# David Benioff
**David Benioff** (birth name David Friedman) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and television producer best known as co-creator and showrunner, with D.B. Weiss, of the HBO series *Game of Thrones* (2011–2019) and the Netflix series *3 Body Problem* (2024).[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) He began as a literary novelist, adapted his own first novel into the [Spike Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-lee) film *[25th Hour](https://www.edgepedia.org/25th-hour)*, and moved through Hollywood screenwriting before his first television venture became one of the most awarded series in Emmy history.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | New York City; birth name David Friedman[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) |
| Education | Dartmouth College, class of 1992; M.F.A. from UC Irvine, 1999[3](https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/master-game) • [4](https://news.uci.edu/2014/08/12/crowning-achievement/) |
| Novels | *The 25th Hour*, *When the Nines Roll Over*, *City of Thieves*[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/) |
| Feature screenplays | *Troy* (2004), *The Kite Runner* (2007), *Brothers* (2009), *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* (2009), *Gemini Man* (2019)[5](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/david-benioff/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) |
| *Game of Thrones* | Co-creator, showrunner, writer, and occasional director, 2011–2019, 74 episodes[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Emmy record | 17 nominations and 6 wins, including four for Outstanding Drama Series[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/david-benioff) |
| Current work | *3 Body Problem* (2024) and *Death by Lightning* (2025) at Netflix, under an exclusive multi-year deal with Weiss[8](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/3-body-problem-will-return-with-all-new-episodes-created-executive-produced) |
## Early life and education
Benioff was born and raised in New York City.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/) His father is Stephen Friedman, a senior partner and former chairman of [Goldman Sachs](https://www.edgepedia.org/goldman-sachs) who served as director of the National Economic Council from 2002 to 2005.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true) The Salesforce founder [Marc Benioff](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-benioff) is his cousin.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true)
He graduated from [Dartmouth College](https://www.edgepedia.org/dartmouth-college) in 1992 and had originally planned to become an English professor.[3](https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/master-game) He instead took a career turn after the success of his first published novel, and earned an M.F.A. from UC Irvine in 1999.[3](https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/master-game) • [4](https://news.uci.edu/2014/08/12/crowning-achievement/)
## Novels and screenwriting
Benioff's first novel, *The 25th Hour* (2001), about a drug dealer's last day of freedom before prison, was published to strong sales.[3](https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/master-game) Disney optioned the film rights, hired Spike Lee to direct, and gave Benioff the job of writing the screenplay; the 2002 film was his first screenplay credit.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) • [5](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/david-benioff/)
He followed with screenplays for major studio films: *[Troy](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-film)* (2004), *[The Kite Runner](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-kite-runner-film)* for director [Marc Forster](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-forster) (2007), *Brothers*, an adaptation of the 2004 Danish film *Brødre* (2009), and *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* (2009).[5](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/david-benioff/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) His story collection *When the Nines Roll Over* was critically acclaimed, with stories appearing in *Best New American Voices* and *The Best Nonrequired American Reading*, and his second novel, *City of Thieves*, followed.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/)
## Game of Thrones
In 2006 Benioff approached the literary agent of novelist George R.R. Martin about adapting Martin's *A Song of Ice and Fire* series, and development on the show began a year later.[9](https://labusinessjournal.com/news/david-benioff/) HBO hired Benioff and Weiss as showrunners despite their having no prior television production experience, a fact the two later acknowledged openly.[10](https://time.com/4791793/game-of-thrones-season-7-david-benioff-d-b-weiss/) The series ran for eight seasons and 74 episodes from 2011 to 2019, with Benioff credited as creator, executive producer, and writer on most episodes, and as director of two: "[Walk of Punishment](https://www.edgepedia.org/walk-of-punishment)" (2013) and the series finale "The Iron Throne" (2019).[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true) • [11](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/14098/david-benioff)
Because the television plot outpaced Martin's unpublished novels partway through the run, Benioff and Weiss shifted from adapting existing material to plotting the story's endgame themselves. In a 2017 interview they said they had been discussing the ending with Martin since between seasons 2 and 3, when he shared elements such as the Hodor backstory, and that they had planned from the start for the show to run seven or eight years.[10](https://time.com/4791793/game-of-thrones-season-7-david-benioff-d-b-weiss/)
The show's final season of six episodes drew sustained criticism from fans over pacing, and more than a million people signed a petition urging HBO to remake the season without Benioff and Weiss; HBO's programming leadership said the petition was not seriously considered.[12](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-07-24/game-of-thrones-final-season-hbo-chief-defends)
