The world's first and only Italian Walk of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada, the city that is home to the largest community of Italians outside of Italy. The induction event, which is held annually, was launched on September 7, 2009.
Situated in the heart of Toronto’s famous downtown tourist destination known as Little Italy, Toronto and co-founded by Jimi Bertucci and Marisa Lang, the IWOF pays tribute to the extraordinary achievements of Italians in all fields with stars placed permanently and prominently in the sidewalk on College Street.
Past inductees include Dean Martin (singer/actor), Giancarlo Giannini (actor), Phil Esposito (hockey player), Connie Francis (singer), Armand Assante (actor), Enrico Colantoni (actor), Frank Mancuso (former CEO/President Paramount & MGM studios), Julian Fantino (member of parliament), Frank Iacobucci (supreme court judge), Rudolph Bratty (philanthropist), Johnny Lombardi (multicultural broadcasting pioneer), Bobby Curtola (singer), Luigi Aquilini (real estate/agriculture entrepreneur), Alfredo DeGasperis (contractor/developer/builder), Roberto Luongo (hockey goaltender), Franco Nero (actor) and Connie Stevens (actress/singer).