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M Squad

2025-09-05T13:37:36Z

70.50.93.199: /* Notes */

{{Short description|1957 American TV crime drama}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Lee Marvin 1959.JPG
| image_size = 220
| caption = Lee Marvin as Lt. Frank Ballinger, from NBC's ''M Squad'' in 1959.
| alt_name =
| genre = [[Crime drama]]
| creator =
| writer =
| director =
| developer =
| presenter =
| starring = [[Lee Marvin]] [[Paul Newlan]]
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer = Main theme by [[Count Basie]] [[Stanley Wilson (musician)|Stanley Wilson]] Incidental music and arrangements by [[Sonny Burke]] [[Pete Carpenter]] [[Benny Carter]] [[John Williams|John T. Williams]] Orchestra conducted by Stanley Wilson
| country = [[United States]]
| language = English
| num_seasons = 3
| num_episodes = 117
| list_episodes = List of M Squad episodes
| executive_producer = John Larkin Richard Lewis
| producer = [[Robert Bassler]] [[Maxwell Shane]]
| editor = Lee Huntington John B. Moss Stanley Rabjohn
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company = Latimer Productions [[Universal Television|Revue Studios]]
| channel = [[NBC]]
| first_aired = {{start date|1957|9|20}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1960|6|21}}
| related =
}}

'''''M Squad''''' is an American [[crime drama]] television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on [[NBC]]. It was produced by [[Lee Marvin]]'s Latimer Productions and [[Revue Studios]]. Its main [[sponsor (commercial)|sponsor]] was the [[Pall Mall (cigarette)|Pall Mall]] [[cigarette]] brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during many episodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tobaccovideos.com/commercials/002pallmall.html |title=Pall Mall Presents ''M Squad'' |website=Tobacco Videos |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626013742/http://www.tobaccovideos.com/commercials/002pallmall.html |archive-date=2010-06-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |date=July 9, 2011 |title=Lee Marvin for Pall Mall Cigarettes |medium=TV commercial |language=en |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M49GEdFObos |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/M49GEdFObos |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=March 26, 2020 |publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Alternate sponsors were [[General Electric]] (GE), [[Hazel Bishop]] and [[Bulova]] watches.

==Synopsis==
Set in [[Chicago, Illinois]], the show starred Marvin as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, a member of "M Squad", a special unit of the [[Chicago Police]], assisting other units in battling organized crime, corruption and violent crimes citywide. [[Paul Newlan]] co-starred as his boss, Captain Grey. Although Marvin had been appearing in feature films since 1951, it was this series that made him a star, and he later went on to an even bigger film career afterward. [[Nelson Case]] was the announcer.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Alicoate |editor-first=Charles A. |date=1960 |title=The 1960 Radio Annual and Television Year Book |publisher=Radio Daily Corp. |page=1198}}</ref> The popularity of ''M Squad'' was proven in the ratings wars by the [[NBC]] network choosing a Friday night time slot opposite [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Frank Sinatra Show (1957 TV series)|The Frank Sinatra Show]]'' in the fall of 1957 and [[Phil Silvers]]' long running [[CBS]] comedy, ''[[The Phil Silvers Show|Sgt. Bilko]]'', in 1958. Both series were eventually cancelled.

==Music==
The [[theme music]] for the first season was composed by [[Stanley Wilson (musician)|Stanley Wilson]],<ref name="Patch">{{cite web |title=Studio City Walk of Fame Highlights: 'M Squad' |url=https://patch.com/california/studiocity/studio-city-walk-of-fame-highlights-m-squad |website=[[Patch.com|Studio City, CA Patch]] |access-date=March 26, 2020 |language=en |date=February 7, 2012}}</ref> who was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media#1950s|1959 Grammy Award]] for the Best Soundtrack Album and Background Score from Motion Picture or Television.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/2nd-annual-grammy-awards-1959 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126045024/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/2nd-annual-grammy-awards-1959 |archive-date=2020-01-26 |website=Grammy.com}}</ref> In the second and third seasons, the new theme was composed by [[Count Basie]].<ref name="Patch" />