## Awards
The Television Academy lists Benioff with 17 Emmy nominations and 6 wins.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/david-benioff) His wins include Outstanding Drama Series as executive producer of *Game of Thrones* in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "Battle of the Bastards" (2016), "The Dragon and the Wolf" (2018), and "The Iron Throne" (2019).[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/david-benioff) In 2024 he was nominated again for Outstanding Drama Series as executive producer of *3 Body Problem*.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/david-benioff)
## 3 Body Problem and Netflix work
After *Game of Thrones* ended, Benioff and Weiss moved to Netflix, where executive Peter Friedlander introduced them to Chinese author [Liu Cixin](https://www.edgepedia.org/liu-cixin)'s science-fiction trilogy published between 2006 and 2010; Benioff's reaction was that he wanted to do it but had no idea how.[13](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2024/03/18/game-of-thrones-creators-take-great-leap-forward-with-new-sci-fi-series-3-body-problem_6632079_30.html) The two added Chinese-American producer Alexander Woo as a third co-creator, and Netflix announced the adaptation of *The Three-Body Problem* in September 2020, with rights granted by The Three-Body Universe and Yoozoo Group and Liu Cixin and translator [Ken Liu](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-liu) attached as consulting producers.[14](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-three-body-problem-netflix-original-series)
*3 Body Problem* premiered on Netflix on March 21, 2024, opened the SXSW Film & TV Festival that month, and spent three weeks at number one on the Netflix Global Top 10, reaching the Top 10 in 93 countries.[8](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/3-body-problem-will-return-with-all-new-episodes-created-executive-produced) • [15](https://apnews.com/article/3dbd18f7a2ad6a7627e192b8671ae34a) In May 2024 Netflix renewed the series for seasons 2 and 3, with the third season planned as the show's conclusion, and Benioff and Weiss re-upped their multi-year deal to write, produce, and direct exclusively for Netflix.[8](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/3-body-problem-will-return-with-all-new-episodes-created-executive-produced) Production on season 2 began in Budapest, Hungary, in late 2025.[16](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/3-body-problem-renewed)
A planned [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) film, *The First Jedi*, which Benioff and Weiss pitched to Disney after leaving Warner-backed projects, was rejected by the studio.[13](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2024/03/18/game-of-thrones-creators-take-great-leap-forward-with-new-sci-fi-series-3-body-problem_6632079_30.html) Under the Netflix deal, Benioff is also executive producer of *Death by Lightning*, released in 2025.[8](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/3-body-problem-will-return-with-all-new-episodes-created-executive-produced) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true)
## Personal life
Benioff married the actress [Amanda Peet](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-peet) in 2006, and the couple started a family the following year.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/) He splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles.[5](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/david-benioff/)
## References
1. [David Benioff, Penguin Random House author page](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/231212/david-benioff/)
2. [David Benioff, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-benioff/)
3. [Master of the Game, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine](https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/master-game)
4. [Crowning achievement, UC Irvine News](https://news.uci.edu/2014/08/12/crowning-achievement/)
5. [David Benioff, CAA Speakers](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/david-benioff/)
6. [David Benioff, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125275/?showAllCredits=true)
7. [David Benioff, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/david-benioff)
8. ['3 Body Problem' Will Return With All-New Episodes, About Netflix](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/3-body-problem-will-return-with-all-new-episodes-created-executive-produced)
9. [David Benioff, Los Angeles Business Journal](https://labusinessjournal.com/news/david-benioff/)
10. [Game of Thrones Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss: 'We Know What Happens in Each Scene' of Season 8, TIME](https://time.com/4791793/game-of-thrones-season-7-david-benioff-d-b-weiss/)
11. [David Benioff, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/14098/david-benioff)
12. ["Game of Thrones": HBO chief defends the final season, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-07-24/game-of-thrones-final-season-hbo-chief-defends)
13. ['Game of Thrones' creators take great leap forward with new sci-fi series '3 Body Problem', Le Monde English](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2024/03/18/game-of-thrones-creators-take-great-leap-forward-with-new-sci-fi-series-3-body-problem_6632079_30.html)
14. [International best-seller 'The Three-Body Problem' to be adapted as a Netflix original series, About Netflix](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-three-body-problem-netflix-original-series)
15. ['3 Body Problem' to open SXSW, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/3dbd18f7a2ad6a7627e192b8671ae34a)
16. [3 Body Problem Begins Production on Season 2, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/3-body-problem-renewed)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Producers, studio executives, and showrunners › Television producers and showrunners › Science fiction and fantasy showrunners*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license