The man who would be known the world over as Ringo Starr, the man who kept the beat for the Beatles, turns 70 on Wednesday.

With a lot of help from his friends, Ringo Starr will blow out no fewer than 70 candles on his birthday cake Wednesday night.

Of the four Beatles, Ringo was the oldest (he was a few months older than Lennon) and has had one of the most fascinating solo careers since the legendary band disbanded 40 years ago.

Wednesday night, Ringo will receive a well-deserved birthday sing-along at Radio City Music Hall during a sold-out concert in which he’ll perform songs he sang with the Beatles more than four decades ago.

Of course, he’ll perform his most famous solo works as well. But the Fab Four pieces always highlight the show, from his signature vocal on “With a Little Help From My Friends” to the cartoonish “Yellow Submarine,” to the rockabilly anthem “Boys,” to the Buck Owens song that best describes Ringo’s beloved demeanor: “Act Naturally.”

Starr always had one of the most dynamic personalities of any of the Beatles, helping to craft some of the group’s most off-beat tunes (including “Octopus’s Garden” and “Don’t Pass Me By”) and providing the most electrifying on-screen presence (his is the one performance in “A Hard Day’s Night” that stands out, and he had a relatively fruitful acting career once the Beatles broke up). His work with the Beatles secured his place in history, but since then he has scored with a number of successful solo albums and drumming projects. His real impact, though, has been in the film industry, which saw him direct a documentary about friend Marc Bolan’s band T. Rex, star in films like Ken Russell’s “Lisztomania” and the McCartney-penned “Give My Regards to Broad Street” and put in regular time as the narrator of the kids’ show “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

Today, Starr is perhaps best known as the frontman and mastermind behind the All-Starr Band, a rotating cast of rock and roll greats who record and tour with Starr. Past members include Dr. John, E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren, the Band drummer Levon Helm, Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, the Who bassist John Entwistle, Peter Frampton, Todd Rundgren, Edgar Winter and Men at Work frontman Colin Hay. Check out a vintage clip of an early All-Starr Band performing Starr’s biggest solo hit “It Don’t Come Easy.”

Let’s all wish a hearty “Happy birthday!” to Ringo Starr, who was born Richard Starkey exactly 70 years ago today. This milestone will no doubt make many people other than the legendary drummer feel old. Easy solution: Throw on a Beatles album, or better yet, find A Hard Day’s Night on DVD. The world has yet to discover a superior source of renewable youthful energy than the twenty-something Starr’s steady drumbeats and silly faces.

A star for former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday evening during a whimsical ceremony that also marked the 50th anniversary of the sidewalk attraction’s groundbreaking.

Starr’s name was the 2,401st to be unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“This is the start of the next 50 years of stars,” he said outside the Capitol Records building. “I’m proud to be the first one.”

The Walk of Fame also includes individual stars for the drummer’s former bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison, as well as the likes of musicians Roy Orbison and Ozzy Osbourne.

“It’s cool to get one at night,” said Starr. “I don’t know about you, but where I live, the stars come out at night.”

Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist and music producer Don Was and singer-songwriter Ben Harper joined Starr in speaking at the ceremony in front of the Capitol Records building on Vine Street.

Starr was born Richard Starkey Jr. on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. At 17, he joined the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band and in 1959, he became part of the Raving Texans, adopting the stage name Ringo Starr because of the rings he wore and because it sounded “cowboyish.”

By October 1960, the group was renamed Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

While performing in Hamburg, Starr met The Beatles, going on to drum with them three times, then officially joining the group in August 1962, replacing Pete Best.

Following The Beatles breakup in 1970, Starr had a solo career, including releasing his 16th studio album, “Y Not,” last month; performed on other artists’ albums; toured 10 times with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band; acted in a variety of films; and was the narrator for the children’s series “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.”

The idea of creating the Walk of Fame was first conceived by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 1953 in a bid to return glamour to Hollywood, when the movie industry was declining because of the rise of television and the flight from urban areas to the suburbs.

The Walk of Fame began with the installation of a few demonstration stars in August 1958, the first of which was a television star dedicated to actor/singer Preston Foster.