Alexander Payne – IMDb

Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha,
Nebraska. His parents, Peggy (Constantine) and George Payne, ran a
Greek restaurant. His father is of Greek and German ancestry, and his
mother is of Greek descent; the family name was originally
Papadopoulos. He is the youngest of three brothers.

Alexander attended Stanford University, where he majored in Spanish and
History. He then went on to study film at UCLA Film School. His
university thesis film was screened at the Sundance film festival,
which led to him being backed by Miramax to write and direct Citizen
Ruth (1996). Payne prefers to have control over his movies, from
scripts to cast.