Alan Erwin Ball (born May 13, 1957) is an American writer, director, and producer for television, film, and theater. Ball wrote the screenplay for '' American Beauty,'' for which he earned an

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...

. He also created the series '' Six Feet Under'' and ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'', works for which he earned an Emmy as well as awards from the

Writers A writer is a person who uses writing, written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, Short story, short stories, books, poetr ...

Directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and

Producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

Guilds of America. He was an executive producer on the

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...

television series ''

Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name i ...

''. He also wrote and directed the film '' Uncle Frank''.

Early life

Ball was born in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

, to Frank and Mary Ball, respectively an aircraft inspector and a homemaker. His older sister, Mary Ann, was killed in a car accident when Ball was 13; he was in the passenger seat at the time. He attended high school in Marietta before going to college at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. Ball graduated from Florida State in 1980 with a degree in

theater arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. After college, he began work as a playwright at the General Nonsense Theater Company in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

Film and television career

Ball broke into television as a writer and story editor on the

situation comedies A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

Grace Under Fire ''Grace Under Fire'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 29, 1993, to February 17, 1998. The show starred Brett Butler as a single mother learning how to cope with raising her three children alone after finally divorcing her ...

'' and ''

Cybill ''Cybill'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995, to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the show revolves around the life of Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of tw ...

''. Ball has written three films, '' American Beauty'' (1999), '' Towelhead'' (2007) and '' Uncle Frank'' (2020), the latter of which he also produced and directed. He is also the creator, writer and executive producer of the HBO drama series '' Six Feet Under'' and ''

''. Ball was the

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

for ''True Blood'' for its first five seasons. In 2010 Ball began work on a television adaptation of the crime noir novel ''The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death'' by Charlie Huston, to be titled ''All Signs of Death''. In December 2010, after several months of pre-production, HBO cancelled production on the project. Ball was also one of the executive producers of the

series ''

''. In July 2016, it was announced that Ball's family drama '' Here and Now'' had been ordered to series by HBO. Starring

Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his rol ...

and

Holly Hunter Holly Patricia Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film '' The Piano'', Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for ...

, the show was cancelled in April 2018 after one ten-episode season.

Personal life

Ball has discussed his Buddhist faith in numerous interviews, noting how it has influenced his filmmaking. In an interview with Amazon.com, Ball commented on the plastic bag scene in '' American Beauty'', stating: "I had an encounter with a plastic bag! And I didn't have a video camera, like Ricky does... There's a Buddhist notion of the miraculous within the mundane, and I think we certainly live in a culture that encourages us not to look for that." Ball has also discussed how his Buddhism has shaped themes in '' Six Feet Under'' and ''

'', both of which he has substantially contributed to. Ball is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and has been called "a strong voice for he

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community". In 2008 he made ''Out'' magazine's annual list of the 100 most impressive gay men and women.

Accolades

For his work in television and film, Ball has received critical acclaim and numerous awards and nominations, including an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

, and awards from the

, and

Guilds. ;Awards * 2000

– '' American Beauty'' * 2000

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Screenplay-Motion Picture – ''American Beauty'' * 2000

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...

for Best Original Screenplay – ''American Beauty'' * 2002

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2002

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2004

Producers Guild of America Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...

for Dramatic Series – ''Six Feet Under'' ;Nominations * 2000 BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay – ''American Beauty'' * 2002 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2004 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2006 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series – ''Six Feet Under'' * 2009 Writers Guild of America Award for Best New Series – ''True Blood'' * 2010 Producers Guild of America Award for Dramatic Series – ''True Blood''

Works

Television

Film

Theatre

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Alan 1957 births Living people American Buddhists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Film directors from Georgia (U.S. state) American male screenwriters American television directors American television writers Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Florida State University alumni American gay writers LGBT Buddhists LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT screenwriters Primetime Emmy Award winners Showrunners Writers from Atlanta Writers Guild of America Award winners Best Screenplay Golden Globe winners Directors Guild of America Award winners LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) American male television writers American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBT film directors LGBT television directors 21st-century LGBT people