Have you visited the Alabama Walk of Fame in downtown Birmingham and wondered why contemporary stars like Courteney Cox, Channing Tatum and Octavia Spencer don’t have stars there?

The reason is that the Walk of Fame has been static since the early 1990s, with the exception of a recent addition of a star in July 2023 to honor jazz musician Henry Blankenship. I was told that star was dedicated after efforts from Blankenship’s family.

Maybe that new star can inspire someone to add a new class to the Walk of Fame because:

1. It’s nice for folks to realize the amount of talent Alabama has shared with the world. Even many of us who live here don’t realize the extent.

2. It’s good for tourism. People love taking photos of the stars and taking selfies along the Walk of Fame.

The Walk does not necessarily have to continue in Birmingham, although it would be nice to have it all in one place. I’d support any of our larger cities that wanted to continue the tradition but as a Huntsvillian, I would certainly welcome an attraction like this in North Alabama.

Stars previously honored include: Phillip Alford, actor; John Badham, director; Mary Badham, actor; Tallulah Bankhead, actor; Pat Buttram, actor; Nell Carter, actor and singer; Truman Capote, author, screenwriter, actor; Fannie Flagg, actor and author; Louise Fletcher, Oscar-winning actor; Polly Holliday, actor; Kate Jackson, actor; Dean Jones, actor; Harper Lee, author, screenwriter; George Lindsey, actor; Jim Nabors, actor; Wayne Rogers, actor; Stanleigh Malotte, the house organist of the Alabama Theatre from the 1930s-1950s; James Hatcher, director of local theater; Jake Hess, “Mr. Gospel Music.”

As a cinephile and Alabama historian, I’ve come up with a list of 26 Alabamians who I think should be inducted.

Note: This list is for film and TV (acting, writing and directing) only. I’ll be doing separate lists for musicians and authors in coming weeks.

Alabama has been home to a wide variety of actors, directors and screenwriters from the 1930s through today. Check out my list below and see how many you recognize.

Email me at [email protected] if you have recommendations – keeping in mind, of course, that this list is merely a suggestion and I have no authority to dedicate the real star plaques!

Here are my choices, in alphabetical order:

Mary “Bebe” Anderson (1918-2014), born in Birmingham

Bebe Anderson had roles in numerous films from the 1940s-1960s, such as “Lifeboat” and “The Song of Bernadette,” and TV shows like “Perry Mason” and “My Three Sons.” She was considered for the role of Scarlett O’Hara but instead was cast as Maybelle Merriweather in “Gone With the Wind.”

READ MORE: Alabamians and the role of Scarlett O’Hara.

R.G. Armstrong (1917-2012), born in Pleasant Grove

Robert Golden “R.G.” Armstrong was a well-known character actor who starred in dozens of TV shows, particularly 1960s Western series such as “Rawhide” and “The Big Valley,” as well as “The Twilight Zone,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Dukes of Hazzard.” He also starred in numerous films including “Predator” and “Children of the Corn.”

Michael Biehn, born 1956 in Anniston

Michael Biehn, an actor and director, starred in some of the biggest sci-fi films of the 1980s.

His first role was a bit part in the 1978 film “Grease” but his biggest part would come when he portrayed Kyle Reese in 1984′s “The Terminator.” He later appeared in films such as “Aliens,” “Tombstone,” “Deadfall,” “The Rock,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Clockstoppers,” and “The Divide.”

Lucas Black, born 1982 in Speake

Lucas Black was born at Decatur General Hospital but his parents lived in Speake in Lawrence County. He attended Speake High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball and golf.

He is known for his roles in “Sling Blade,” “Jarhead,” “Fast and Furious 3,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Legion,” “Get Low,” “All the Pretty Horses,” and “Seven Days in Utopia.” He later starred in the TV show “NCIS: New Orleans.” He is known for refusing to give up his Southern accent for roles.

Julia Campbell, born 1962 in Huntsville

Julia Campbell acts mainly in television shows, such as “Dexter,” “ Justified,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Reba,” “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” and is known for her portrayal of Ellen Rimbauer in the 2002 mini-series “Rose Red,” based on a Stephen King book. She also known for her role as Christy Masters in 1997’s “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.”

Nell Carter (1948-2003), born in Birmingham

Nell Carter was a singer and actor. She attended A.H. Parker High School. Died in 2003.

She was best known for her role as Nell Harper on TV’s “Gimme a Break!” and film roles such as “The Grass Harp.”

Reg E. Cathey (1958-2018), born in Huntsville

Reg Cathey was best known for roles in films such as “Seven,” “American Psycho,” “SWAT,” “Fantastic Four” and “The Mask.” He also had roles on numerous TV series, such as “House of Cards” and “Outcast.”

Bob Clark (1939-2007), born in New Orleans, raised in Birmingham

Bob Clark was a director and writer who was responsible for some of the most popular films of the 1970s and ’80s, including two in quite different genres – “Black Christmas,” a 1974 cult-classic horror film, and 1983’s “A Christmas Story,” a beloved holiday classic. The 1975 film “Moonrunners,” which Clark executive-produced, was the inspiration for TV’s “The Dukes of Hazzard.” He and his 22-year-old son were killed in a head-on collision in California in 2007.

Courteney Cox, born 1964, in Mountain Brook

Courteney Cox is best known for her roles Monica on “Friends” and Gale Weathers in the Scream film franchise. She also starred in the TV series “Cougar Town” and has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows. She has a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood but none in Alabama.

Laverne Cox, born 1972 in Mobile

Laverne Cox was born one of a set of identical twin boys. She was the first transgender person to be on the cover on Time magazine and the first transgender actor to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy, according to IMDb. She is best known for her role on TV’s “Orange is the New Black.”

