Ron Oliver, ‘King of Hallmark Christmas movies,’ receives star on Palm Springs Walk of the Stars
Jesus Reyes
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Acclaimed writer and director Ron Oliver, known as the “King of Hallmark Christmas movies,” received his star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars.
The ceremony was held Friday morning at 222 S Palm Canyon Drive, where the star is located.
Oliver is an Emmy-nominated director, writer, producer, and composer whose career launched with the cult horror classic Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, called “the Blue Velvet of high school horror movies” by the Los Angeles Times.
He’s written and directed a string of award-winning movies and TV favorites for Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, and Fox.
Oliver is perhaps best known for his numerous Hallmark Christmas films, which are among the highest-rated in the network’s history, and his Netflix hit “Falling for Christmas,” which became the #1 movie worldwide.
He’s also been recognized for helping make Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark one of the “Top Ten Most Frightening TV Shows” ever made. He also cast a teenage Ryan Gosling during his time on “Goosebumps.”
A two-time Directors Guild of America nominee, Oliver’s career has taken him from Berlin to Johannesburg to Hollywood (with a few stops for cocktails along the way). His work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, and even splashed across the front page of The Wall Street Journal.
He’s a published author of award-winning short fiction, and in 2018, he was granted Knighthood by the Sovereign Nation of Sealand — although despite the official title Sir Ronald Oliver OMS, he still happily answers to “Hey, you!”
A proud Palm Springs resident since 2003, Ron Oliver purchased a midcentury A-frame in Racquet Club Estates and quickly became an active part of the community. As a founding Communications Coordinator for the Racquet Club Estates Neighborhood Organization (RCENO), he helped raise funds for the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Vista Del Monte Elementary, and other local causes. He’s also a longtime supporter of the Palm Springs Art Museum, Modernism Week events, and formerly, the Well in the Desert.
Oliver famously penned Beethoven’s Treasure Tail while staying at the historic Ingleside Inn—where, on Christmas night 2013, he married his husband in a courtyard ceremony officiated by actor and close friend Udo Kier.
Oliver nominated Kier for a star, which is the 437th. The ceremony was held in Jan. 2020.