Actor Willem Dafoe has achieved the distinction of being the first celebrity honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star this year. Dafoe, who has graced the screens in almost 150 films, was lauded on Monday afternoon in California, according to CNN.

In attendance at the event were his wife, Giada Colagrande, along with his friends and former co-stars Pedro Pascal, Patricia Arquette, Mark Ruffalo, and Camila Morrone.

In his speech, he expressed gratitude for being a part of a community of artists and entertainers.

He said, “I just want to say it’s wonderful to be part of this community of artists and entertainers, people who—by sharing their experience, imagining others’ perspectives, telling stories, and musing on what is, was, and most importantly could be—make us feel closer to each other and connect us, creating an important dialogue particularly needed in these detached, technology-driven, and divisive times.”

Willem continued, “So I’m glad to be with people like this, and hopefully, we’re making this a better world somehow.”

The actor concluded his speech by giving a shout-out to his wife and director Giada Colagrande. He said, “Finally, thank you to my wife Giada Colagrande, who teaches me gratitude and reminds me not to spit on my luck.” Dafoe and Giada Colagrande have collaborated on four films: Padre, A Woman, Before It Had A Name, and the documentary Bob Wilson’s Life And Death Of Marina Abramovic.

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During the event, prominent Hollywood actors Pedro Pascal and Patricia Arquette paid tribute to Dafoe’s compassion and talent, with Pascal describing him as “the greatest American actor of our lifetime,” as per CNN’s report.

Willem Dafoe, one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers, has portrayed a variety of roles, from a loquacious lighthouse keeper in “The Lighthouse” to a criminal in David Lynch’s “Wild At Heart” to Vincent van Gogh in “At Eternity’s Gate.” Most recently, he played a rebel scientist in Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things,’ according to CNN reports.

He has received four Oscar nominations: one for best actor for his depiction of Van Gogh and three for best supporting actor. (ANI)