James Ponsoldt

James Ponsoldt
Ponsoldt in September 2012
Born	James Adam Ponsoldt 1978 (age 38–39) Athens, Georgia, United States
Alma mater	Yale University Columbia University
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Spouse(s)	Megan Lane Hollaway (m. 2010)

James Adam Ponsoldt (born 1978) is an American film director, actor and screenwriter, now based in Los Angeles. He directed the drama films Off the Black (2006) and Smashed (2012), the romantic comedy-drama The Spectacular Now (2013), and the drama The End of the Tour (2015). His new film The Circle (2017) is scheduled to be released on April 28, 2017

Ponsoldt was born in Athens, Georgia. He is the son of James F. and Susan E. Ponsoldt, and the grandson of graphic artist William Teason. His father is a retired law professor, formerly at the University of Georgia.

He grew up in Athens, and attended Cedar Shoals High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Yale University and graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in directing.

Ponsoldt is also a graduate of the Professional Programs in Screenwriting and Producing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Ponsoldt has written and directed three short films, Coming Down the Mountain (2003), Rush Tickets (2003), and Junebug and Hurricane (2004). He also co-directed (and served as a co-directory of photography and an editor on) a documentary short called We Saw Such Things (2008), about the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida.

Ponsoldt's first feature film that he both wrote and directed, Off the Black (2006), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. The film stars Nick Nolte and Trevor Morgan.