47 Facts About Alexander Payne

Constantine Alexander Payne is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.

Alexander Payne is best known for the films Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska and Downsizing.

Alexander Payne is noted for his dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.

Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Peggy and George Alexander Payne, restaurant owners.

Alexander Payne is the youngest of three sons and grew up in the Dundee neighborhood.

Alexander Payne's family comes from three areas in Greece: the island of Syros, Livadia, and Aegio.

Alexander Payne's family was part of the fabric of Omaha, which he refers to as part of his upbringing.

Alexander Payne's grandfather was a founder of The Virginia Cafe, with Payne's father taking over the restaurant.

In Omaha, Alexander Payne attended Brownell-Talbot School, Dundee Elementary School, and Lewis and Clark Junior High.

Alexander Payne graduated from Creighton Prep for high school in 1979.

At Prep, Alexander Payne wrote a humor column for his high school newspaper and was the editor of the high school yearbook.

Alexander Payne then attended Stanford University, where he majored in Spanish and History.

Alexander Payne later lived a few months in Medellin, Colombia, where he published an article about social changes between 1900 and 1930.

Alexander Payne received his MFA in 1990 from the UCLA Film School.

Alexander Payne says that he cleared about $60,000, which was enough to fund his simple lifestyle at the time for about five years.

Alexander Payne has said he sees his talent as being one of learned economy, referring to the essay written by Tennessee Williams on The Catastrophe of Success.

Alexander Payne worked in various capacities on films and television before he co-wrote and directed his first full-length film, Citizen Ruth.

Alexander Payne unexpectedly becomes a pawn of figures from both sides of the abortion debate.

Alexander Payne received his first Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay nomination for Election.

Alexander Payne received a Golden Globe for the screenplay, which was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2004, Alexander Payne followed About Schmidt with Sideways, a film about two middle aged men who embark on a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara County wine country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding.

Alexander Payne returned to directing in 2011 after a seven-year hiatus with the film The Descendants, a film about a man dealing with the aftermath of a boating accident involving his wife, leaving her in a coma.

Alexander Payne co-wrote the screenplay along with Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash who all won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Alexander Payne's Nebraska starred veteran character actor Bruce Dern and Saturday Night Live alumnus Will Forte.

In 2000, Alexander Payne completed an uncredited polish-up of the screenplay for the comedy film Meet the Parents.

Alexander Payne served as an executive producer on the films King of California and The Savages.

Alexander Payne collaborated with writing partner Jim Taylor to write a draft of the screenplay for the film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, a comedy directed by Dennis Dugan, and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

Alexander Payne disliked the final product, stating that Adam Sandler rewrote so much of the story that almost all of what Alexander Payne and Taylor wrote was gone.

Alexander Payne was executive producer of the acclaimed 2014 film Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter directed by David Zellner.

In 1999, it was reported that Alexander Payne was in talks to direct Esquivel, a biopic starring John Leguizamo as Mexican musician Juan Garcia Esquivel.

In 2000, it was reported that Alexander Payne was to co-write and direct an untitled film inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray however nothing more was heard of this project.

However, Alexander Payne officially confirmed in a 2014 interview with Parade that he was no longer attached to the Wilson project.

In November 2013, Alexander Payne was in talks to direct a film titled The Judge's Will for Fox Searchlight Pictures.

In February 2016, it was announced that Alexander Payne was to direct a film titled My Saga, which is based on a pair of articles written by Karl Ove Knausgard and published by The New York Times Magazine.

In March 2018, Alexander Payne was in talks to direct a legal drama film for Amazon Studios titled The Burial.

In December 2019, it was announced that Alexander Payne was attached to direct an American remake of the 1987 Oscar-winning Danish film Babette's Feast.

Also in December 2019, it was announced that Alexander Payne was going to direct the HBO miniseries Landscapers.

However, in October 2020, it was announced that Alexander Payne dropped out of the project due to a schedule conflict and was replaced by Will Sharpe.

Alexander Payne has set many of his films in Omaha, his hometown.

Alexander Payne is on the short list of directors who have final cut rights for their films.

Alexander Payne married Canadian actress Sandra Oh on January 1,2003, after dating her for three years, and collaborating with her in Sideways.

In 2015, Alexander Payne married Maria Kontos, whom he met while visiting the Aigio region of Greece where some of his ancestors originated.

Alexander Payne is on the Board of Directors of an Omaha non-profit film theater, Film Streams.

Alexander Payne was co-owner of King Fong, a Chinese restaurant in Omaha.

Alexander Payne is a long-time supporter of the Nebraska Coast Connection, a social networking organization that meets monthly in Culver City, California.

Alexander Payne responded to McGowan's allegation by writing a guest column in Deadline Hollywood in which he admitted to a consensual relationship with her, but denied any impropriety, alleging that they had met in 1991 when she was over the age of consent, which is 18 in California.

Alexander Payne ended his statement writing, "While I cannot allow false statements about events 29 years ago to go uncorrected, I will continue to wish only the best for Rose".