PAYNE, Alexander 1961–

PERSONAL

Sources cite original name as Constantine Alexander Papadopoulos or Constantine Alexander Payne; born February 10, 1961, in Omaha, NE; father, a restaurant owner; married Sandra Oh (an actress), January 1, 2003. Education: Stanford University, B.A., history and Spanish literature; University of California, Los Angeles, M.F.A., film directing; some sources cite attendance at University of Salamanca.

Addresses:

Agent—David Lonner, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Publicist—Leslee Dart, PMK/HBH New York, 650 Fifth Ave., 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10019.

Career:

Director, producer, and writer. Propaganda Films, worked as screenwriter for short films broadcast on the Playboy Channel. Began making films as a child.

Awards, Honors:

Jury Prize (with Jim Taylor), best screenplay, and nomination for Golden Alexander, both Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and nomination for Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival, dramatic category, both 1996, for Citizen Ruth; New Generation Award (with Taylor), Los Angeles Film Critics Association, 1999, for Citizen Ruth and Election; San Diego Film Critics Society Award (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, Best New Director Award, and nomination for Golden Spike, both Valladolid International Film Festival, New York Film Critics Circle Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, all 1999, Independent Spirit Award, Independent Features Project West, best director, 2000, Independent Spirit Award, best screenplay, Screen Award, Writers Guild of America, best adapted screenplay, Southeastern Film Critics Association Award, best adapted screenplay, Florida Film Critics Circle Award, best screenplay, Online Film Critics Society Award, best adapted screenplay, Academy Award nomination, best adapted screenplay, and Sierra Award nomination, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, best adapted screenplay, all with Taylor, all 2000, for Election; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, and nomination for Golden Palm, Cannes International Film Festival, both 2002, Golden Globe Award (with Taylor), best screenplay—motion picture, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award (with Taylor), best writer, Golden Globe Award nomination, best director—motion picture, Screen Award nomination (with Taylor), Writers Guild of America, best adapted screenplay, Chicago Film Critics Association Award nominations, best director and best screenplay (with Taylor), USC Scripter Award nomination (with Taylor and Louis Begley), and Online Film Critics Society Award nomination (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, all 2003, and Robert Award, Robert Festival, best American film, 2004, all for About Schmidt; Imagery Honors, Sonoma Valley Film Festival, 2003; named to the "must list" of Entertainment Weekly, 2004; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, best director and best screenplay (with Jim Taylor), New York Film Critics Circle Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, Chicago Film Critics Association Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, Florida Film Critics Circle awards, best director and best screenplay(with Taylor), San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award, best director, Seattle Film Critics Award (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, San Diego Film Critics Society Award (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, best director and (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, Phoenix Film Critics Society Award (with Taylor), best screenplay adapted from another medium, National Board of Review Award (with Taylor), best screenplay—adapted, and Gotham Award, Independent Features Project New York, best film, all 2004, Academy Award (with Taylor), best writing, screenplay based on material previously produced or published, Academy Award nomination, best achievement in directing, Golden Globe Awards, best picture—musical or comedy, and best screenplay—motion picture (with Taylor), Boston Society of Film Critics Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, National Society of Film Critics Award (with Taylor), best screenplay, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award (with Taylor), best writer, Online Film Critics Society Award (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, Golden Globe Award nomination, best director—motion picture, Directors Guild of America Award nomination, outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures, Screen Award nomination (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, Writers Guild of America, Golden Satellite Award nominations, best director and best adapted screenplay (with Taylor), International Press Academy, Independent Spirit Award nominations, best director and best screenplay (with Taylor), Film Award nomination (with Taylor), best adapted screenplay, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Boston Society of Film Critics Award nomination, best director, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, best director, USC Scripter Award nomination (with Taylor and Rex Pickett), and Online Film Critics Society Award nomination, best director, all 2005, all for Sideways.

CREDITS

Film Director:

The Passion of Martin, 1989.

"My Secret Moments," Inside Out (also known as Inside Out: Tales of the Unexpected), 1992.

"The Houseguest," Inside Out III, 1992.

Citizen Ruth (also known as Meet Ruth Stoops), Miramax, 1996.

Election, Paramount, 1999.

About Schmidt, New Line Cinema, 2002.

Sideways, Fox Searchlight, 2004.

Nebraska, Bona Fide Distribution, 2005.

Film Executive Producer:

The Assassination of Richard Nixon, Think Film, 2004.

Gray Matters, Archer Entertainment, c. 2005.

The King of California, 2005.

Film Work; Other:

Producer, film editor, and sound editor, The Passion of Martin, 1989.

Film Appearances:

Himself, How to Judge Character by the Face, 1986.

Elusive lobster boy, Max Magician and the Legend of the Rings, 2002.

A Decade under the Influence, IFC Films, 2003.

Television Work; Specials:

Segment producer, Willie Nelson The Big Six–O: An All–Star Birthday Celebration, CBS, 1993.

Television Appearances; Specials:

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (documentary), Starz!, 2004.

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (documentary), Independent Film Channel, 2004.

Himself, Wanderlust (documentary), Independent Film Channel, 2005.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 15th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Film Channel and Bravo, 2000.

The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2003.

The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Appeared in "Does High School Success Determine Life Success?," Turn Ben Stein On, Comedy Central.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

The Passion of Martin, 1989.

"My Secret Moments," Inside Out (also known as Inside Out: Tales of the Unexpected), 1992.

(With Jim Taylor; and song "The Joyful Song") Citizen Ruth (also known as Meet Ruth Stoops), Miramax, 1996.

(With Taylor) Election (based on a novel by Tom Perrotta), Paramount, 1999.

(With others) Jurassic Park III (also known as JP3), MCA/Universal, 2001.

(With Taylor) About Schmidt (based on a novel by Louis Begley), New Line Cinema, 2002.

(With Taylor) Sideways (based on a work by Rex Pickett), Fox Searchlight, 2004.

Author of The Coward, an unproduced script.

Nonfiction:

(With James Zemaitis) The Coffee Table, Coffee Table Book, Black Dog, 2003.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Esquire, January, 2003, p. 20.

Greek American, January 18, 1997.

L.A. Weekly, April 23, 1999.

Los Angeles Times, February 1, 1998.

Spliced Online, April 16, 1999.