James Gray
Gray in 2013, photo by Prphotos.com
Place of Birth: Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: April 14, 1969
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
James Gray is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are Little Odessa, The Yards, We Own the Night, Two Lovers, The Immigrant, The Lost City of Z, and Ad Astra.
James is the son of Hester and Irwin Gray. His paternal grandparents came to Ellis Island from Ostropol, now Ukraine, in 1923. The family surname Greyzerstein or Grayevsky was changed to Gray. They spoke Russian and Yiddish. Some of James’ relatives were killed in pogroms.
James is married to Alexandra Dickson, with whom he has three children.
James’ maternal grandfather was surnamed Rabinowitz. He came to the U.S. through England, and was also of Eastern European Jewish descent.
Source: Interview with James Gray – https://www.thejc.com
Interview with James Gray: https://www.thejc.com/culture/film/james-gray-film-1.435056
His paternal grandparents came to Ellis Island from Ostropol in 1923 and anglicized “Greyzerstein” surname in “Gray”. They spoke Russian and Yiddish. Some of James’ relatives were killed in Pogroms.
Source: Jordan Mintzer, Conversations with James Gray.