- Known For
- Directing
- Born
- February 10, 1961
- Place of Birth
- Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Alexander Payne
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 …
Filmography
movieDernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
2026
movieThe Holdovers
2023 · Director
movieFrank Capra: Mr. America
2023 · Self - Director and Screenwriter
movieBerlanga!!
2021 · Self - Filmmaker
movieChristoph Waltz - The Charm of Evil
2021 · Self
movieThe Last Shift
2020 · Executive Producer
movieSmall Town Wisconsin
2020 · Executive Producer
movieHal
2019 · Self
movieDownsizing
2017 · Director, Screenplay, Producer
movieElection - "The Passion of Martin" Introduction
2017 · Himself
movieCrash Pad
2017 · Executive Producer
movieProgram Notes: An Introduction To The Last Detail By Alexander Payne
2017 · Self, Writer
movieAbout a Trip: Alexander Payne on Hal Ashby's 'The Last Detail'
2017
movieKumiko, the Treasure Hunter
2014 · Executive Producer
movieNebraska
2013 · Director
movieTrespassing Bergman
2013 · Self
movieThe Descendants
2011 · Screenplay, Producer, Director
movieCedar Rapids
2011 · Producer
movieSideways
2009 · Executive Producer, Story
tvHung
2009 · Director, Executive Producer
movieThe Replacement Child
2008 · Thanks
movieThe Savages
2007 · Executive Producer
movieI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
2007 · Screenplay
movieGray Matters
2007 · Executive Producer
movieKing of California
2007 · Producer
movieParis Je T'aime
2006 · Oscar Wilde (segment " Pere-Lachaise"), Director, Writer
movieCinema16: American Short Films
2006 · Director
movie14e Arrondissement
2006 · Director
movieSideways
2004 · Screenplay, Director
movieThe Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
2004 · Self
movieThe Assassination of Richard Nixon
2004 · Executive Producer
movieZ Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
2004 · Self
movieAbout Schmidt
2002 · Screenplay, Director
movieJurassic Park III
2001 · Writer
movieElection
1999 · Director, Screenplay
movieCitizen Ruth
1996 · Screenplay, Director
movieInside Out 3
1992 · Director
movieThe Passion of Martin
1991 · Director, Screenplay, Editor, Producer
movieInside Out
1991 · Writer, Director
movieCarmen
1985 · Director, Music
Untitled Alexander Payne Western
movieUntitled Alexander Payne Western
— · Director
Somewhere Out There
movieSomewhere Out There
— · Director