An American director, writer and producer, who was born February 10, 1961 in Omaha, Nebraska. He is of Greek and German ancestry. He attended Stanford University, where he studied Spanish and History. He also studied film at UCLA Film School. His feature directorial debut was The Passion of Martin (1991), which he also produced and wrote. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants (2011) and Sideways (2004).