Ron Howard
Ron Howard touches his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after being honoured with the 2,568th star in Los Angeles, California REUTERS/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN

Hollywood director Ron Howard has joined a rare list of celebrities with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 61-year-old American has been honoured twice by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with the stars at the Hollywood Boulevard in California.

Howard's second star is the 2,568th star in the category of motion pictures. His first star was the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981, in the television category.

"Ron Howard is the epitome of the dream-come-true of the entertainment world... starring as a child actor and becoming one of the world's most prolific filmmakers," Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, said. "We are proud to add him to our Walk of Fame for a rare second time," she said of the Academy Award-winning filmmaker.

Howard, who has won the Oscar for making such films as A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995), was accompanied by his wife, daughter and the rest of the family at the ceremony. He took to Twitter to express his joy for the honour.

Howard was honoured on 10 December, a day before the opening of his latest film, In the Heart of the Sea. The drama adventure film starring Hemsworth is based on the book about the true story of the Essex disaster that inspired Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gives stars to honour people from the entertainment, broadcast, radio, theatre and music industries. All the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars are made of terrazzo and brass and each cost about $30,000 (£20,000 approximately).

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