of Fame since 1993 when Bob Hope received his fourth, Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said. Howard received his other star for his acting career in TV in 1981.

Actor Michael Keaton and Howard's longtime producing partner Brian Grazer stood with Howard and his family in front of Madame Tussauds on Hollywood Boulevard for the ceremony. Keaton starred in three of Howard's movies: Night Shift, Gung Ho, and The Paper.

"Two stars is pretty remarkable. I wouldn't be here today without everyone I've mentioned, and now I'll have double the foot traffic - twice as many people treading on my good name," Howard joked. "I think it's a great thing and I'm proud of that."

Howard was a successful child actor who also became a star with the long-running TV show Happy Days. He left the show to pursue directing and won an Oscar for the 2002 film, A Beautiful Mind, about the life of mathematician John Nash.

Some of the other films in Howard's long directing career include Apollo 13, Cocoon, Backdraft, Splash, Parenthood, and The Da Vinci Code. His other best director Oscar nomination came for Frost/Nixon in 2008.

Howard received the 2,568th star just two days after actor Rob Lowe got the 2,567th and the day before his latest film, In the Heart of the Sea, the true story that inspired Moby-Dick, opens in theaters.