Dede Gardner Bio
Dorcas Wright “Dede” Gardner is an American film producer widely regarded as one of the most influential producers of her generation. Born on October 16, 1967, she has built her reputation through Plan B Entertainment, the company she has helped lead alongside Jeremy Kleiner since 2013. Gardner earned Academy Awards for Best Picture for 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Moonlight (2016), making her the first woman to win two Oscars in the Best Picture category.
Throughout her career, Dede Gardner has championed ambitious, socially resonant storytelling, partnering with auteurs such as Terrence Malick, Steve McQueen, Barry Jenkins, and Adam McKay. Her body of work reflects a consistent interest in historical reckoning, political drama, and complex moral narratives that connect with audiences and awards voters alike.
Early Life and Background
Dede Gardner was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in a family with deep roots in the city’s professional and civic life. She is the daughter of John Gardner, a partner at the Chicago investment bank William Blair & Company, and Dorothy Gardner, who has served as president of the Michael Reese Health Trust. Growing up in Chicago provided Gardner with a strong sense of community and an appreciation for institutions that shape public life.
Gardner graduated cum laude from Columbia University in 1990, where she developed the analytical and storytelling instincts that would later define her producing career. Her Columbia classmates included television showrunners Jeff Rake and Gina Fattore, fellow creatives who would go on to make their own mark in the entertainment industry.
Path to Producing
After college, Gardner moved into the New York film world during the early 1990s, working her way through development offices and learning the craft of shepherding independent productions. She held roles that gave her hands-on experience in script evaluation, financing, and talent management, building the foundation for a producing career centered on bold, director-driven projects.
Gardner’s reputation grew through her association with Plan B Entertainment, the production company she has helped lead since its earliest days. She became President of Plan B, and in 2013 she was named Co-President alongside Jeremy Kleiner, a structural change that formalized one of the most effective producing partnerships in contemporary Hollywood. Together, Gardner and Kleiner have overseen a slate of films defined by artistic ambition and social relevance.
Dede Gardner Career
Early Career (2006-2011)
Dede Gardner’s producing career began in earnest in the mid-2000s, when she helped establish Plan B Entertainment as a home for distinctive filmmakers. Her earliest credited productions helped position the company as a magnet for serious independent cinema, and she quickly built relationships with directors whose work demanded patient development and creative support.
In 2011, Gardner received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as a producer of Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, a film that signaled Plan B’s commitment to large-canvas, philosophical filmmaking. That nomination established Gardner as a producer capable of guiding ambitious, unconventional projects through to major industry recognition.
Breakthrough (2012-2017)
The period between 2012 and 2017 marked the breakthrough phase of Dede Gardner’s career, defined by two Academy Award wins and a string of high-profile nominations. In 2014, she won her first Academy Award for Best Picture for 12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen’s adaptation of Solomon Northup’s memoir. Gardner shared the award with co-producers Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen, Jeremy Kleiner, and Anthony Katagas.
In 2015, Gardner earned another Best Picture nomination for Selma, Ava DuVernay’s historical drama about the 1965 voting rights marches, produced alongside Oprah Winfrey, Jeremy Kleiner, and Christian Colson. The following year, she added a Best Picture nomination for The Big Short, Adam McKay’s financial-crisis drama, further demonstrating her range across historical and contemporary subjects.
In 2017, Gardner won her second Academy Award for Best Picture for Moonlight, Barry Jenkins’s landmark portrait of a young Black man’s identity and coming-of-age in Miami. The win made her the first female producer to receive two Academy Awards for Best Picture, cementing her place in Academy history and reinforcing Plan B’s reputation for backing singular directorial voices.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond her two Oscar wins, Dede Gardner’s signature productions include The Tree of Life, Selma, The Big Short, Vice, Women Talking, and Nickel Boys, a slate that has collectively reshaped conversations about race, power, and history in American cinema. Her sustained Best Picture nominations across more than a decade remain one of the most consistent runs of awards recognition for any producer of her era.
Dede Gardner Award Nominations
Dede Gardner has earned seven Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, a tally that places her among the most decorated producers of her generation. Her nominations span The Tree of Life (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2014 win), Selma (2015), The Big Short (2016), Moonlight (2017 win), Vice (2019), Women Talking (2023), and Nickel Boys (2025), reflecting a sustained commitment to films of cultural significance.
Dede Gardner Awards Won
Dede Gardner has won two Academy Awards for Best Picture, making her the first woman in history to receive the honor twice. She won for 12 Years a Slave in 2014 and for Moonlight in 2017, both produced under the Plan B Entertainment banner alongside Co-President Jeremy Kleiner.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Picture – 12 Years a Slave | 1 | 2014 |
| Academy Award for Best Picture – Moonlight | 1 | 2017 |
Dede Gardner Family
Dede Gardner was born to John Gardner and Dorothy Gardner, both longtime Chicago-based professionals. Her father is a partner at the Chicago investment bank William Blair & Company, and her mother serves as president of the Michael Reese Health Trust, anchoring the family in the city’s business and civic institutions.
Personal Life
In 2000, Dede Gardner married Jonathan Boris Berg in an Episcopalian ceremony on Martha’s Vineyard. The couple has maintained a private personal life away from the spotlight of awards seasons and film premieres, even as Gardner’s professional profile has risen across Hollywood.
