James Gray (Writer/Director) made his directorial debut at the age of 25 with Little Odessa, a critically acclaimed crime drama about a hitman confronted by his younger brother upon returning to his hometown of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Starring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Maximilian Schell and Vanessa Redgrave, the film received the Critics Award at the Deauville Film Festival as well as the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. That same year, he received nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay.

In 2000, Gray wrote and directed his second film for Miramax, The Yards, starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, James Caan and Joaquin Phoenix. The film was selected for official competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

We Own the Night paired writer/director Gray with Walhberg and Phoenix for the second time. The film is an emotional crime drama about a man who has chosen to hide his past only to discover that he has to confront an inevitable future. Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall also star. We Own the Night was selected for official competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Gray’s most recent film, Two Lovers, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. The film teams him with Joaquin Phoenix for the third time. Gwyneth Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini also star in this Brooklyn-set romantic drama. Two Lovers opens in New York and Los Angeles on February 13th with a nationwide expansion to follow.

Gray’s next project is an adaptation of The Lost City of Z, the upcoming nonfiction book about British soldier and spy Percy Fawcett, with Brad Pitt set to star.

Born in New York City, he grew up in Queens and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television.

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