MGM's Leo the Lion to Leave Chinese Theatre Paw Prints

The roar-worthy honor spotlights MGM's 90th anniversary.

What star have you seen the most on the silver screen?

You might have just named your favorite actor, but we'll just bet you've seen Leo the Lion as often. We speak, of course, of the most famous feline in Hollywood -- sorry, Pink Panther -- and his movie-fronting, nine-decade reign at MGM Studios.

Did you used to do the Leo roar, as a kid, when starting an MGM film? Do you still do it now? Please. You do.

Now Leo, or, urm, Mr. The Lion, is getting his Tinseltown due, courtesy of a set of handprints in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Handprints? Paw prints, rather.

The Wednesday, Jan. 22 ceremony, which is in honor of MGM's 90th anniversary, will also feature MGM honcho Gary Barber and Sylvester Stallone, who starred in an MGM film you may have heard of: "Rocky." Know it? Raw eggs? Steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum? Adrian? "Gonna Fly Now?"

We kid. MGM has been behind so many iconic films, including several that had their premieres at the Chinese. "West Side Story" is one, and, yep, "The Wizard of Oz," too. Poppies? Flying Monkeys? I'm melting?

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Yep, "Wizard" also featured a lion, which makes us ponder if Leo and Cowardly hung out, between takes, back in 1938 on the MGM lot. Probably, right?

Leo isn't the first animal to get his paw prints set in stone, or concrete rather, in front of the Hollywood landmark. A number of silver screen ponies, from the land of wayback, left the outlines of their horseshoes. Trigger's there, you bet.

Time is 10 a.m. on Jan. 22. The cement'll have to dry, though, before you can measure your own mitts against Leo's sizable paws, so swing by the theater in a few weeks and see how you stack up to MGM's maned movie star.

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