Veteran actress Helen Mirren finally received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, January 3. The British star, who won an Oscar for her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth II in 2006's "The Queen", got her star paved next to fellow Briton Colin Firth in front of the Pig 'N Whistle, a historic Tinseltown pub on Hollywood Blvd.

"I couldn't be prouder and more happy that I'm actually going to finally lie next to Colin Firth, something I've been wanting to do for a very long time," she said on her speech at the ceremony, which was also attended by playwright David Mamet and director Jon Turteltaub. The 67-year-old actress got the 2,488th star since the Walk of Fame began in 1958.

Firth himself received his star in 2011 after winning an Oscar for starring as King George VI in "The King's Speech". Looking fresh in a blue dress, Mirren jokingly said, "Well I'm very pleased and proud and I think it's very good for the British monarchy that here on Hollywood Boulevard, the King and the Queen are going to actually sleep together, for the rest of history."

Meanwhile, Mamet sang praises to the Chiswick-born actress, "Helen's performances reap higher praise than being praised, they're loved." He added, "And by one who's had the absolute kick of working with her, I want to say as (British poet) Rupert Brooke said, somewhere there will be a little piece of foreign ground that is always a bit of England, and that's right there."

Mamet recently directed Mirren in a yet-to-be-titled HBO movie about rock producer Phil Spector, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison after convicted of killing an actress. The film, which is expected to air sometime this year, also stars Al Pacino as Spector. Aside from the TV movie, Mirren recently appeared in "Hitchcock", playing the titular director's wife Alma. She got a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

Mirren was born in 1945 in Chiswick, West London. She began her career on stage and was once a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first appearance in the big screen was in the 1960s, starring in various genres from drama to musical and from comedy to action. Apart from winning an Oscar for Best Actress, she snatched such prestigious awards as BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Emmy among others.