Deborah Oppenheimer

American film and television producer

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Deborah Oppenheimer is an American film and television producer. She won an Academy Award in 2001 for best documentary feature for producing Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000).[1] Oppenheimer co-authored a companion book for the film with Mark Jonathan Harris, and also produced the film's soundtrack.[2]

## Biography

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Deborah Oppenheimer was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York.[3] After graduating from Valley Stream South High School,[3] she matriculated to Buffalo State University where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English secondary education.[4][5][6]

She started as an editor for John Wiley & Sons before moving into television at Lorimar Productions in 1981.[2] While at Lorimar, Oppenheimer was associate producer for the Cable ACE Award-winning production of the Showtime / PBS drama Master Harold...and the Boys.[6]

As president of Mohawk Productions at Warner Bros. from 1996 to 2010, Oppenheimer executive produced all of the company's television shows and oversaw day-to-day operations.[2] After leaving Mohawk, she was named executive vice-president of NBC Universal International TV Production in September 2010.[7]

As Executive Vice President of Carnival Films, Oppenheimer developed and executive produced the television series from Christopher Guest, Family Tree for HBO and BBC1. She later conceived and led U.S. strategies as a production consultant to the Carnival Films television series, Downton Abbey.[8]

In December 2012, she was selected to be a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by US President Barack Obama.[9][10]

Her feature-length documentary, Foster received the National Council for Adoption's "Excellence in Foster Care Media Award" in November 2019.[11]

## Awards and recognition

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Year  | Award  | Category  | Nominated work  | Result  | Notes

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2000  | Heartland Film Festival | Crystal Heart Award  | Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport | Won  | Shared with Mark Jonathan Harris
International Documentary Association | Video Source Award  | Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport | Nominated  | Shared with Mark Jonathan Harris
2001  | Academy Award | Best Documentary, Feature  | Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport | Won  | Shared with Mark Jonathan Harris
Evening Standard British Film Awards | Best Documentary, Feature  | Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport | Won  | Shared with Mark Jonathan Harris
Long Island International Film Expo | Filmmaker Achievement Award  | Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport | Won  |

## References

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### Notes

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1. ^ Angulo, Sandra P. (March 26, 2001). "See the complete list of Oscar winners". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
2. ^ a b c Schneider, Michael (February 6, 2003). "Mohawk chief stays". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
3. ^ a b "Distinguished Alumni Award Program: Deborah Oppenheimer" (PDF). Valley Stream Central High School District and Village of Valley Stream. May 17, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
4. ^ Kaiser, Laurie (October 13, 2021). "Oscar-Winning Alumna Deborah Oppenheimer Coming to Buffalo State for Screening of New Documentary". Buffalo State University. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
5. ^ Moran, Jay (October 18, 2021). "Academy Award-winning producer returns to Buffalo State". WBFO. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
6. ^ a b "2005 Commencement Buffalo State University" (PDF). Buffalo State University. May 14, 2005. p. 15\. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
7. ^ Schneider, Michael (September 29, 2010). "NBC U Int'l TV unit taps exec veepee". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
8. ^ Whittock, Jesse (August 15, 2013). "Oppenheimer to helm Carnival US push". Television Business International. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
9. ^ "President Obama Appoints Four to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council" (Press release). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. December 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
10. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" (Press release). White House Office of the Press Secretary. December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
11. ^ Koch, Lauren (November 14, 2019). "National Council For Adoption Celebrates 2019 Adoption Award Honorees" (Press release). National Council for Adoption. Retrieved December 1, 2023.

### General

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* "Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. December 17, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
* Foster: "HBO Acquires Worldwide Rights to Deborah Oppenheimer & Mark Jonathan Harris' Documentary"
* "HBO Documentary Films acquires Mark Jonathan Harris' Foster

## External links

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* Official website
* Deborah Oppenheimer at IMDb

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