Alexander Payne - Overview

Date of Birth: Feb 10, 1961

Place of Birth: Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Nationality: United States

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Full Biography

Throughout his critically acclaimed career, writer-director Alexander Payne showed a remarkably poignant vision with his films, in which the often quirky set-up was merely a launching point for a seriocomic exploration into human foibles. With "Citizen Ruth" (1996), Payne examined the gravely serious issue of reproductive rights, an unlikely subject for what turned out to be an adroit satire that managed to both present and rankle both sides of the issue. For his next film, "Election" (1999), he used a seemingly inconsequential high school presidential race to plumb the darkest recesses of our mutable human nature. Then there was "About Schmidt" (2002), which used a cross country journey to depict an anchorless average man trying to make sense of his life. But Payne - alongside longtime writing partner Jim Taylor - had perhaps his greatest critical success with "Sideways" (2004), an excursion into wine country that explored the unlikely friendship of two men struggling with their perceived failures. "Sideways" earned Payne numerous accolades, including an Academy ... Read More

Filmography (14)

The Descendants (2011)

Cedar Rapids (2011)

The Savages (2007)

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)

Gray Matters (2007)

King of California (2007)

Milestones (27)

2011
Directed and co-wrote "The Descendants," starring George Clooney; also produced

2009
Executive produced a Japanese feature adaptation of his film "Sideways"

2007
Executive produced the films "King of California" and "The Savages"

2007
Executive produced the films, "King of California" and "The Savages"

2007
Teamed with Taylor to write an early draft of "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"

2004
Directed and co-scripted the critically acclaimed "Sideways"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement

2004
Directed and co-scripted the critically acclaimed, "Sideways"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement

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