Patty Jenkins Bio
Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer known for her work on Monster (2003), Wonder Woman (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). Jenkins has worked across feature film and television, earning critical recognition and industry awards for both dramatic and commercial projects.
Early Life and Background
Patricia Lea Jenkins was born in Victorville, California, to William T. Jenkins, a U.S. Air Force officer, and Emily Roth, who later worked as an environmental scientist in San Francisco. Her family moved frequently during her childhood because of her father’s military service; the family lived for periods overseas, including Thailand and Germany, before settling in Lawrence, Kansas.
Jenkins experienced a formative early encounter with cinema during a road trip when she watched the original Superman and found the film inspiring, an experience she has cited as influential in pursuing filmmaking. Her father died when she was seven, an event recorded in background materials on her life and career and which shaped her early years.
Jenkins completed her undergraduate degree in painting at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1993 and later earned a master of fine arts in directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2000. While at AFI she made short work that played at AFI Fest and developed relationships with producers and industry collaborators that led directly to her first feature opportunity.
Path to Director
Jenkins’s path into directing followed hands-on work in camera and production roles. Beginning in junior high and through early adulthood she pursued photography, painting, and screen-printing, then worked on set for free to learn practical skills, advancing to roles including second assistant camera and focus puller and spending several years as a cameraperson.
While working in production and making short films, Jenkins met producer Brad Wyman and others who introduced her to film producers and to opportunities that would lead to her first feature. Her short film work and AFI training positioned her to write and direct Monster, a low-budget feature that became her breakthrough and established her as a director capable of handling intense dramatic material.
Her training at Cooper Union and the AFI Conservatory, combined with early professional experience in commercials and television, created a platform from which she moved between television work and feature filmmaking, building a resume that included both indie drama and major-studio projects.
Patty Jenkins Career
Early Career (1995–2003)
Jenkins’s professional career is recorded as beginning in the mid-1990s with work in camera and production departments before she transitioned to writing and directing short films around 2000–2001. She directed shorts including Velocity Rules, which played at AFI Fest and helped attract attention for feature work.
Her first feature film, Monster, was released in 2003. Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos and written by Jenkins, Monster was produced on a modest budget and attracted Charlize Theron to the lead role, a casting choice that amplified the film’s profile and critical reception.
Breakthrough (2003–2014)
Monster was both a critical and commercial success, grossing significantly more than its budget and establishing Jenkins as a director with a strong dramatic voice. The film earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award for Best Actress and brought Jenkins several industry awards, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and the Franklin J. Schaffner Award from the American Film Institute.
Following Monster, Jenkins worked extensively in television and commercials for nearly a decade. She directed episodes and pilots for series work and contributed to projects such as the anthology film Five. Her television pilot for AMC’s The Killing earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and recognition from the Directors Guild of America, including a DGA win for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series.
Worldwide Recognition and Franchise Work (2015–present)
Jenkins signed on to direct Wonder Woman for the DC Extended Universe; the film opened in 2017 and became a global box office success, grossing over $800 million worldwide and setting records for releases directed by a woman at the time. Wonder Woman was widely praised by audiences and critics and established Jenkins as a leading filmmaker for large-scale studio productions.
She directed the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, released in late 2020 after pandemic delays. The sequel received a mixed critical reception and did not match the commercial performance of the first film. Jenkins has also been attached to several other high-profile projects, including a proposed Cleopatra film and the Star Wars spin-off Rogue Squadron. Production plans for Rogue Squadron were postponed and the project was removed from studio schedules in 2022 and early 2023, though Jenkins confirmed in 2024 that she had returned to work on the project.
Notable Works and Milestones
Key works in Jenkins’s career include Monster, which established her in independent cinema, and Wonder Woman, which brought her mainstream franchise recognition and box office achievement. Jenkins has been recognized by Time, placed among its notable figures in 2017, and she has repeatedly been cited for breaking new ground as a female director in large-budget studio filmmaking.
Patty Jenkins Award Nominations
Across her career Jenkins has received nominations from major industry organizations for both television and film work. Notable recorded nominations include a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing the pilot of The Killing and multiple Directors Guild of America nominations for work in dramatic television and television movies.
Patty Jenkins Awards Won
Jenkins’s awards include the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for Monster and the Franklin J. Schaffner Award from the American Film Institute for outstanding AFI graduates. She also won a Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for The Killing pilot, reflecting recognition from her peers for television directing.
Patty Jenkins Family
Patty Jenkins was born to William T. Jenkins and Emily Roth and has two sisters, Elaine Roth and Jessica Jenkins Murphy. Her father served in the U.S. Air Force and was a decorated pilot; her mother later worked as an environmental scientist in San Francisco.
Personal Life
In 2007 Jenkins married author and former firefighter Sam Sheridan. The couple have one son and reside in Santa Monica, California. Jenkins has spoken publicly about collaborating with her husband on television projects and about balancing family life with directing responsibilities.