William Balas (February 19, 1974 – April 16, 2025) was an American screenwriter, film director and television producer best known for his work on the A&E series '' Bates Motel'' and the

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

series '' Animal Kingdom''.

Background

Born and raised in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, Balas graduated from

the American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

, where he earned a MFA in Screenwriting. Prior to moving to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, he was diagnosed with

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

as an infant and underwent a successful double-lung transplant in his early twenties. Balas died at his home on April 16, 2025, at the age of 51.

Awards

Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...

* 2015 Writer Access Project Honoree (''Affliction'')

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival is held in Los Angeles in late February and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization. The organization ...

* 2010 Teleplay Competition: Original Pilot Winner (''Murphy's Last Stand'') American Screenwriting Competition * 2006 Grand Prize Winner (''The Pros and Cons of Breathing'') International Student Film Festival Hollywood * 2006 Best Horror/Thriller Winner (''House of the Rising Sun'')

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support origina ...

* 2005 Production Award Winner (''The Pros and Cons of Breathing'')

References

External links

* 1974 births 2025 deaths American television writers American male screenwriters Writers from Cleveland Lung transplant recipients Screenwriters from Los Angeles American male television writers Film directors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from Ohio {{US-tv-writer-stub