JAMES GRAY
Date of Birth: 1969
Growing up in his native Queen's, New York, Gray had visions of becoming a painter. But after
viewing the work of various directors such as Francis Ford Coppola in his teens, his aspirations
changed.
While attending University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, his student film
Cowboys and Angels was first seen by producer Paul Webster, who encouraged Gray to write his
first feature script. Gray graduated in 1991 and set to work on his first feature film, Little
Odessa. The film received critical acclaim and was the winner of the Venice Film Festival's
prestigious Silver Lion Award in 1994.
For his next film, The Yards, about corruption in New York's railroad yards, Gray was
nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Yards co-star James Caan
described Gray as a young Francis Ford Coppola.
Filmography (director):
The Yards (2000)
Little Odessa (1994)
Filmography (writer):
The Yards (2000)
Little Odessa (1994)