Gardner was born Arthur Goldberg in Marinette, Wisconsin, and raised in an upper-middle-class Jewish family.
In 1929, he arrived in Hollywood, where Carl Laemmle employed him as an extra for the film studio Universal.
[3] During World War II, Gardner served in the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California.
Gardner's producing credits include the television series The Rifleman (1958–1963) and The Big Valley (1965–1969).
His feature film credits include 1974's McQ and 1975's Brannigan, both starring John Wayne.