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Legendary Stars Vanish from Hollywood's Iconic Walk of Fame
12 Oct
Summary
- Four Hollywood legends had their Walk of Fame stars stolen
- Stars of James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Gene Autry, and Gregory Peck were targeted
- Thefts occurred between 2000-2005, with some stars recovered, others still missing
Over the past 25 years, a series of daring thefts have targeted some of Hollywood's most legendary stars on the iconic Walk of Fame. Between 2000 and 2005, the stars of four iconic actors - James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Gene Autry, and Gregory Peck - were stolen right from the sidewalk.
In the early 2000s, the stars of Stewart and Douglas were temporarily removed for reconstruction, only to end up decorating a construction worker's home as a strange souvenir. Luckily, the stars were later recovered, though they had to be entirely remade. Around the same time, the cowboy star Gene Autry also had one of his five stars taken during a sidewalk construction project, though it was eventually returned.
The most high-profile theft occurred in 2005, when Gregory Peck's star was stolen and never recovered. Somewhere, Atticus Finch's name may still be hidden away, far from the Hollywood Boulevard it was meant to grace. A new star had to be created to replace Peck's missing plaque.
Despite the Walk of Fame's 2,700 stars embedded in the public sidewalk, temptation has struck a few misguided hands over the years. Even for Hollywood's most legendary names, concrete cannot always keep fame from walking away.
