Jude Law, who won a BAFTA for his role in The Talented Mr Ripley and starred in The Holiday, called the moment a “delightful honour” and paid tribute to his family
Jude Law became emotional as he thanked his family after getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.
The actor, whose career has spanned three decades, said his wife Phillipa Coan and children have “lived with and supported” his passion for acting over the years. Overwhelmed with emotion, the 51-year-old star delivered a passionate speech at his ceremony in Los Angeles.
Jude, born in Lewisham, southeast London to two teachers, said: “Unlike playing an instrument or writing or painting, you can’t act alone. It’s a frustrating side of the job, but the need to collaborate is very much at the heart of the medium’s biggest reward.
“And some of you here, and many, many others that I’ve collaborated with over 30 years, people who I’ve learned from and been encouraged by, guided by, inspired by – they’re the reason I have this star.”
The modest performer has been married to business psychologist Phillipa for five years. She and his two oldest children, actor Rafferty and model Iris, who he shares his first wife, actress Sadie Frost, were at the ceremony.
The Holiday actor continued: “I’ve been very, very lucky to have had a family around me that have lived with and supported my passion for acting and filmmaking, and some of those members of my lovely family are here today. They know what they mean to me, I love them so much.
Jude continued to say he had a mother who showed him “the great silent movies and the comedies, musicals and dramas of the Hollywood Golden Era, American New Wave, (and) foreign movies” while he had a father who took him to the film rental shop Blockbuster in the 70s and 80s “where we ate our body weight in popcorn and chocolate”.
“So to have a place here among the talent that I grew up watching in all those films, is both sublime and ridiculous,” Jude, who won a BAFTA for his role in The Talented Mr Ripley at just 26, said.
During his three-decade career, he has starred in The Grand Budapest Hotel and JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise portraying Albus Dumbledore, as well as Dr John Watson in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes series. Jude will next be seen in Justin Kurzel’s The Order, opposite Nicholas Hoult and Jurnee Smollett.
