Mark Ruffalo receives Hollywood Walk of Fame star

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Thursday honoring four-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo in front of the Stella Adler Academy of Acting, where he studied.

"I know this is actually a very prime piece of real estate," he joked as he accepted the star.

Laura Dern and actor Tim McNeil were among those joining Ruffalo in speaking at the ceremony. Ruffalo and Dern portrayed a married couple in the 2004 drama, "We Don't Live Here Anymore."

"I'm just so moved," Ruffalo said. "I'm so grateful for this and I'm so grateful for these tributes from people that I go so far back with, who I really started all this with and who I love and admire and who represent so many different parts of why I'm here today."

Ruffalo reflected on his arrival in Hollywood at age 18, saying he got off a bus on Hollywood Boulevard.

"I walked into the Stella Adler Conservatory, scared poop-less, and there was a woman there, (studio co-founder) Joanne Linville, who said `What are you doing here, darling?' I said, `Man, I don't know. I'm 18 years old now and I feel like I've hit the end of the road. And I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do with my life, but is it too late to be actor? Can I come here? I don't know how to audition. So I don't know what to show you. But all I know is that I want to dedicate my life to being an actor.'

"And she said to me, `That's good, darling. You're in the right place.' And that was where it all started," Ruffalo said.

His star is the 2,772nd since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.

Born Nov. 22, 1967 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Ruffalo spent his teen years in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his father worked. After graduating from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach in 1985, Ruffalo moved with his family to San Diego and later to Los Angeles.

Ruffalo's first professional role was as the son of New York newspaper columnist (James Farentino) who marries a mayoral aide (Lindsay Crouse) in the unsold 1989 CBS pilot "American Nuclear."

Ruffalo's movie debut came in the 1994 horror film, "Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance."

All of Ruffalo's Oscar nominations have been for best supporting actor. His first came in 2011 for his role as the sperm donor of the two children of a lesbian couple in "The Kids Are All Right."

Ruffalo was nominated again in 2015 for his portrayal of Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Dave Schultz in "Foxcatcher." He was also nominated the following year for his portrayal of Boston Globe reporter Michael Rezendes in "Spotlight."

Ruffalo's latest Oscar nomination came last month for his portrayal of slick and debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn in the Frankenstein-like tale "Poor Things."

"I was in hysterics reading the script, it was wicked and full of bawdy irreverent humor," Ruffalo said.

Ruffalo said he was "nervous about being cast" and letting down director Yorgos Lanthimos, who he said he was "such a big fan of."

"I've also never done an English accent before and it's a time period I haven't worked in either," Ruffalo said. "In the end, my friend told me to always go where the discomfort is as that's where you'll grow."

Ruffalo has portrayed Bruce Banner and the Hulk in eight films -- "The Avengers," "Iron Man 3," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Thor: Ragnarok," "Avengers: Infinity War," "Captain Marvel," "Avengers: Endgame" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" -- and two Disney+ series, "What If...?" and "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law."

Ruffalo's other film credits include, "Now You See Me," "Zodiac," "13 Going on 30," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

Ruffalo is also a three-time Emmy nominee, winning for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie in 2020 for his dual role as twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in the HBO miniseries, "I Know This Much Is True."

Ruffalo received a best featured actor in a play Tony nomination in 2006 for his performance in the revival of the Clifford Odets' drama originally performed in 1935, "Awake and Sing!"

Ruffalo and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, received a best spoken word album Grammy nomination in 2017 for "Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In."