Six years ago, Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne became an honorary citizen of the Greek city of Aigio and is now officially sworn in as a Greek citizen at the Greek Consulate General in Boston.

The 54-year-old director has been married since 2015 to Maria Konto, a 27-year-old Greek woman he met in Aigio.

It was love at first sight, according to reports, which resulted in Maria leaving behind her old life and starting a new adventure with her husband.

Congratulations to Oscar-awarded film director, screenwriter & producer Constantine Alexander Payne who was sworn in as a #Greek citizen today at the Consulate General of Greece in Boston. This was possible thanks to the work of Evgenia Beniatoglou, Consul General of Greece in LA pic.twitter.com/iGIIdbq9gD

— Consulate General of Greece in Boston (@GreeceinBoston) February 7, 2022

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Payne is best known for the films Citizen Ruth (1996), Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), Nebraska (2013) and Downsizing (2017).

He is known for his dark humor and satirical portrayals of modern American society, and has twice won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and has been nominated for three Oscars for Best Director.

The talented director was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Peggy and George Payne, restaurant owners. His father is of Greek and German descent and his mother of Greek descent. Payne’s grandfather’s father, Nicholas “Nick” Payne, had the surname “Papadopoulos”. His family comes from three regions of Greece: Syros, Livadia and Aigio.