Biography

Richard D. Oliver Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, composer, and creative director whose work continues to earn international acclaim. He was recently featured on the cover of Hip Hop Extra magazine (November/December "Indie Artists to Look Out For" issue), honoring his humanitarian filmmaking, cultural impact, and rising influence in global independent cinema.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, Richard is the first of three children and the only son of Jamaican-born parents Sherlie Oliver and Richard Oliver Sr. His middle name, Daffeth-a Welsh word meaning "beloved"-foreshadows the heart-centered, humanitarian storytelling that has shaped his career.

A multi-hyphenate creative force, Richard has written, produced, directed, and starred in more than seven award-winning films-many featuring original scores and soundtracks he personally composed, arranged, and performed. His breakout sketch, "Dr. Phil Saves A Marriage" (2014), launched The Rhyme Impersonator Show, which grew into a five-season web series funded through two highly successful Kickstarter campaigns: $5,000 in one month, followed by $13.5K in a single month from 165 supporters. The sketch was also acknowledged by jurors at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, further elevating Richard's visibility and creative reputation.

Richard is the CEO, founder, and creative director of ICP Entertainment, an award-winning multimedia company and home of the ICP Entertainment Film Festival, which celebrated its 11th season in 2025. He also serves as the executive producer and on-camera host of The Rhyme Impersonator Show, a media platform that provides red-carpet coverage for cultural institutions, including NYFW, the Tribeca Film Festival, and other major entertainment venues.

Richard expanded into dramatic and humanitarian cinema with "The Getaway" (2016), "I Love You" (2017), "My Mother" (2022), "When the Fire Comes" (2022), and "These Sad Times" (2023).

His breakthrough humanitarian short "Hero" (2020), a tribute to frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered at the Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival and won multiple Best Music Video awards across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. The film also received a personal acknowledgment from the White House, signed by President Joe Biden.

His global influence grew even stronger with his afrobeat-inspired humanitarian film "Humanity" (2023-2025), a bold exploration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film earned more than 85 festival recognitions across 80+ countries, including 24 Best Music Video awards, multiple Best Director, Best Human Rights Film, Best Soundtrack, Best Film Score awards, and 10 Best Actor nominations honoring his commanding lead performance.

In 2025, Richard wrote, produced, and starred in "Beautiful Life", portraying three distinct characters-an African Tribal King, a reggae artist, and an R&B vocalist-to address humanitarian crises in Haiti, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film earned consideration for Best Film of the Year (Megaflix Awards, London); Best Audience Choice & Best Jury Award (Mokkho International Film Festival); multiple Best Actor awards; Best Soundtrack & Best Film Score honors; and Best Short Documentary & Best Indigenous Film wins.

Richard's latest humanitarian film, "The Children" (2025), follows the story of Dr. Daniel Shepard, a volunteer surgeon in Gaza. The film has been honored with:

Best Documentary - Bangkok Movie Awards (Thailand)

Best Documentary - International Celebration of Cinema (UK)

Best Actor Nomination - Asian Talent International Film Festival (India)

The film is currently streaming on Vimeo VOD, with its official soundtrack available across Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and all major music platforms.

Richard is now developing several new cultural and humanitarian projects, including the reggae-inspired immigration drama "Right of Passage," and three feature screenplays: "Disclosure" (Drama), "This Beauty We Call Love - A Christmas Story" (Romantic Comedy), and "You Are Love" (Romantic Comedy). His upcoming memoir, "Suddenly Homeless," a deeply personal true story of hardship, resilience, and spiritual transformation, is being developed for documentary and feature adaptation.

Inspired by Tyler Perry's legacy, Richard is committed to expanding ICP Entertainment Studios in New York City and to building new partnerships with distributors, investors, and emerging filmmakers.

He resides in Manhattan, New York.
- IMDb mini biography by: Icp Entertainment

Richard D. Oliver Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, composer, and creative director whose work continues to earn international recognition for its humanitarian focus and cultural impact. He was recently featured on the cover of Hip Hop Extra magazine (November/December "Indie Artists to Look Out For" issue), honoring his contributions to socially conscious cinema and his rising global influence in independent film.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, Richard is the first of three children and the only son of Jamaican-born parents, Sherlie Oliver and Richard Oliver Sr. His middle name, Daffeth-a Welsh word meaning "beloved"-foreshadows the heart-centered storytelling that has come to define his career.

A true multi-hyphenate, Richard has written, produced, directed, and starred in more than seven award-winning films, many featuring original scores and soundtracks he personally composed, arranged, and performed. His breakout sketch, Dr. Phil Saves A Marriage (2014), launched The Rhyme Impersonator Show, which grew into a five-season web series funded through two successful Kickstarter campaigns. The project was also acknowledged by jurors at the Tribeca Film Festival, helping elevate his creative visibility early in his career.

Richard is the founder, CEO, and creative director of ICP Entertainment, an award-winning multimedia company and home of the ICP Entertainment Film Festival, which celebrated its 11th season in 2025. He also serves as executive producer and on-camera host of The Rhyme Impersonator Show, providing red-carpet coverage for major cultural institutions including New York Fashion Week and the Tribeca Film Festival.

His expansion into dramatic and humanitarian cinema includes The Getaway (2016), I Love You (2017), My Mother (2022), When the Fire Comes (2022), and These Sad Times (2023). His humanitarian short Hero (2020), honoring frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered at the Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival and won multiple Best Music Video awards across Europe, Asia, and the United States. The film also received a personal acknowledgment from the White House, signed by President Joe Biden.

Richard’s global impact grew further with Humanity (2023-2025), an afrobeat-inspired humanitarian film exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film earned over 85 festival selections across more than 80 countries, including 24 Best Music Video awards, multiple Best Director and Best Human Rights Film honors, Best Soundtrack and Best Film Score awards, and ten Best Actor nominations for his lead performance.

In 2025, he wrote, produced, and starred in Beautiful Life, portraying three distinct characters-an African tribal king, a reggae artist, and an R&B vocalist-to spotlight humanitarian crises in Haiti, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film received Best Film of the Year consideration at the Megaflix Awards (London), Best Audience Choice and Best Jury awards at the Mokkho International Film Festival, multiple Best Actor wins, and honors for Best Soundtrack, Best Film Score, Best Short Documentary, and Best Indigenous Film.

His most recent project, The Children (2025), follows Dr. Daniel Shepard, a volunteer surgeon in Gaza. The film has received Best Documentary awards at the Bangkok Movie Awards (Thailand) and the International Celebration of Cinema (UK), as well as a Best Actor nomination at the Asian Talent International Film Festival (India). The film is currently streaming on Vimeo VOD, with its soundtrack available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and all major music platforms.

Richard is currently developing several new projects, including the reggae-inspired immigration drama Right of Passage; three feature screenplays-Disclosure (Drama), This Beauty We Call Love - A Christmas Story (Romantic Comedy), and You Are Love (Romantic Comedy); and his memoir, Suddenly Homeless, a deeply personal account of hardship, resilience, and spiritual transformation being developed for both documentary and feature adaptation.

Inspired by Tyler Perry’s legacy, Richard is committed to expanding ICP Entertainment Studios in New York City while building new partnerships with distributors, investors, and emerging filmmakers.

He resides in Manhattan, New York.
- IMDb mini biography by: Self