James Gray trivia: 34 amazing facts about the famous director

James Gray is an American director and screenwriter. With many critical acclaimed movies under his belt.

Let’s find out some more trivia and facts about his life and career!

1. James Gray was born on April 14, 1969
2. He is an American film director and screenwriter
3. His feature debut was Little Odessa in 1994
4. He has made five other features
5. Four of which competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival
6. Gray was born in New York City
7. He is of Ukrainian Jewish descent
8. With grandparents from Ostropol, Western Ukraine
9. His father was once an electronics contractor
10. Gray attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
11. There his student film, Cowboys and Angels, helped him get an agent
12. And the attention of producer Paul Webster
13. He encouraged him to write a script which he could produce
14. In 1994, at age 25, Gray made his first feature film Little Odessa
15. A film starring Tim Roth
16. It was about a hit man confronted by his younger brother upon returning to his hometown, “Little Odessa,” a section of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
17. The film won the Silver Lion at the 51st Venice International Film Festival
18. In 2000, Miramax released his second film, The Yards
19. A crime drama shot in 1998
20. His third film, We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg, played in competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival in May
21. Receiving widely divergent reviews from international critics
22. We Own the Night was released theatrically in the US on October 12, 2007
23. In November 2012 he was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2012 International Film Festival of Marrakech
24. His 2013 film The Immigrant was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival
25. He wrote the screenplay for Guillaume Canet’s 2013 film Blood Ties with Canet
26. In August 2013, it was announced that Warner Bros tapped Gray to write and direct White Devil
27. A film based on the life of John Willis
28. In October 2016, Gray’s film The Lost City of Z premiered at the New York Film Festival
29. The film, based on the book by David Grann
30. It depicts the life of explorer Percy Fawcett, played by Charlie Hunnam
31. Gray first confirmed his plans to write and direct sci-fi space epic Ad Astra on May 12 during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival
32. The film will be released in September 2019
33. Gray married Alexandra Dickson in 2005
34. The couple have three children