Los Angeles, California - Spanish star Javier Bardem made his mark in Hollywood on Tuesday, leaving his hand- and foot-prints in the cement outside the Chinese Theatre, alongside movie legends like Marilyn Monroe and Jack Nicholson.

"It feels very special to be given a space like this to immortalize your name," Bardem told AFP.

The Oscar-winning actor said getting his hands and feet into the Chinese Theatre's forecourt was "a humbling experience."

"When I think about the names that have stood on this very spot, it's hard for me to believe that it's real," he said during a ceremony thronged by fans on sunbaked Hollywood Boulevard.

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The tradition, which began accidentally during the construction of the theater, has preserved the imprints of more than 200 stars spanning nearly a century of cinema.

Directors Denis Villeneuve and Michael Mann introduced Bardem.

Villeneuve – whose Dune: Part Three, featuring the Spanish actor, premieres in December – praised Bardem’s chameleon-like ability to bring diverse characters to life over his more-than three-decade career.

"Javier can confidently change his person now to become somebody else, driven by a new logic, driven by new feelings and new perspective on reality," the Canadian filmmaker said.

"He seems to do that without effort, with grace and tremendous generosity. His metamorphoses are spectacular."

Bardem began his career in Spain and burst onto the international scene in Julian Schnabel’s drama Before Night Falls.

He won over the Academy with his portrayal of the sinister Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, earning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Bardem's latest film The Beloved recently debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, while he is also making his mark on television in Apple TV's adaptation of Cape Fear, in which he plays the feared Max Cady.