Biography

James Gray made his directorial debut at the age of 25 with Little Odessa, a critically acclaimed crime drama about a hit-man 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 Film 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.
 
Born in New York City, he grew up in Queens and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television.