LOS ANGELES (AP) – Oscar-winning director-producer Steven Spielberg has accepted the first star of 2003 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The director of “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” unveiled the honor Friday before a crowd of nearly 2,000 outside the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards telecast.

“This is so surreal,” the 56-year-old filmmaker told onlookers. “Getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame really makes you feel like you are part of this community.”

He said he was honored to receive the 2,210th star on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk near those for the likes of inventor Thomas Edison, dog actor Lassie and “Austin Powers” star Mike Myers.

Myers helped introduce Spielberg, saying: “The name Spielberg is to entertainment what Einstein is to science.”

Other notable guests included Spielberg’s wife, Kate Capshaw, and longtime collaborators such as composer John Williams and special effects designer Stan Winston.

Spielberg has collected three Oscars, two for directing and producing best-picture winner “Schindler’s List” and a third for directing “Saving Private Ryan.”

The director’s ceremony took place next to the as yet unfinished star for Nicole Kidman, which is scheduled to be dedicated Monday.