Dede Gardner

Dede Gardner Bio

Dorcas Wright “Dede” Gardner (born October 16, 1967) is an American film producer whose work has shaped some of the most acclaimed movies of the twenty-first century. She serves as Co-President of Plan B Entertainment, the production company she helped lead alongside Jeremy Kleiner beginning in 2013. Gardner first gained wide recognition for producing socially resonant dramas and went on to become the first woman to win two Academy Awards for Best Picture, taking the honor for 12 Years a Slave in 2014 and Moonlight in 2017.

Across more than two decades in film, Gardner has produced a steady run of award-winning features, including The Tree of Life, Selma, The Big Short, Vice, Women Talking, and Nickel Boys. She is the most nominated female producer in Academy Awards history, a record that reflects her commitment to bold, issue-driven storytelling and her long partnership with major Hollywood talent.

Early Life and Background

Dede Gardner was born on October 16, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Dorothy Gardner and John Gardner, both longtime Chicago professionals. Her father is a partner at the Chicago-based investment bank William Blair & Company, and her mother has served as president of the Michael Reese Health Trust. Growing up in this accomplished Midwestern household gave Gardner early exposure to leadership, civic engagement, and the value of disciplined work.

Gardner attended Columbia University in New York City, where she graduated cum laude in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her university years placed her among classmates who would go on to prominent careers in entertainment, including television showrunners Jeff Rake and Gina Fattore. The cultural and intellectual environment of Columbia helped shape her interest in narrative work and the broader arts.

Path to Producer

After completing her studies at Columbia, Gardner began laying the groundwork for a career in entertainment production. The exact details of her earliest industry roles are not widely documented, but her path led her steadily toward feature-film producing during a period when independent studios were looking for executives with strong storytelling instincts and a clear point of view.

Gardner joined Plan B Entertainment, the company co-founded by Brad Pitt, and quickly rose through its ranks. Following the company’s founding, she served as president, helping guide a slate that included films with major directors and daring subject matter. Her reputation grew alongside Plan B’s, and she became a central figure in shaping the company’s focus on socially conscious, director-driven projects.

Dede Gardner Career

Early Career (2006–2010)

Gardner’s professional producing career began in 2006, when she became active as a feature-film producer under the Plan B banner. The early phase of her career allowed her to develop relationships with filmmakers who valued the kind of patient, supportive producing style she would later become known for.

During this period, she helped establish the editorial and creative direction that would define Plan B’s output in the years to come. Her steady work behind the scenes helped position the company for the breakthrough successes that followed at the start of the next decade.

Breakthrough (2011–2017)

Gardner’s career-defining breakthrough came in 2011 with her work as a producer on The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick. The film earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2012 ceremony, marking Gardner’s first Oscar nomination and signaling her arrival among Hollywood’s most respected producers.

In 2013, Gardner produced 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2014. She shared the honor with co-producers Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen, Jeremy Kleiner, and Anthony Katagas, and the film’s win brought her widespread industry recognition.

She continued her run of high-profile productions with Selma (2014), directed by Ava DuVernay, which earned a Best Picture nomination in 2015. Gardner shared that nomination with co-producers Oprah Winfrey, Jeremy Kleiner, and Christian Colson. She followed this with The Big Short (2015), the Adam McKay-directed satire of the housing crisis.

Her second Academy Award arrived in 2017 for Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins. The film won Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards, and with this second win Gardner became the first woman to receive two Academy Awards for Best Picture, a milestone in Oscar history.

Notable Works and Milestones

Gardner’s signature work centers on a run of Best Picture winners and nominees, including 12 Years a Slave, Moonlight, The Tree of Life, Selma, The Big Short, Vice, Women Talking, and Nickel Boys. Her two Best Picture Oscars place her in a small circle of producers honored multiple times by the Academy, and her record-setting number of nominations underscores her lasting influence on prestige cinema.

Dede Gardner Award Nominations

Dede Gardner has earned multiple Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, making her the most nominated female producer in the category’s history. Her nominations include The Tree of Life (2012), Selma (2015), The Big Short (2016), Vice (2018), Women Talking (2022), and Nickel Boys (2024). These nominations span more than a decade and reflect her consistent presence among the year’s most recognized films.

Dede Gardner Awards Won

Gardner has won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, a feat that places her in a unique position within the Academy’s history. She first won in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave, alongside co-producers Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen, Jeremy Kleiner, and Anthony Katagas. Her second win came in 2017 for Moonlight, making her the first woman to receive two Academy Awards for Best Picture.

Dede Gardner Family

Dede Gardner is the daughter of John Gardner, a partner at the Chicago investment bank William Blair & Company, and Dorothy Gardner, president of the Michael Reese Health Trust. Both parents built long careers in Chicago’s business and civic communities, and their professional backgrounds shaped Gardner’s early appreciation for disciplined work and public service.

Personal Life

In 2000, Dede Gardner married Jonathan Boris Berg in an Episcopalian ceremony held on Martha’s Vineyard. The couple has maintained a relatively private personal life, with Gardner preferring to keep attention focused on her film work rather than on her family. Details about children or other personal matters are not publicly confirmed.