Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett received the 2,376th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday, drawing praise from Steven Spielberg, who directed her in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
"There's no limits on what Cate can do," Spielberg said at the late-morning ceremony in front of the Egyptian Theatre. "Whenever I read an announcement in Variety that she's about to play a part in a picture I've never heard, I'm instantly interested in seeing that movie. I think that Cate is the most confident actress I have ever worked with in my life and she's the most-old fashioned in that classic and classiest sense."
"Cate fulfills my definition of what an actor is supposed to be -- instantly capable of becoming anyone at any time," he added. "Her ability to lose herself in a character is her gift, and Cate's fearlessness is her hallmark."
Spielberg called Blanchett's character in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko, "my favorite bad guy in that entire series."
The ceremony came 20 days before the Christmas Day release of Blanchett's latest film, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." One of its producers, Kathleen Kennedy, said "no one is more deserving" of a Walk of Fame star than Blanchett.
"If you take a walk along Hollywood Boulevard, from La Brea to Vine, you will see the stars of people who have entertained us, captivated us, transformed and defined us, from The Beatles, Marlon Brando and James Dean, the great women, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh" Kennedy said.
"If you added to that, the name of Cate Blanchett, you would nod in agreement."
Blanchett called receiving a star "utterly incredible."
"I've been very fortunate over the last however many years to have worked with some incredible people who are massively talented," Blanchett said. "The thing I've realized is with truly great people, they're not constantly referencing their greatness, they're just getting on and doing it. The greatest (trait) of all of the people I've worked with is that they are very collaborative and allow me to contribute in my small way."
The 39-year-old Blanchett, a native of Melbourne, Australia, won a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in the 2004 Howard Hughes biography, "The Aviator."
She received best actress Academy Award nominations for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the 1998 film "Elizabeth" and 2007's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."
Blanchett also received best supporting actress Oscar nominations her role in the 2006 drama, "Notes on a Scandal," as a teacher having an affair with a student; and as a version of singer Bob Dylan in 2007's "I'm Not There."
Blanchett's other prominent credits include the role of High Elf Queen Galadriel in all three "The Lord of the Rings" films, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Babel."
