— Ch. 1 · A Father's Shadow And A Movie Theater —
Patty Jenkins.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Patricia Lea Jenkins was born on the 24th of July 1971 in Victorville, California. Her father William T. Jenkins served as a U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot who earned a Silver Star during the Vietnam War. The family moved frequently due to his military service, living briefly in Thailand and Germany before settling in Lawrence, Kansas. When Patty was seven years old, her father died at age 31 during a NATO mock dogfight. This loss left a deep mark on her childhood and shaped her early understanding of sacrifice.
Her mother Emily Roth later worked as an environmental scientist in San Francisco. During a road trip from Kansas to San Francisco after her father's death, she dropped Jenkins and her sister off at a movie theater. They watched the original Superman starring Christopher Reeve. Jenkins found that film inspiring and it sparked an interest in pursuing filmmaking as a career. She completed kindergarten through her junior year of high school while living in Lawrence before moving to Washington D.C. for her senior year.
Monster And The Death Row Letter
Jenkins began her career with short films like Just Drives and Velocity Rules in 2001. These student-level projects circulated at festivals and helped build professional connections essential for financing larger projects. Brad Wyman introduced her to producer Donald Kushner which led to her directing her first feature film Monster in 2003. The film followed serial killer Aileen Wuornos who went on a murder spree of seven male clients between 1989 and 1990.
Wuornos was initially distrustful of Jenkins but on the night before her execution she left Jenkins all of her personal letters. This exchange convinced Jenkins that she was the only one who could direct the film about Wuornos. Jenkins spent months researching Wuornos's life speaking with people who knew her and visiting Florida locations tied to the real case. With a budget of $1.5 million and Charlize Theron attached to the film, Monster grossed $64.2 million worldwide. It earned Theron her first and only Oscar to date for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Roger Ebert ranked Monster as his number one best film of 2003 and later placed it third on his list of the decade's best films.