Roma Downey, Christian Actress and Producer, to Receive Hollywood Star Next to Husband Mark Burnett

By Leah Marieann Klett
Roma Downey
Christian actress and producer Roma Downey will join thousands of legends on Hollywood's Walk of Fame - right next to the star of husband and Walk of Famer Mark Burnett. Downey speaks during the NRB Convention held in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 22, 2016.  The Gospel Herald

Christian actress and producer Roma Downey will join thousands of legends on Hollywood's Walk of Fame - right next to the star of husband and Walk of Famer Mark Burnett.

Burnett, along with Hollywood Chamber President/CEO Leron Gubler, Della Reese and Pastor Rick Warren, will unveil the star in the category of Television on August 11th.

"We are thrilled to honor Roma Downey. She has been a force in the business of entertainment, both as an actress and talented producer," stated Gubler in a press release made available to The Gospel Herald.

While Downey is best known for her nine seasons as the gentle angel on the hit CBS television show "Touched by an Angel", the Irish-born actress has also earned her place among Hollywood's top producers, currently serving as President of LightWorkers Media, the faith and family division of MGM, and as the Chief Content Officer for MGM's planned OTT initiative.

She's also been recognized as one of Variety's "100 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood", and she and her husband were included on the Hollywood Reporter's list of the "Most Influential People of 2013." Downey won the 2014 'Movie Guide Grace Award' for her role as Mother Mary, and was also honored on Variety's 'Women of Impact' in 2014.  

The Emmy-nominated actress frequently discusses her Christian faith and has in the past revealed that she and Burnett, have never made a decision "big or small" that they haven't prayed about.

"The name of our company is 'Lightworkers' because we believe it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness," Downey revealed in February. "That's what we're committed to doing."

God has clearly blessed the couple's faithfulness and dedication to sharing the Gospel: Their Emmy® nominated miniseries, "The Bible" was watched by over 100-million people in the U.S. alone and became the fastest selling DVD in the last five years.

Downey and Burnett also produced "Son of God," a feature film that stunned the box office as the second highest faith movie opening of all time. They couple is also behind "The Women of the Bible" series for Lifetime, "The Dovekeepers" for CBS, "A.D. The Bible Continues" for NBC, "Answered Prayers" for TLC, and the feature film "Little Boy" for Open Road Films, and "Woodlawn" for Pure Flix.

Later this month, Downey and Burnett, in collaboration with MGM and Paramount, will release their latest film, "Ben Hur." The highly anticipated film tells the story of a Palestinian Jewish man consumed with anger and hatred toward the Roman empire, but is changed forever after a series encounters with Jesus Christ.

"It's been the most riveting opportunity of our careers," Downey said of her experience working on the upcoming film, which stars Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell. "It's a feast, a beautiful re-imagining of this epic story. I think that the movie in many ways is a Trojan horse, because it's an action/adventure movie and it delivers on that, and viewers won't be disappointed with that. It's epic. But...it's a story of redemption, a story of reconciliation, a story about forgiveness."

In addition to "Ben Hur," the couple is currently producing a new series for NASCAR as well as a series based on the best-selling Baxter Family novels. Downey and Burnett also recently formed a partnership with Republic Records to release "The Voice" Season 9 winner and the show's best-selling artist Jordan Smith's new album "Something Beautiful."

Fans around the world can watch the star ceremony via the exclusive live-stream on www.walkoffame.com.