The 46-year-old actor had wife Danielle Spencer and their children Charlie, six, and three-year-old Tennyson, by his side when he received the honour. After being introduced by Jay Leno, Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, Russell said he was thrilled to have his name and handprints on the famous stretch of footpath, but joked it made him feel "old".

"There`s no place I would rather be, apart from with my family, than on a movie set," Crowe said. "I suppose in a way it means I`ve been around awhile, and been making movies for awhile. It basically just signifies that I`m getting really old."

Ron Howard, who has directed Russell in several films, and Brian Grazer, who has produced him, were both thrilled to support the actor on his big day.

"No one could deserve a star more than Russell," Howard told ET Online.

Grazer added: "I`ve been a beneficiary of Russell Crowe`s talent on four different films. I`m just going to be a small part of this, but I want to congratulate Russell for getting this star. It`s a tremendous honour."

Russell`s next film, Ridley Scott?s epic Robin Hood, will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month.
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