Clayne Crawford, born 1978, in Clay, Ala.

Clayne Crawford, a graduate of Hewitt-Trussville High School, is known for movies such as “Baytown Outlaws” and “A Love Song for Bobby Long.” He has appeared in films such as “A Walk to Remember” and “Swimfan,” and numerous TV shows such as “The Glades” and “Lethal Weapon.”

Kim Dickens, born 1965, in Huntsville

Kim Dickens, who was named a senior class favorite at Lee high School, has been seen in numerous TV roles, including “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Deadwood,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Sons of Anarchy,” and films such as “Gone Girl,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “The Blind Side,” and “House of Sand and Fog.”

Betty Lou Gerson (1914-1999), born in Chattanooga, raised in Birmingham

Betty Lou Gerson, a popular actress of the 1940s and 50s who became an accomplished voice actress, most famously voiced the animated character Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians” and the narrator in the animated “Cinderella.” She also starred in numerous films, such as portraying Nurse Anderson in 1958′s “The Fly” with Vincent Price, and TV shows throughout the 1960s.

Walton Goggins, born in 1971, in Birmingham

Born in Alabama, Walton Goggins was raised in Lithia Springs, Ga. He is best known for his recent role as The Ghoul in the series “Fallout.” He is also known for roles in “The Righteous Gemstones,” “The Shield” and “Justified.” He has also appeared in numerous films including “Django Unchained,” “Machete Kills,” “Lincoln” and more.

Thom Gossom Jr., born 1952 in Birmingham

Thom Gossom was the first Black athlete to graduate from Auburn University. He became a character actor, appearing in films such as “Fight Club,” “Jeepers Creepers 2” “xXx: State of the Union” and in TV shows like, “Chicago Hope,” “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing,” and “Drop Dead Diva.”

Beth Grant, born 1959 in Gadsden

Beth Grant is a prolific character actor, with more than 200 acting credits in TV and film. Some of the most recognizable films she has appeared in include “Rain Man,” “Speed,” “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,” “A Time to Kill,” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” Some TV shows in which she’s appeared include: “The Mindy Project,” “Everwood,” “The Golden Girls,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Friends,” “The X Files,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Office” and “Criminal Minds.”

Orlando Jones, born 1968 in Mobile

Orlando Jones is a stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor who has appeared in numerous TV series and in films like “The Replacements,” “Drumline,” “Runaway Jury,” and 1999′s “The Office.” Jones was one of the original nine cast members of “MADtv” and has been on TV shows like “Sleepy Hollow” and “Abbot Elementary.”

Michael McDowell (1950-1999), born in Enterprise

Michael McDowell was the author of more than 30 novels, mostly horror, but he also had a career as a screenwriter, penning many of the biggest spooky films of all time. Film credits include: “Beetlejuice,” “Thinner,” “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.” He also wrote for TV shows such as “Tales from the Crypt” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

Michael O’Neill, born 1951 in Montgomery

Michael O’Neill is a prolific character actor with more than 130 credits in film and TV. He has appeared in numerous popular films, including “Transformers,” “Dallas Buyers Club” “Sea Biscuit” and “Secondhand Lions,” and in TV shows, such as “Outer Range,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Rectify” and “Bates Motel.”

Michael Papajohn, born 1964 in Birmingham

Michael Papajohn, a star baseball player at Vestavia Hills High in the 1980s, is a stuntman and actor. He started his career as a stunt double for Dennis Quaid in the baseball film “Everybody’s All-American.” He is known for roles in films such as “The Iron Claw,” “The Bourne Legacy,” “Spider-Man,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Jurassic World,” and in TV shows such as “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Paradise Lost.”

Michael Rooker, born in 1955 in Jasper

Michael Rooker is a prolific character actor with more than 140 credits on screen and TV.

He is best known for his role as Yondu in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. He also had roles in “Fast 9,” Fast X,” “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” “Cliffhanger,” and “Mississippi Burning.” His TV credits include “The Walking Dead,” “The Rookie,” “Creepshow” and more.

Glenn Shadix (1952-2010), born in Bessemer

Glenn Shadix is best known for his role as Otho in “Beetlejuice.” He also appeared in such films as “Heathers,” “Planet of the Apes” and “Demolition Man,” and TV shows such as “Jumanji,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Men in Black.”

Octavia Spencer, born 1970 in Montgomery

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer has more than 140 screen credits. She has appeared in “The Help” and “Hidden Figures,” as well as “The Witches,” “Ma,” and “The Shape of Water,” and TV shows like “Young Sheldon” and “Black-ish.” She began with smaller roles in “Spider-Man” “A Time to Kill” and 2009’s “Halloween II.”

Channing Tatum, born 1980 in Cullman

Channing Tatum is an actor and dancer, best known for creating the Magic Mike series of film. He is known for films such as “White House Down,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Bullet Train,” and “The Lost City.”

Fred Thompson (1942-2015), born in Sheffield

Fred Dalton Thompson was a politician, actor, attorney, lobbyist, columnist and radio host. As an actor, Thompson is best known for the TV series “Law & Order,” and the films “The Hunt for Red October,” “Die Hard 2,” “In the Line of Fire,” and “Sinister.” In real life, Thompson assisted with the Watergate hearings in the 1970s and was a Republican senator from Tennessee. He also ran for president of the United States in 2008.

Harry Townes (1914- 2001), born in Huntsville

Harry Townes, who would later be ordained as an Episcopal priest, was a prolific character actor, starring in more than 175 movies and TV shows. He appeared mostly in TV series, such as “Knots Landing,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Night Gallery,” “Gunsmoke” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.”