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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Bill Nighy With The International Star Award, Actor

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Bill Nighy - Aliona Adrianova Coloured Heashot 1

The Palm Springs InternationalFilm Awards has announced that Bill Nighy is the recipient of the International Star Award, Actor for Living. The Film Awards will …

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Categories Press Tags charity, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, philanthropist, philanthropist psiff, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Viola Davis With The Chairman’s Award

December 10, 2022 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Viola Davis is the recipient of the Chairman’s Award recognizing her work as an actress and …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, philanthropy

Palm Springs International Film Festival Schedule and Films Announced!

December 10, 2022December 9, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Films & Schedule Announced

The 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced that the festival’s opening night will be the World Premiere of 80 For Brady directed by Kyle Marvin, on …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards to Honor Austin Butler with the Breakthrough Performance Award

December 6, 2022December 5, 2022 by Harold Matzner
AB Eric Ray Davidson Headshot

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Austin Butler is the recipient of the Breakthrough Performance Award for his performance in Elvis.The Film …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs international film fest, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present The Fabelmans The Vanguard Award

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present The Fabelmans The Vanguard Award

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that The Fabelmans is the recipient of the Vanguard Award.The Vanguard Award is a group honor distinguishing …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs international film fest, stevenspielberg, thefabelmans, vanguardaward

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Michelle Yeoh With The International Star Award, Actress

November 29, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Michelle Yeoh With The International Star Award, Actress

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Michelle Yeoh is the recipient of the International Star Award, Actress for Everything Everywhere All at …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, Michelle Yeoh, palm springs, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Cate Blanchett With The Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress

November 22, 2022November 21, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Cate Blanchett

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Cate Blanchett is the recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, for Tár. The Film …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Sarah Polley With The Director Of The Year Award

June 11, 2024November 21, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Headshot of Sarah Polley

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Sarah Polley is the recipient of the Director of the YearAward, for Women Talking. The Film …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, psiff

LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert’s Center Stage 2022

November 18, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner’s name in lights at Center Stage

On October 21st, The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert (The Center) welcomed over 500 guests at their annual fundraiser, Center Stage 2022. Rob Wheeler, …

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Categories Blog Tags center stage, coachella valley, harold matzner, lgbtq+, palm springs

PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARDS TO HONOR COLIN FARRELL WITH THE DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTOR

November 16, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Colin Farrell

COLIN FARRELL WITH THE DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTOR The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Colin Farrell is the recipient of the …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, Colin farrell, palm springs, palm springs international film fest, psiff

Honoring our Veterans at the Matzner Tank Pavilion

November 10, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Honoring our Veterans at the Matzner Tank Pavilion

This Veteran’s Day, Harold wants to honor all those who have served to protect our great country.  Our brave veterans are one of the many …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, General Patton Museum, harold matzner, palm springs, veterans day

Last chance for Tickets to Michael Childers Presents One Night Only, “New York, New York” on November 9th, 2022

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Last chance for Tickets to Michael Childers Presents One Night Only, “New York, New York” on November 9th, 2022

Well if this video doesn’t get you excited to come to the McCallum on November 9th, we don’tknow what will! Michael Childers, director Scott Coulter, …

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Categories Blog Tags Coachella Valley events, harold matzner, McCallum Theater, musical theater

Palm Springs Life Names Spencer’s Best of the Best Outdoor Dining 2022

October 20, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Palm Springs Life Names Spencer’s Best of the Best Outdoor Dining 2022

We are so honored to see Spencer’s named on Palm Springs Life’s list of Best of the Best Outdoor Dining Spaces! Readers voted on their …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs international film fest, spencers

Worth a Read: 50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs

October 6, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Worth a Read: 50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs

Palm Springs Life Magazine published a wonderful article this month: “50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs.”  As the list travels through history, you can …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, palm springs, philanthropist, Sonny Bono

Join us for this year’s “One Night Only” – “New York, New York” at the McCallum

September 29, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Join us for this year's "One Night Only" - "New York" at the McCallum

Harold and the McCallum Board along with Michael Childers invite you to this year’s  “One Night Only.” We are celebrating the 16th year in the …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, new york new york, palm springs, philanthropist
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Harold Matzner
Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and philanthropist, Harold Matzner, has made his home in the desert for more than 30 years. The owner of Palm Spring’s popular Spencer’s Restaurant and CEO of a NY/NJ based branding, advertising and marketing company, Harold is credited with revitalizing the Palm Springs International Film Festival and founding the successful business concept of targeted “shared mail”.
In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas in the courtroom of the United States Supreme Court. Harold was also honored with a special 24-standard page birthday section in the The Desert Sun and a two-part front page story in Palm Springs Life in the November and December editions. He was honored in November 2017 by the General Patton Memorial Museum with the dedication of the Matzner Tank Pavilion and three World War II operating tanks, and in the same month was honored by the McCallum Theatre for 10 years of service as Chairman and for being the first person to give the Theatre $5 million or more.
He also rescued and revived the world famous Palm Springs Tennis Club and turned its lunchroom into Spencer’s, one of the City’s hottest see-and-be-seen restaurants. Spencer’s is named after his beloved 110-pound Siberian husky. Mr. Matzner is in his 11th year as the Chairman of the Board of the McCallum Theatre, his 14th year as Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and is the long-time Executive Vice Chairman of the Palm Springs Art Museum. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Medical Center and Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. He also chairs several charity fundraising events each year.
He has received many awards from the charities that he supports. He has been honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the “Philanthropist of the Year”, and for the past six years he has served as Honorary Chair of the local National Philanthropy Day event. He has also been recognized by Gilda’s Club as the “Man of the Year”, by the McCallum Muses as “Man of the Year”, the City of Palm Springs with the “Richard M. Milanovich Community Service Award”, as “Angel of the Year” by Angel View Children’s Foundation, as “Businessperson of the Year” by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Waring “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Richard M. Milanovich Humanitarian Award” by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and by Desert Samaritan’s as “Samaritan of the Year”, and will be honored in May by the Coachella Valley Symphony, to name a few. Mr. Matzner has been a benefactor to many other non-profits, both here and on the East coast.
Mr. Matzner is one of the Palm Springs valley’s largest donors to philanthropy and has contributed more than $70 million to area non-profits since 2000. Among the many local charities benefiting from his philanthropic efforts are the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, AIDS Assistance Program, Desert Symphony, American Cancer Society, The Living Desert, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, Coachella Valley Symphony, General Patton Memorial Museum, ACT for MS, College of the Desert, Eisenhower Medical Center, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Cancer Foundation, Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Jewish Family Services of the Desert, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), StandWithUs, Neuro Vitality Center, Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre, Temple Isaiah, Bighorn BAM (Behind a Miracle), Tools for Tomorrow, Palm Springs Air Museum, Mizell Senior Center, Well in the Desert, FIND Food Bank, Pegasus Riding Academy, LGBTQ The Center, Equality California, and the Human Rights Campaign.
He is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J (a 1% sales tax increase that has helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program, while providing an additional surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure). He is a community activist. He earns no money from any of his activities in Palm Springs, including his restaurant, Spencer’s.
Mr. Matzner’s star is located at the foot of his friend Sonny Bono’s statue in the heart of Palm Springs.

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Harold Matzner

In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas.

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  • A statement from the family of Harold Matzner September 10, 2025
  • Harold Matzner, Legendary Desert Philanthropist and Business Visionary, Dies at 88 in Palm Springs September 5, 2025
  • Spencer’s Restaurant Honored in Palm Springs Life’s Best of the Best Competition For The Third Year In A Row August 8, 2025
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