Biography
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...
Known For
Complete Filmography

The Holdovers
2023
Director
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with no...

Frank Capra: Mr. America
2023
as Self
Tells the story of how Frank Capra, a young and penniless immigrant, rose through the ranks of early Hollywood to become one of the Great American sto...

Berlanga!!
2021
as Self - Filmmaker
How does the vision of the brilliant Spanish filmmaker Luis García Berlanga (1921-2010) remain relevant in a time whose popular culture has little to ...

Christoph Waltz - The Charm of Evil
2021
as Self
Christoph Waltz, the villain with the friendly face, has become an integral part of the international cinema landscape. His breakthrough came with his...

The Last Shift
2020
Executive Producer
Stanley, an aging fast food worker, prepares to work his final graveyard shift after 38 years. When he's asked to train his replacement, Jevon, Stanle...

Small Town Wisconsin
2020
Executive Producer
After losing a custody battle, perpetual teenager Wayne Stobierski steals his son away for one last father-son weekend to the city of their dreams - M...

Hal
2019
as Self
Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. But as co...

Downsizing
2017
Director, Screenplay, Producer
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and affo...

Election - "The Passion of Martin" Introduction
2017
as Himself
Introductory piece to Alexander Payne's student film "The Passion of Martin" included on the Criterion Collection release of Election (1999).

Crash Pad
2017
Executive Producer
Hopeless romantic Stensland thinks he's found true love with an older woman, Morgan, only to learn that she's married and that their fling is merely a...

Program Notes: An Introduction To The Last Detail By Alexander Payne
2017
as Self
The acclaimed director Alexander Payne gives his notes on the making and interpretation of 'The Last Detail

About a Trip: Alexander Payne on Hal Ashby's 'The Last Detail'
2017
An appreciation of the film “The Last Detail” by Alexander Payne

Program Notes: An Introduction To The Last Detail By Alexander Payne
2017
Writer
The acclaimed director Alexander Payne gives his notes on the making and interpretation of 'The Last Detail

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
2014
Executive Producer
Frustrated with her mundane life, a Tokyo office worker becomes obsessed with a fictional movie that she mistakes for a documentary. Fixating on a sce...

Nebraska
2013
Director
An aging, booze-addled father takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim what he believes to be a million-dollar s...

Trespassing Bergman
2013
as Self
In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, and left Stockholm...

The Descendants
2011
Director, Screenplay, Producer
With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to co...

Cedar Rapids
2011
Producer
A naive Midwesterner insurance salesman travels to a big-city convention in an effort to save the jobs of his co-workers.

Sideways
2009
Story, Executive Producer
A struggling writer and his engaged buddy hit the road for California wine country. Remake of the 2004 film 'Sideways'.

The Replacement Child
2008
Thanks
After spending a year in a juvenile center for beating up his stepfather, Todd Turnbull returns to his backwoods hometown a repentant, deeply religiou...

The Savages
2007
Executive Producer
A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
2007
Screenplay
Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that ...

Gray Matters
2007
Executive Producer
Sam and Gray are such a well-matched pair that it is difficult to believe they are brother and sister rather than husband and wife. They both share a ...

King of California
2007
Producer
Charlie gets released from an insane asylum and moves in with Miranda, the young daughter he left behind. Charlie believes that there is treasure hidd...

Paris Je T'aime
2006
as Oscar Wilde (Pere-Lachaise)
Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories,...

Paris Je T'aime
2006
Director, Writer
Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories,...

Cinema16: American Short Films
2006
Director
CINEMA16 celebrates the short film by showcasing some of the best classic and award-winning shorts on DVD. With over three hours of films CINEMA16: A...

14e Arrondissement
2006
Director
“14e Arrondissement” is the last of the eighteen short films by well-known filmmakers that make up the anthology film Paris Je’ Taime. Richard Brody i...

Sideways
2004
Director, Screenplay
Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the ...

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
2004
as Self
Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon
2004
Executive Producer
It’s 1974 and Sam Bicke has lost everything. His wife leaves him with his three kids, his boss fires him, his brother turns away from him, and the ban...

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
2004
as Self
A documentary on the Z Channel, one of the first pay cable stations in the US, and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974, the LA-based...

About Schmidt
2002
Director, Screenplay
A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Jurassic Park III
2001
Writer
In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla S...

Election
1999
Director, Screenplay
Tracy Flick is running unopposed for this year’s high school student election. But Jim McAllister has a different plan. Partly to establish a more dem...

Citizen Ruth
1996
Director, Screenplay
"Citizen Ruth" is the story of Ruth Stoops, a woman who nobody even noticed -- until she got pregnant. Now, everyone wants a piece of her. The film is...

Inside Out 3
1992
Director
Softcore anthology film containing stories: "Dogs Playing Poker"; "The Branding"; "The Portal"; "The Perfect Woman"; "Within Ten Minutes"; "Tango"; "T...

The Passion of Martin
1991
Director, Screenplay, Editor
A lonely photographer gradually develops a rather unhealthy obsession with a young woman he once met by sheer chance.

Inside Out
1991
Writer, Director
Softcore anthology film containing stories: "Brush Strokes"; "Shrink Rap"; "Doubletalk"; "The Leda"; "My Secret Moments"; "Life Is For The Taking"; "T...

Carmen
1985
Director, Music
Carmen was Alexander Payne’s first short film, made while he was studying at UCLA Film School. It is a silent comedy, derived from the opera of the sa...
Untitled Alexander Payne Western
N/A
Director
Western set in 1886 Nebraska. Plot details have not been revealed.
Somewhere Out There
N/A
Director