“I’ve just learned to be so thankful and grateful at this age in my life,” Macchio said on Nov. 20 as he accepted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside his late “Karate Kid” co-star Pat Morita.

Ralph Macchio is showered with love as he receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The actor, 63, was honored by friends and family on Wednesday, November 20, when he received a star next to his late Karate kid castmate Pat Morita in Hollywood.

William Zabka and Tamlyn Tomita, who also co-starred with Macchio Karate kid and later Cobra Kai, spoke at the ceremony, with Zabka calling Macchio “a gift” in his life.

“His passion and authenticity are infectious and challenging and everything you would want and hope for in a creative partner,” says Zabka, 59. “As eloquent as he is as an artist, it doesn’t stop on the screen. He is as genuine and sincere and good as a father, as a husband and an all-round family man.”

“I love him like a brother,” he added.

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Tomita, 58, also praised Macchio’s presence both on and off camera, citing his “integrity,” “tenacity” and “old-fashioned class.”

“You have no idea how much I look up to you, how much I have loved and learned from you, and that I will always be the woman who will fight for your honor,” she said through tears. “You are so deserving of the star, and may it continue to shine forever.”

Macchio then took the microphone to thank his father and mother, his two children, Daniel and Julia, and his 37-year-old wife Phyllis Fierro. He became emotional as he recognized his friends and fans who supported him.

“I have just learned to be so thankful and grateful at this age in my life, to absorb, learn and share the wisdom I have gained from others, and pay that legacy forward, whether it be with the young cast of Cobra Kai or friends of my children,” he said. “I get so much joy from sharing that wisdom and taking a piece of the legacy and passing it on, and I don’t take it for granted that we can spread a little bit of joy. in a world that is sometimes not always a joyful world.”

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Macchio, born in Huntington, New York, appeared in Eight is enough and the 1983 coming-of-age drama The outsiders before landing the role of Daniel LaRusso in 1984 The karate kid.

The Karate Kid’s The great success spawned four more films over the years, with a sixth film: Karate Kid: Legends – starring Macchio and Jackie Chan, set in 2025. The franchise also inspired the sequel series Cobra Kai, which debuted on YouTube in 2018 before migrating to Netflix.

Over the years, Macchio, 63, has also appeared in TV and film projects, including My cousin Vinny, Ugly Betty, How I met your mother, The Deuce And Dancing with the stars.

The actor met future wife Fierro when he was just 15 at a cousin’s birthday party in his grandmother’s basement. The two tied the knot in August 1987 and share Julia, 31, and Daniel, 29.

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“Part of the beauty of success Cobra Kai is how much my kids enjoy it. To take something that was such a big part of my life 35 years ago, and see it be such a present part of their lives now, it’s really amazing,” he told PEOPLE in January 2021, adding added, “I’m still a nerd. Dad!”

Although his children are all grown now, Macchio also acknowledged that he is constantly learning something new about parenting.

“You’re skinning your knees like it’s the second day of first grade,” he explained. “Failure is probably the wrong word, but you are constantly learning along the journey.”

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“Everything I do now, more often than 10, 15 years ago, I think about it for the sake of my children as they get older,” he continued. “They are adults, but they will always be your children.”