Laura Linney has said that even after 30 years in the entertainment industry she is still “quietly stunned and not so quietly exhilarated” on a daily basis.
The three-time Oscar nominee was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, which she said was “beyond my wildest dreams”.
July 25 was also declared Laura Linney Day in Hollywood.
The actress, who most recently starred in Netflix’s dark drama series Ozark, has been nominated for five Tony Awards, eight SAG awards, one Bafta and seven Golden Globes.
Linney was presented with the accolade by US actress Holland Taylor and TV writer Chris Mundy, who praised her as an inspiration and “a compass for the right way to behave”.
During her own remarks the actress stopped several times to check on the wellbeing of a man in the street who was heard shouting.
“It’s a difficult world we’re living in these days, things like this are intersecting everywhere…” she said.
“If this is Laura Linney Day I hope that we can all keep a little compassion in our hearts and educate ourselves about the needs of others and mental illness and addiction and everything that is being put in front of us.”
Her kind words were greeted with a round of applause from viewers.
Speaking about the honour, she said: “This is even more overwhelming than I thought it would be.
“If someone had told me 20 years ago that this camera-shy theatre person would be represented amongst her idols of film and television I would have never believed it.
“I would simply have deemed it absolute crazy talk, it would have been ludicrous and as puzzling and indecipherable.
“Even after 30 years I can tell you that on a daily basis I am quietly stunned and not so quietly exhilarated to be embraced, not only by Los Angeles itself, but by the industries, the businesses and the people that call it home.
“To have my name held and protected by a star on this famous stretch of sidewalk is beyond my wildest dreams.”
She added that the arts were a “medicinal, clarifying, nourishing endeavour” that it was an honour to be in service to.
“Much in this world is a waste of time, we squander what is valuable,” she said.
“But you can’t go wrong with time spent with and around the arts. Regardless of your profession or your belief system, the arts are just good for you… they make everyone and everything better.”
In his own remarks, Ozark writer Mundy said: “Laura pushes and pushes at the boundary of the art all the time.
“Laura taught me that when you’re writing or acting, there’s a period where you have to sit in discomfort… but I’ve never met anyone who elevates the people around her more.
“I know people who use her as a compass for the right way to behave, and to be that for such a diverse group of people is just phenomenal.”
Linney was born in Manhattan, New York, and fell in love with the stage working with the local theatre group at the age of 11.
She graduated from Brown University in 1986 and went on to study acting at the famous Juilliard School until 1990.
In June 2018, the actress made her London theatre debut in Richard Eyre’s limited three-week run of My Name Is Lucy Barton and went on to perform in it on Broadway.
Linney was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway performances and went on to star in other productions including The Little Foxes, Time Stands Still and Sight Unseen.
Her numerous film credits include Nocturnal Animals, Sully, Kinsey, The Savages, Hyde Park On Hudson, The Squid And The Whale, Mystic River, The Truman Show, and Love Actually, among many others.
The actress’s star is the 2,727th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Dedicated in the category of television, it is located at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard.
