Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, is part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2024, meaning he will receive a Walk of Fame star.
Chris Meledandri
Meledandri’s first film job was as an assistant to executive producer Daniel Melnick on the set of “Footloose.” He co-founded The Meledandri/Gordon Company, now The Mark Gordon Company. He was a producer of Disney’s “Cool Runnings” before joining 20th Century Fox. He led their acquisition of Blue Sky Studios and executive produced many of their most successful films, including “Ice Age.”
Meledandri left 20th Century Fox in 2007 and founded Illumination Entertainment under Universal Pictures. “Despicable Me” was the studio’s first film and proved to be a hit, spawning the Minions franchise. Meledandri and Illumination’s other successful projects include “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Sing,” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Illumination has seen an uptick in representation in Universal Parks & Resorts in recent years. Minion Land just soft opened at Universal Studios Florida, including Minion Café, Bake My Day, and Illumination Theater.
Other entertainment professionals receiving stars include Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Chadwick Boseman.
Star ceremony dates will be announced later. Check out the full Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2024 in the press release below.
Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2024 Announced by Walk of Fame Chair Ellen K
HOLLYWOOD, CA. June 26, 2023 —A new group of entertainment professionals in the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theatre/Live Performance, Radio, Recording, and Sports Entertainment have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Walk of Fame Selection Panel of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. These honorees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held on June 16, 2023 and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber’s Board of Directors on June 21, 2023. Steve Nissen, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Ellen K, Chair of the Walk of Fame Selection Panel and Radio personality, announced the new honorees on www.walkoffame.com
The new selections were revealed to the world via the Walk of Fame website on www.walkoffame.com beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 26th
“The Selection Committee which is made up of fellow Walk of Famers, carefully hand-picks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world,” said Chair and Walk of Famer Ellen K, “The Committee did an amazing job choosing these very talented people. We can’t wait to see each honoree’s reaction as they realize that they are becoming a part of Hollywood’s history with the unveiling of their star on the world’s most famous walkway!” Ellen K added.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2024 are:
In the category of MOTION PICTURES: Chadwick Boseman (posthumous), Kevin Feige, Gal Gadot, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chris Meledandri, Chris Pine, Christina Ricci, and Michelle Yeoh
In the category of TELEVISION: Ken Jeong, Eugene Levy, Mario Lopez, Jim Nantz, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michael Schur, Kerry Washington, and Raúl De Molina and Lili Estefan, Co-Hosts of the television show, “El Gordo y La Flaca” (double ceremony)
In the category of RECORDING: Glen Ballard, Toni Braxton, Def Leppard, Charles Fox, Sammy Hagar, Brandy Norwood, Darius Rucker, Gwen Stefani, and Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young
In the category of LIVE THEATRE/LIVE PERFORMANCE: Jane Krakowski and Otis Redding (posthumous)
In the category of RADIO: Angie Martinez
In the category of Sports Entertainment: Billie Jean King and Carl Weathers
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and its Walk of Fame Selection Panel congratulate all the honorees. Dates have not been scheduled for these star ceremonies. Recipients have two years to schedule star ceremonies from the date of selection before they expire. Upcoming star ceremonies are usually announced ten days prior to dedication on the official website www.walkoffame.com.