Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne grew up in Omaha and studied history and Spanish Literature at Stanford before earning a master’s degree in film production at UCLA.  

His eight features have been nominated for a total of 24 Oscars, including four times for Best Picture and three times for Best Director. He has won twice for Best Adapted Screenplay – for Sideways and The Descendants — and his latest, The Holdovers, won Best Supporting Actress last year.  

An ardent supporter of film preservation and lifelong movie buff, he serves on the board of The Film Foundation. He is currently at work on a new screenplay as well as preparing a movie to be shot in Denmark.