Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” director Peter Jackson received a star on Monday on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, joined by key cast members from his blockbuster JRR Tolkien films.

    Actors Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Lee Pace (Thranduil) and Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel) were on hand to help honor the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

    “Welcome to Middle Earth. Otherwise known as Hollywood, California,” said Los Angeles city councilor Mitch O’Farrell at the ceremony, attended by hundreds of screaming fans on Hollywood Boulevard.

    Jackson’s star is on the sidewalk directly outside the Dolby Theater, the venue for the Academy Awards at the climax of Tinseltown’s annual awards season, which is just getting into gear.

    The director, who also helmed* the 2005 remake of the classic “King Kong,” had also been nominated for best original screenplay in 1995 for “Heavenly Creatures.”(SD-Agencies)