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Actress and director Lucy Liu will receive a star bearing her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 1, making Liu only the second Asian American woman to be inducted in history.
Actress Anna May Wong's star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Liu's star is also the first one for a person Asian descent in 17 years. Famed martial artist and actor Jackie Chan received a star on Oct. 4, 2002.
Her star will be the 11th awarded to a person of Asian descent out of 2,662 stars scattered on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
According to Hollywood Walk of Fame Producer Ana Martinez, Liu's star will be situated in close proximity to Wong's.
“We are excited to honor Lucy Liu and we placed her star next to the star of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American actress to grace Hollywood’s film screens,” Martinez said in a press release. “When we place Walk of Fame stars, we love to juxtapose Hollywood’s golden age icons with the role models who represent the exciting shifts taking place in the film industry whenever we can.”
On Feb. 8, 1960, Anna May Wong was the first of three actors of Asian descent who received stars on the Walk of Fame. Her star was followed by actors Sabu and Sessue Haya Kawa.
Years later, in 1984, Korean American actor Philip Ahn was inducted posthumously. In the 1990s, the stars of actors Bruce Lee, Keye Luke, George Takei, Mako and Pat Morita were inducted.
Liu, 50, is known for her television roles in “Elementary,” “Difficult People” and “Why Women Kill,” as well as film roles in “Charlie's Angels,” “Kill Bill,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Lucky Number Slevin.”
Fellow actresses and pals Demi Moore and Rhea Perlman will help Emcee Rana Ghadban, President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, to unveil Liu's star.
Fans on social media were elated about the news, but some felt it was overdue.
“Finally!!!! Long overdue for our icon -@-LucyLiu (https://twitter.com/LucyLiu),” user @queenlucyliu tweeted.
Martinez said candidates for Hollywood Walk of Fame stars have to first be nominated.
“Anyone, including a fan, can nominate a celebrity as long as the celebrity or his/her management is in agreement with the nomination,” the Walk of Fame's website said. “If there is no letter of agreement (written consent) included from the celebrity or his/her representative, the committee will not accept the application.”
Afterwards, the nomination goes through the process of selection, according to the organization's website. Around 300 applicants are submitted each year, and 34 were selected for 2019, according to the site.
The unveiling of Liu's star will take place about three weeks before the premiere of the seventh and final season of “Elementary,” in which Liu plays Dr. Joan Watson alongside Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes. Liu has also directed the series, in addition to directing for Netflix and Marvel’s “Luke Cage,” USA drama “Graceland,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Why Women Kill,” according to the Walk of Fame's press release.
Martinez said the timing is just right for Liu to receive her star, since she is an accomplished actress and is now directing.
She also said it's good timing because May is Asian American Pacific Heritage Month.
On December 16, 2000, Liu was the first Asian American woman to host “Saturday Night Live.”
Recently, Liu starred in the Netflix romantic-comedy hit film, “Set it Up” alongside Taye Diggs.
The actress first rose to fame from her role as Ling Woo in “Ally McBeal,” a role for which she earned an Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. Her role as Jessica Tang on the critically acclaimed series, “Southland” won a 2012 Critics’ Choice Award for best guest performer in a drama series and a 2013 NAACP nomination for best supporting actress in a drama series.
In 2006, she was awarded a Women's World Award for her humanitarian work. She was also awarded the the 2008 Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award and the 2016 Harvard Artist of the Year Award.
Her additional accolades include a 2012 New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award, the prestigious best drama actress award at the Seoul International Drama Awards, and three People’s Choice Awards nominations.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce first announced last June that Liu was going to be a part of the Walk of Fame Class of 2019.
The ceremony will be livestreamed on the Walk of Fame's website.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.