Alan E. Ball (born May 13, 1957) is an American writer, director, actor and producer for film, theatre and television.
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Ball was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Frank and Mary Ball, an aircraft inspector and a homemaker. He attended high school in Marietta, and went on to attend the University of Georgia and Florida State University, from which he graduated in 1980 with a degree in theater arts. After college, he began work as a playwright at the General Nonsense Theater Company in Sarasota, Florida.
[edit] Film and television career
Ball has written two films, Academy Award winner American Beauty and Towelhead. He is also the creator, writer and producer of the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and True Blood.[1] For his work in television and film, Ball has received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including an Academy Award, an Emmy and a Golden Globe.[2]
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.[3][4] In December 2010, after several months of pre-production, HBO cancelled production on All Signs of Death.[5]
[edit] Personal life
Ball is gay and has been called "a strong voice for [the] LGBT community".[6] In 2008 he made Out magazine's annual list of the 100 most impressive gay men and women.[7] Alan Ball has, in numerous interviews, discussed his Buddhist faith and how it has influenced his film making. In an interview with Amazon.com Ball commented on the iconic scene in American Beauty with the plastic bag, 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."[8] Ball has also discussed how his Buddhism has shaped themes in Six Feet Under and True Blood which he has substantially contributed to.[9][10] Ball keeps a collection of Macaw parrots, much to the ire of his neighbor Quentin Tarantino, who in March 2011 sued him under California civil code section 3479 over the "obnoxious pterodactyl-like screams" they make.[11]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Television
| Year |
Show |
Episode |
Notes |
| 2011 |
True Blood |
"Spellbound" |
Season 4, episode 8; writer |
| "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?" |
Season 4, episode 3; writer |
| 2010 |
"Evil is Going On" |
Season 3, episode 12; writer |
| "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" |
Season 3, episode 6; writer |
| 2009 |
"Frenzy" |
Season 2, episode 11; writer |
| "Shake and Fingerpop" |
Season 2, episode 4; writer |
| 2008 |
"You'll Be the Death of Me" |
Season 1, episode 12; director |
| "Mine" |
Season 1, episode 3; writer |
| "The First Taste" |
Season 1, episode 2; writer |
| "Strange Love" |
Season 1, episode 1; writer/director |
| 2005 |
Six Feet Under |
"Everyone's Waiting" |
Season 5, episode 12; writer/director |
| 2004 |
"Untitled" |
Season 4, episode 12; director |
| "Can I Come Up Now?" |
Season 4, episode 4; writer |
| 2003 |
"I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" |
Season 3, episode 13; director |
| "Nobody Sleeps" |
Season 3, episode 4; writer (with Rick Cleveland) |
| "Perfect Circles" |
Season 3, episode 1; writer |
| 2002 |
"The Last Time" |
Season 2, episode 13; director |
| "Someone Else's Eyes" |
Season 2, episode 9; writer |
| "In The Game" |
Season 2, episode 1; writer |
| 2001 |
"Knock, Knock" |
Season 1, episode 13; writer/director |
| "An Open Book" |
Season 1, episode 5; writer |
| "Pilot" |
Season 1, episode 1; writer/director |
|
|
|
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Awards
- Nominations
- 2000 BAFTA Film Award – 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
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Ball, Alan |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
1957-05-13 |
| Place of birth |
Atlanta, Georgia |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
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