Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Alexander Payne
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Alexander Payne Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church stand at a wine bar with several bottles, holding up glasses of wine, in a scene from the film Sideways.
Quizzes
Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne Film director, screenwriter, and producer Alexander Payne, 2012.

Alexander Payne

American writer, director, and producer
Also known as: Constantine Alexander Payne
Written by
John M. Cunningham
John M. Cunningham graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2000 with a B.A. in English. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018. A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular)...
John M. Cunningham
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer noted for creating films that mix sardonic humor with humanistic character-driven drama in prosaic contemporary settings. Payne grew up in Omaha, where his mother was a professor of Romance languages and his father ran a restaurant. As a child, he took an interest in the family’s 8-mm film projector, and he eventually made his own amateur movies. After studying...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile