The iconic Keith David — who is known for his expansive career that includes beloved live-action and voice acting roles alike — was surprised by a very touching honor recently: his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The actor took to his social media accounts to share a truly touching video of himself watching the broadcast where this year’s honorees were announced, where you can see him giving a very shocked reaction when he heard his name as part of the list. His wife, Dionne Lea Williams, also comes into the frame to congratulate him excitedly during the video, crying and hugging David in response to the news.
What a surprise! Being blessed to get to do this for a living is enough for me; to be recognized for my contribution to the arts is the cherry on top.🙏🏿
Thank you, Hollywood Walk of Fame & Hollywood Chamber for this honor. This will be a wonderful birthday present next year. pic.twitter.com/dnSmObJezT
— Keith David (@ImKeithDavid) July 2, 2025
“What a surprise! Being blessed to get to do this for a living is enough for me; to be recognized for my contribution to the arts is the cherry on top,” David wrote on his Twitter account alongside the video. “Thank you, Hollywood Walk of Fame & Hollywood Chamber for this honor. This will be a wonderful birthday present next year.”
69-year-old David is perhaps best known for his role opposite Kurt Russell in the beloved 1982 classic remake of The Thing, but he is also responsible for upwards of 400 roles across his nearly 50-year career — including a wealth of voice acting appearances in both the film and television and video game spaces. Fans may remember him as the Arbiter Thel ‘Vadamee in the Halo franchise, Julius Little in the Saints Row franchise, and of course Admiral Andersen in the Mass Effect series.
More recently, David took over as Commander Zavala in Destiny 2 following the passing of his original actor, Lance Reddick.
@ign ♬ original sound – IGN Entertainment
Though the ceremony date for the class of 2025 has yet to be announced, David hinted at the honor being a birthday present to him next year — so it seems like we can expect the legend to receive his deserved accolade around the beginning of June 2026.
Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
