Holly Robinson Peete honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star

LOS ANGELES - Holly Robinson Peete received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday, and was honored for a career that has included being a cast member of "21 Jump Street" and "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and appearing in 15 Hallmark movies.

"Being immortalized on Hollywood Blvd is so exciting," Robinson Peete told City News Service. "It's a permanent tribute to a four-decades-plus career in TV. Legacy stuff!"

Robinson Peete's career began in earnest when she appeared in the 1979 made-for-television movie "Dummy," which starred LeVar Burton, who will be joining her in speaking at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony at 6623 Hollywood Blvd., between Cherokee and Whitley avenues, along with basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

The ceremony will be streamed on the Walk of Fame's website, www.walkoffame.com. The star is the 2,725th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.

Robinson Peete is dedicating the star to her mother Dolores Robinson, her manager for 30 years.

"She dreamed big for herself bringing her kids west from Philly in '74," Robinson Peete said. "If it wasn't for her boldness and courage to create a better life for us I would not be getting this star!"

Born Sept. 18, 1964, in the Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood of Mount Airy, Robinson Peete said she decided to become an actor "as soon as I stepped foot" on the set of "Sesame Street" when she was 5 years old. Robinson Peete's late father, Matt Robinson, was the initial actor to portray high school science teacher Gordon Robinson on the long-running Public Broadcasting Service educational children's television series.

"I did a scene with my dad and Big Bird where I blew my one line," Robinson Peete recalled. "The line was `Hi Gordon.' But I kept saying `Hi Daddy."'

When asked what was her favorite project, Robinson Peete initially deferred, saying, "They are like my children, I can't chose," but then said, "I suppose `21 Jump Street' is probably my most emotional project. It catapulted my career. I absolutely adored the character of Officer Judy Hoffs. I cried so hard when the show ended. I didn't want to say goodbye to her."

A year after the Fox police procedural ended its five-season run in 1991, Robinson Peete was cast in the ABC comedy "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," which ran five seasons through 1997.

Robinson Peete also starred in the romantic comedy "For Your Love," which ran for eight episodes on NBC in 1998, was canceled, then picked up by The WB, running until 2002. Her other television credits include the 2003-04 WB comedy "Like Family," the 2005-06 UPN comedy "Love, Inc." and recurring roles on the CBS comedy "Mike & Molly" and the NBC drama "Chicago Fire."

Robinson Peete was a host for the first season of the CBS afternoon talk show, "The Talk."

Robinson Peete began her association with Hallmark in 2015 portraying newspaper editor Yvette Collins in "Angel of Christmas." She has starred as Seattle-based, TV chef Billie Blessings in six installments of "Morning Show Mysteries" on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Robinson Peete's next Hallmark project is "The Road Ahead," portraying a famous actress who team up with a wilderness expert (Kaylee Bryant) to drive cross-country and help each other face their past mistakes through support and unconditional love. It is set to air this summer on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Robinson Peete will receive her star three days after DesignCare 2022, the gala benefiting the HollyRod Foundation which she founded with her husband, Rodney Peete, the former USC and NFL quarterback, to raise awareness and provide resources to families that have a loved one who has received an autism or Parkinson's disease diagnosis.