James Gray made his directorial debut in 1994 at the age of 25 with Little Odessa, a widely acclaimed film which 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.

James is also the director of The Yards, starring Joaquin Pheonix, We Own the Night, Two Lovers, The Immigrant (which went on to garner numerous awards including Best Actress and Best Cinematography), The Lost City of Z, and Ad Astra, starring Brad Pitt. His most recent film, Armageddon Time, premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

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