LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Funnywoman Melissa McCarthy was immortalised on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Tuesday, adding her name to the star-studded stretch of Tinseltown sidewalk honoring the entertainment industry.

McCarthy, 44, an Oscar nominee for her turn in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, became the 2,552nd recipient of a star on Hollywood Boulevard at a ceremony attended by family and friends including husband Ben Falcone and comic Ellen DeGeneres.

"I can't believe what's happening," McCarthy told wellwishers.

"It's like a fever dream," she added, paying tribute to the support shown by her parents when she decided to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

"I'm not sure why they did it, I have no idea. But every time I said 'I'm going to quit college and do stand-up', my mom and dad said, 'Great, work really hard at it, you can probably do it,'" she said.

"They continued to say that for the 20 years it took me to actually do it steadily... In a way, you really give terrible advice. Somehow, that worked."

Born in Chicago in 1970, McCarthy began her career as a stand-up comic in New York before finding regular television work in the 2000-2007 show Gilmore Girls and the 2007-2009 comedy Mike & Molly, which earned her an Emmy award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy.

She has regularly appeared on Saturday Night Live, as well as several big-screen comedies including The Heat, Identity Thief, This is 40 and The Hangover Part III.

She is also due to appear in a reboot of Ghostbusters set for release in July 2016.