# Dede Gardner
**Dede Gardner** (born 1967) is an American film producer and co-president of [Plan B Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/plan-b-entertainment), the production company founded by [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt). She has won two Academy Awards for Best Picture, for *12 Years a Slave* (2013) and *Moonlight* (2016), and two [Primetime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-awards), for *The Normal Heart* (2014) and *Adolescence* (2025).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306890/) • [2](https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/Search/GetResults?query=%257B%2522Nominee%2522%3A%2522Dede%2520Gardner%2522%2C%2522Sort%2522%3A%25221-Nominee-Alpha%2522%2C%2522Search%2522%3A%2522Basic%2522%257D) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dede-gardner)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967, United States[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/dede-gardner-232359) |
| Position | Co-president of Plan B Entertainment with Jeremy Kleiner[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306890/) |
| Academy Awards | Two Best Picture wins (*12 Years a Slave*, *Moonlight*) from nine Best Picture nominations spanning 2011 to 2025[2](https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/Search/GetResults?query=%257B%2522Nominee%2522%3A%2522Dede%2520Gardner%2522%2C%2522Sort%2522%3A%25221-Nominee-Alpha%2522%2C%2522Search%2522%3A%2522Basic%2522%257D) |
| Emmy Awards | Two wins from six nominations: *The Normal Heart* (2014) and *Adolescence* (2025)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dede-gardner) |
| Record | Became the first woman to win the Best Picture Oscar twice as a producer when *Moonlight* won in 2017[5](https://time.com/4682772/oscars-2017-records-broken/) |
| Education | Columbia University, Columbia College class of 1990[6](https://www.magazine.columbia.edu/print/pdf/node/9051) |
| Early credits | Location management on *Mac* (1992) and *Three of Hearts* (1993); first producer credit on *Running with Scissors* (2006)[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/278852-Dede-Gardner?cp=1&cxt=Producer&pos=3&sid=b20160b2-6be7-4d2c-a271-9970a132d9ed&sr=1.7936072) |
## Early career
Gardner entered the film industry through location work. The [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) catalog credits her as location assistant on [John Turturro](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-turturro)'s *Mac* (1992), location manager for the New York crew on *Three of Hearts* (1993), and prop master on *Chain of Desire* (1993).[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/278852-Dede-Gardner?cp=1&cxt=Producer&pos=3&sid=b20160b2-6be7-4d2c-a271-9970a132d9ed&sr=1.7936072) Her first producing credit came on *Running with Scissors* (2006), followed in 2007 by *The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*, *[A Mighty Heart](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-mighty-heart-film)*, and *Year of the Dog*.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/278852-Dede-Gardner?cp=1&cxt=Producer&pos=3&sid=b20160b2-6be7-4d2c-a271-9970a132d9ed&sr=1.7936072)
She is a graduate of Columbia University, where she studied at Columbia College, class of 1990.[6](https://www.magazine.columbia.edu/print/pdf/node/9051)
## Plan B Entertainment
Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, and [Brad Grey](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-grey) started Plan B Entertainment in 2002, but after the three founders went their separate ways in 2006, Gardner joined the company, and as president she assembled its lineup of critically praised films.[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/dede-gardner-232359) She has led the company with producer Jeremy Kleiner, and together they oversee Plan B's film development and production slate as well as television projects.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306890/) In a 2017 interview, Gardner described her project selection as instinctive: "It's all gut. It's always been, are you in love with this story? Do you wanna spend years of your life telling this story?"[8](https://www.pbs.org/video/a-conversation-with-dede-gardner-swjrmi/)
The company's theatrical output under her leadership includes *The Tree of Life* (2011), *World War Z* (2013), *Selma* (2014), *The Big Short* (2015), *If Beale Street Could Talk* (2018), *[The Last Black Man in San Francisco](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-last-black-man-in-san-francisco)* (2019), and *[Minari](https://www.edgepedia.org/minari)* (2020).[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/278852-Dede-Gardner?cp=1&cxt=Producer&pos=3&sid=b20160b2-6be7-4d2c-a271-9970a132d9ed&sr=1.7936072) In 2022 Plan B became part of the Mediawan group, and in September 2025 the company announced Plan B Europe, a London-based subsidiary intended to expand premium series production in the United Kingdom and across Europe.[9](https://senalnews.com/en/content/mediawans-plan-b-entertainment-to-create-an-european-subsidiary)
