Alexander Payne
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- February 10, 1961
- Birthplace
- Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an Oscar-winning filmmaker whose work has helped define modern-day American cinema. He is best known for the features Election (1999), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), About Schmidt (2002), Nebraska (2013) and The Holdovers (2023). His movies have garnered a total of 24 Academy Award nominations, including four times for Best Picture and three times for Best Director. He has won two Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay (Sideways, The Descendants), and two of his films have won the Golden Globe for Best Picture. His most recent film, The Holdovers, earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Five of his movies were shot at least partially in Nebraska, where he continues to live, dividing his time between there and Los Angeles. An Omaha native, Payne studied History and Spanish Literature at Stanford before earning an MFA in Film at UCLA. He serves on the boards of the Telluride Film Festival and The Film Foundation.
Filmography
- Darlington
Darlington TBA
Executive Producer
- Somewhere Out There
Somewhere Out There TBA
Director
- Untitled Alexander Payne Western
Untitled Alexander Payne Western TBA
Director
Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern 2026
Actor
The Holdovers 2023
Director
Frank Capra: Mr. America 2023
as Self - Director and Screenwriter
A Good Person 2023
Thanks
Berlanga!! 2021
as Self - Filmmaker
Christoph Waltz - The Charm of Evil 2021
as Self
The Last Shift 2020
Executive Producer
Small Town Wisconsin 2020
Executive Producer
Hal 2019
as Self
Downsizing 2017
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Election - "The Passion of Martin" Introduction 2017
as Himself
Crash Pad 2017
Executive Producer
About a Trip: Alexander Payne on Hal Ashby's 'The Last Detail' 2017
Actor
Program Notes: An Introduction To The Last Detail By Alexander Payne 2017
as Self, Writer
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 2014
Executive Producer
Nebraska 2013
Director
Trespassing Bergman 2013
as Self
The Descendants 2011
Screenplay, Producer, Director
Cedar Rapids 2011
Producer
Sideways 2009
Executive Producer, Story, Original Film Writer
The Replacement Child 2008
Thanks
The Savages 2007
Executive Producer
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry 2007
Screenplay
Gray Matters 2007
Executive Producer
King of California 2007
Producer
Paris Je T'aime 2006
as Oscar Wilde (segment " Pere-Lachaise"), Director, Writer
Cinema16: American Short Films 2006
Director
14e Arrondissement 2006
Director
Père-Lachaise 2006
as Oscar Wilde
Sideways 2004
Screenplay, Director
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing 2004
as Self
The Assassination of Richard Nixon 2004
Executive Producer
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession 2004
as Self
About Schmidt 2002
Screenplay, Director
Jurassic Park III 2001
Writer
Election 1999
Director, Screenplay
Citizen Ruth 1996
Screenplay, Director
Inside Out 3 1992
Director
The Passion of Martin 1991
Director, Screenplay, Editor, Producer
Inside Out 1991
Writer, Director
Carmen 1985
Director, Music
Credits from TMDB.