Alan Cumming: Scots actor and 'The Traitors' host Alan Cumming gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Alan Cumming has been honoured with a star on the Walk of Fame at a ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard.

On Thursday, the actor received his star in the category of Live Theatre/Live Performance with tributes paid by friends Monica Lewinsky and Brian Cox.

Ana Martinez, Walk of Fame producer, said: “The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome actor Alan Cumming to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"As we step into the new year, we’re thrilled to honour the incomparable Alan Cumming with a Walk of Fame star.

“Alan’s remarkable range, fearless artistry, and dedication to his craft have captivated audiences around the world.

“His star shines as brightly as his spirit, and we’re proud to celebrate his contributions to entertainment here in Hollywood.”

The organisation that has administered the Walk of Fame since 1960, introduced Cumming saying: “Trailblazer, creative polymath, renaissance man, maverick, master of reinvention, beyond eclectic: Alan Cumming is all of these and more.

“His screen work ranges from art house to blockbuster, cult to mainstream, but his performances are always indelible and some immortal: Mr. Floop in Spy Kids, Eli in The Good Wife, Nightcrawler in X2: X Men United, Sebastian in The High Life, ‘O’ in Sex and the City, Boris in Goldeneye, King James in Doctor Who, Sandy Frink in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Mayor Menlove in Schmigadoon and himself on Broad City.

“The list of his collaborators over the years includes Liza Minnelli, Jeremy O. Harris, Jackie Chan, the Smurfs, David Bowie, The Simpsons, Robert Wilson, Stanley Kubrick, Jay Z, Bianca Del Rio, the Spice Girls, George Lucas, Terence Blanchard, KT Tunstall and not forgetting Dora the Explorer, Arthur and Elmo.”

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Fellow Scottish actor Brian Cox said at the ceremony: “In [Scotland], he is a very important ambassador.

“In fact, he’s the main artistic ambassador. He’s a truly astounding person, but above all, he’s extraordinarily kind and committed to other people; it’s not just about him. It’s about how the work affects other people. I’m very, very proud to call Alan our friend.”

Born in Aberfeldy in 1965 and raised in Perthshire, Cumming attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he trained in drama during the 1980s.

He created the characters of Victor and Barry with Forbes Masson in 1982 as part of a cabaret event for the final year students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

After continuing the Kelvinside pair for performances in Glasgow, they became stars of annual runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and TV appearances. The actors reunited to write and appear in The High Life, which was broadcast on the BBC in 1995.

There were also early appearances at The Tron Theatre and on STV in episodes of Take the High Road and Taggart.

By the early 1990s, Cumming’s reputation had spread beyond Scotland.

His acclaimed performance in Cabaret, first in London’s West End and later on Broadway, would make him an international name, earning a Tony Award.

Cumming is a Grammy and multiple Golden Globe nominee, he has been nominated for seven Emmys, winning four for his work as the host and producer of the US Traitors along with another New York Emmy, a Scottish BAFTA and a British Comedy Award.

He recently became artistic director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.