## Academy Awards
The Academy Awards database credits Gardner as a producer on nine Best Picture nominees: *The Tree of Life* (84th ceremony), *12 Years a Slave* (86th, winner), *Selma* (87th), *The Big Short* (88th), *Moonlight* (89th, winner), *Vice* (91st), *Women Talking* (95th), *Nickel Boys* (97th), and *F1* (98th).[2](https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/Search/GetResults?query=%257B%2522Nominee%2522%3A%2522Dede%2520Gardner%2522%2C%2522Sort%2522%3A%25221-Nominee-Alpha%2522%2C%2522Search%2522%3A%2522Basic%2522%257D) When *Moonlight* won Best Picture at the 2017 ceremony, Gardner became the first woman to win the producing Oscar twice; her previous win had been for *12 Years a Slave*.[5](https://time.com/4682772/oscars-2017-records-broken/) A 2017 profile in Vogue India described her at that point as the only woman producer with two Best Picture Oscars.[10](https://www.vogue.in/content/in-conversation-with-war-machine-producer-dede-gardner)
Her other industry honors include the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award, shared with Pitt, Kleiner, and the rest of Plan B in 2015, multiple AFI Awards for movie of the year, and the Austin Film Festival's Polly Platt Award for Producing in 2022.[11](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/dede-gardner/bio/3000543164/) • [8](https://www.pbs.org/video/a-conversation-with-dede-gardner-swjrmi/)
## Television work
Gardner's television credits as executive producer have drawn six Primetime Emmy nominations and two wins, according to the Television Academy database: *[The Normal Heart](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-normal-heart-film)* won Outstanding Television Movie in 2014, and *[Adolescence](https://www.edgepedia.org/adolescence-tv-series)* won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series in 2025.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dede-gardner) Her nominated but unwinning entries include *Nightingale* (2015), *FEUD: Bette and Joan* (2017), *The Underground Railroad* (2021), and *3 Body Problem* (2024).[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dede-gardner) She has also executive produced series including *High School* and *Paper Girls* (both 2022) and *Lego Masters Jr.* (2025).[12](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6329/dede-gardner)
## Recent and upcoming films
Gardner's producing output has remained dense in recent years. In 2024 she produced *Nickel Boys*, *Wolfs*, *Beetlejuice Beetlejuice*, and *Bob Marley: One Love*; in 2025 her credits included *Mickey 17*, *F1*, *Hedda*, *Anemone*, *H Is for Hawk*, *Preparation for the Next Life*, and *Olmo*, along with executive producer credits on documentaries such as *[One to One: John & Yoko](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-to-one-john-and-yoko)* and *Cover-Up*.[13](https://cinegraph.org/people/dede-gardner) Projects in development or post-production on her slate include *[The Riders](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-riders-film)*, *Wizards!*, *The Tiger*, an untitled [Hal Ashby](https://www.edgepedia.org/hal-ashby) biopic, and *Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306890/)
## References
1. [Dede Gardner, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306890/)
2. [Academy Awards Search: Dede Gardner, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences](https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/Search/GetResults?query=%257B%2522Nominee%2522%3A%2522Dede%2520Gardner%2522%2C%2522Sort%2522%3A%25221-Nominee-Alpha%2522%2C%2522Search%2522%3A%2522Basic%2522%257D)
3. [Dede Gardner, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dede-gardner)
4. [Dede Gardner List of All Movies & Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/dede-gardner-232359)
5. [Every Record Broken at the 2017 Oscars, Time](https://time.com/4682772/oscars-2017-records-broken/)
6. [Dede Gardner '90CC profile, Columbia Magazine](https://www.magazine.columbia.edu/print/pdf/node/9051)
7. [Dede Gardner, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/278852-Dede-Gardner?cp=1&cxt=Producer&pos=3&sid=b20160b2-6be7-4d2c-a271-9970a132d9ed&sr=1.7936072)
8. [A Conversation with Dede Gardner, On Story (PBS)](https://www.pbs.org/video/a-conversation-with-dede-gardner-swjrmi/)
9. [Mediawan's Plan B Entertainment to create a European subsidiary, Señal News](https://senalnews.com/en/content/mediawans-plan-b-entertainment-to-create-an-european-subsidiary)
10. [In conversation with 'War Machine' producer Dede Gardner, Vogue India](https://www.vogue.in/content/in-conversation-with-war-machine-producer-dede-gardner)
11. [Dede Gardner Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/dede-gardner/bio/3000543164/)
12. [Dede Gardner, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6329/dede-gardner)
13. [Dede Gardner, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/dede-gardner)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Film producers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; 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