00:00Please join me in welcoming Peter Billingsley to the stage.
00:07Thank you, Melvin, very much.
00:17It is an honor to be here and have the opportunity to share a few words about my good friend
00:22Vince.
00:23And from the moment I met Vince many years ago, his star was shining brightly, and I
00:28knew that this moment would eventually arrive.
00:31In fact, the most surprising part about all this is that it took us this long to be up
00:35here.
00:37And Vince is truly a star in everything that he does.
00:40He's a star in his approach, in his preparation, his execution, and his follow-through.
00:46He shines brightly on the screen and the people's lives who've had the good fortune to know
00:51him personally, making them and those around him want to be better in all they pursue.
00:57His tremendous success comes at no surprise.
01:00Now I first met Vince as a fellow actor on an after-school special 35 years ago.
01:05It was a very dramatic role, probably overly dramatic, as most after-school specials are.
01:11But even in the face of a small project like that, one which many actors would dismiss
01:15as merely a stepping stone, Vince's dedication to making it great was on full display.
01:21Now we were playing best friends, so he suggested that maybe we get together off-screen, try
01:25to build a little chemistry that might filter through to the role, just some time spent
01:30off-screen to make the whole piece shine brighter.
01:33So we hung out at Jerry's Deli, we ate a lot of pastrami sandwiches, we bought a lot of
01:37games at the old Rock and Bowl, and we walked these very streets in the late 1980s, looking
01:43at the stars etched into the Walk of Fame and talking about our own dreams in Hollywood.
01:49And it paid off big time.
01:50Not only are we still very close and our careers have flourished, but to this day, it still
01:55is 98% fresh, that after-school special.
01:58So Vince crushed it.
02:01What happened from that moment forward was not only the beginning of many collaborations,
02:05but a lifelong friendship that put me in the unique position of having a front-row seat
02:11to his incredible career.
02:12And the more I got to know him, the more I realized that his success in Hollywood was
02:17not a question of if, but when.
02:19He had all the makings of it, the desire, the fortitude, the resilience, the incredible
02:24raw talent, the matinee-idle looks, the genuine passion and love for his craft.
02:30And anyone who knew Vince at that time knew him to be the funniest and most charismatic
02:34guy in the room.
02:36As it often does, it just took Hollywood a minute to catch up.
02:41We live in a time where people become famous for so many different reasons.
02:46But a star is truly someone who's recognized for their achievements and for their accomplishments.
02:51And as a writer and producer, he's created so many memorable films like The Break-Up,
02:56Couples Retreat, and as an actor, Vince, my gosh.
03:02It's one thing to have some memorable lines, but to have such iconic performances that
03:06the dialogue gets etched into the fabric of everyday life is another amazing feat altogether.
03:13Now I defy you, any of you, to go over the hill towards the casinos without shouting,
03:18Vegas, baby Vegas.
03:20Try cursing in front of a small child without saying, earmuffs first.
03:24Or try embracing an old friend without telling him to bring it in for the real thing.
03:30He continues to challenge himself in role after role, even shaved his head and bulked
03:34up, showing us a completely different side of himself in brawl in Cell Block 99, where
03:39to prepare for that role, he once again made me walk these very streets and punch mid-sized
03:44cars for most of the night.
03:46That's truly dedicated to his craft like no other.
03:49Vince, your parents Vernon and Che are here, who are no doubt very proud.
03:54You're surrounded by your family, your wife, children, friends, and colleagues who all
04:00share my sentiments.
04:01And I'm honored to share today with you the cementing of a star into the Hollywood Walk
04:06of Fame in your name, a star that we have all known for a very long time.
04:12So to quote you once again, Vince, from one of my other favorite performances of yours,
04:16be cool, you're a star, twinkle, twinkle, baby, twinkle, twinkle.
04:21Congratulations my friend, and here's to many, many more years to come.
Comments