HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Days before the release of his latest action thriller, actor Keanu Reeves sank his hands and feet into cement today in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“It is a great honor to be here and to be invited to this remarkable, historical, magical place,” Reeves told the crowd gathered for the ceremony. “To be included amongst all of the incredible artists who have made their mark here over the past 92 years, to be a part of this Hollywood tradition started by Sid Grauman all those years ago and which continues to this day, I thank you. Thank you very much.”
Reeves, 54, rose to fame with “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure” but became box-office gold when he starred in the action film “Speed” and then portrayed Neo in the “Matrix” trilogy.
His latest starring turn in another trilogy will hit screens Friday with the release of “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.”
Reeves paid tribute during the ceremony to the “talented, beautiful artists and people” he has worked with over the years, and also hailed his fans.
“I have been a part of some films that have been embraced, and I am very grateful,” he said. “They have changed my life. They have given me life. They have provided life. And I'm very grateful to the people who have enjoyed these films. Without your support, I am not standing here.”
Among those attending the ceremony was actor Laurence Fishburne, who portrayed Reeves' mentor Morpheus in the “Matrix” films and also appears in the upcoming “John Wick” films.
Fishburne noted that Reeves is “a really private guy.”
“After being in the public eye for so many years he has somehow managed to maintain more than a little bit of mystery, which is really cool,” he said.
He also called Reeves one of the “smartest and most intelligent men that I have every met.”
“He is a deeply sensitive and thoughtful person, and he is also a courageous and passionate artist,” Fishburne said.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 2, 1964, and raised in New York City and Toronto, Reeves was a star high school hockey goaltender who earned the nickname “The Wall” before dropping out of school to pursue an acting career.
Reeves began his career by performing in various Toronto-area stage productions and got his first television credit playing “Thug No. 1” in a 1985 episode of the crime drama “Night Heat.”
He came to Hollywood after landing a supporting role in the 1986 film “Youngblood,” starring Rob Lowe.
Reeves received critical acclaim for his performance in the 1986 film “River's Edge.” Three years later, he had his first starring role in a box office hit, playing Ted Logan, one of a pair of time-traveling, dim-witted San Dimas teenagers in “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.” Reeves also starred in the 1991 sequel, “Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.” He is scheduled to reprise that role next year in another sequel, “Bill & Ted Face the Music.”
Reeves earned a reputation as a big budget movie action star with his role as Officer Jack Traven opposite Sandra Bullock in “Speed.” He passed on the “Speed” sequel, ending up in a bigger box office hit by playing a computer programmer who ends up saving the world in the “Matrix” trilogy.
Reeves' other film credits include “Something's Gotta Give,” “Devil's Advocate,” “A Walk in the Clouds,” “The Replacements,” “Little Buddha,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Bram Stoker's Dracula,” “My Own Private Idaho” and “Point Break.”
Reeves will have a voice role in the upcoming animated sequel, “Toy Story 4.”
Photos: Getty Images