US actor Ralph Macchio said it “means the world to me” to be cemented adjacent to his late Karate Kid co-star Pat Morita on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Macchio, who starred as Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid film trilogy and six seasons of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, appeared at the Los Angeles ceremony alongside his co-stars William Zabka and Tamlyn Tomita. The 63-year-old unveiled his star which lay next to that of the late Morita, who played beloved Mr Miyagi in the film franchise.
Tamlyn Tomita, from left, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka attend a ceremony honouring Macchio with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) “To have this star placed right next to my acting partner from that film, the great Pat Morita, is so meaningful to me, so powerful to me,” Macchio said. “Our partnership is something I always described as a soulful magic of The Karate Kid films, and he is still here today blessing all these stories that are moving forward. I can feel him here.
“It is only fitting I shall remain Miyagi-adjacent until the end of time,” he joked. Macchio thanked those for the “thoughtful placement” of his star, adding: “The fact that that was part of the decision in putting us together, it means the world to me.” Macchio’s breakout role was starring in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film The Outsiders, before joining the cast of The Karate Kid a year later and starring in two sequels.
Ralph Macchio attends a ceremony honouring Macc.