Biography
Deborah Oppenheimer is an Academy Award-winning producer who debuted with the Oscar-winning documentary Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry. Narrated by Dame Judi Dench, the Warner Bros. film was written and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris and produced with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's cooperation. Inspired by her late mother's childhood experience on the Kindertransport, Oppenheimer created and produced the story of the World War II rescue mission that saved nearly 10,000 unaccompanied children from German-occupied territories by relocating them to foster homes and hostels in Great Britain. She co-authored the film's companion book (published by Bloomsbury), oversaw the website design and teachers' study guide, and produced the soundtrack. In recognition, the White House appointed her twice to the governing Council of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Oppenheimer’s latest feature documentary, Foster, reunites her with Harris for an intimate exploration of the foster care system through the perspectives of children, youth, parents, foster parents, social workers, advocates, attorneys, judges, and others. With exceptional access to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Oppenheimer and Harris go beyond sensational headlines and stereotypes to offer an unprecedented look at this often misunderstood world, challenging many long-held myths about foster care and those involved.
A prolific producer in cable and network television, Oppenheimer led U.S. strategic efforts for the entire run of the acclaimed TV series Downton Abbey, the most nominated U.K. series in Emmy history and the highest-rated PBS drama to date. During this period, she served as executive vice president overseeing Carnival Films' Los Angeles office, directing U.S.-based development for both international and domestic markets.
Before that, Oppenheimer was executive vice president of NBCUniversal International Television Production, where she originated and executive produced Family Tree, the critically praised Christopher Guest comedy aired on HBO and BBC1.
As president of Mohawk Productions at Warner Bros., she executive produced numerous television series and pilots with Bruce Helford and development partners including Sandra Bullock, Kenya Barris, McG, and Stephanie Savage. At Lorimar, she developed and produced programming for HBO, Showtime, and PBS, including the award-winning telefilm 'Master Harold'... and the Boys by Athol Fugard. Oppenheimer began her career as an editor at New York publisher John Wiley & Sons.
In 2005, Oppenheimer received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from her alma mater, SUNY College at Buffalo. She has volunteered as a cuddler in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, tutored special education students, and taught English as a second language within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since 1994, she has mentored a former Hollygrove orphanage resident who served in Iraq and completed active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2011.
