Ben Kingsley stars in Hollywood Walk of Fame

Los Angeles: British Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley got his star on Hollywood`s Walk of Fame Thursday, a milestone in his long acting career he said he never suspected of achieving."Dear friends, standing here today amongst you is one of the many things I thought growing up in England that would never happen to me and it has and I`m thrilled," Kingsley, 66, said at the unveiling ceremony attended by his wife, fellow actor Bruce Willis and around 100 admirers.

The unveiling of the 2,410th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame came on the eve of the release of Kingsley`s latest film, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," based on the video game of the same name. Kingsley plays the evil nobleman Nizam in the film. The four-time Oscar nominee clinched Hollywood`s top award in 1983 for his riveting, internationally acclaimed performance in "Gandhi." He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Born in Scarborough, Britain as Krishna Pandit Bhanji to a British mother and Indian-origin father, Kingsley made his stage debut in London in 1966 as the narrator of "A Smashing Day," which was produced by former Beatles manager Brian Epstein. After changing his name fearing his original one would hurt his career, Kingsley joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and made his film debut in a supporting role in "Fear Is the Key" (1972). In February, he made his debut in a Bollywood film -- the thriller "Teen Patti" (Three Cards), in which he plays a brilliant mathematician. Bureau Report