A [[soundtrack]] album, ''Music from M Squad'', with liner notes by Lee Marvin, was released by [[RCA Victor]] Records in 1959 during the last season of the show.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Music from M Squad - Stanley Wilson {{!}} Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-music-from-m-squad-mw0000707935/credits |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=March 26, 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="Patch" />

==Home media==
[[Timeless Media Group]] released ''M Squad: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1 on November 11, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/M-Squad-The-Complete-Series/10495 |title=Official Press Release for M Squad - The Complete Series |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101221004/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/M-Squad-The-Complete-Series/10495 |archive-date=2014-11-01}}</ref> This release has been discontinued and is out of print.

On November 4, 2014, Timeless Media re-released the complete series on DVD in a new 16-disc special edition collection that contains an entire disc of bonus content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/M-Squad-The-Complete-Series/20261 |title=Package Art Arrives for TMG's 'Complete TV Series: Special Edition' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101220837/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/M-Squad-The-Complete-Series/20261 |archive-date=2014-11-01}}</ref>

==Episodes==
{{main|List of M Squad episodes}}
{{:List of M Squad episodes}}

==Guest stars==
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Roscoe Ates]]
* [[Jimmy Baird]]
* [[Whitney Blake]]
* [[Joanna Barnes]]
* [[Rayford Barnes]]
* [[Charles Bateman (actor)|Charles Bateman]]
* [[Russ Bender]]
* [[Chet Brandenburg]]
* [[Charles Bronson]]
* [[Paul Burke (actor)|Paul Burke]]
* [[Terry Burnham]] (2 episodes)<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112178188/ "Tuesday April 5 Program Listings"]. ''The Washington Star''. April 3, 1960.</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112178737/ "TV for Today and Tomorrow"]. ''The Hammond Times''. March 16, 1965. p. A4. Retrieved October 28, 2022.</ref>
* [[Robert Burton (actor)|Robert Burton]]
* [[King Calder]]
* [[Robert Carricart]]
* [[Bill Cassady]]
* [[James Chandler (actor)|James Chandler]]
* [[Sidney Clute]]
* [[Fred Coby]]
* [[Mike Connors]]
* [[Russ Conway (actor)|Russ Conway]]
* [[Walter Coy]]
* [[James Coburn]]
* [[Francis De Sales (actor)|Francis De Sales]]
* [[Angie Dickinson]]
* [[Don Dubbins]]
* [[Joe Flynn (American actor)|Joe Flynn]]
* [[Richard Garland]]
* [[Robert Griffin (actor)|Robert Griffin]]
* [[Alan Hale Jr.]]
* [[Ron Hayes]]
* [[Bern Hoffman]]
* [[Clark Howat]]
* [[Robert Karnes]]
* [[Don Kennedy (actor)|Don Kennedy]]
* [[Werner Klemperer]]
* [[Robert Knapp (actor)|Robert Knapp]]
* [[Rusty Lane]]
* [[Tom Laughlin]]
* [[Norman Leavitt]]
* [[Ruta Lee]]
* [[Dayton Lummis]]
* [[Ken Lynch]]
* [[Herbert Lytton]]
* [[DeForest Kelley]]
* [[Nan Leslie]]
* [[Dayton Lummis]]
* [[Rose Marie]]
* [[Walter Maslow]]
* [[Carole Mathews]]
* [[Tyler McVey]]
* [[Joyce Meadows]]
* [[Joseph Mell]]
* [[Sid Melton]]
* [[John Mitchum]]
* [[Ed Nelson]]
* [[Leonard Nimoy]]
* [[J. Pat O'Malley]]
* [[Michael Pataki]]
* [[Robert Patten (actor)|Robert Patten]]
* [[Joe Ploski]]
* [[Tom Reese (actor)|Tom Reese]]
* [[Burt Reynolds]]
* [[Don Rickles]]
* [[Janice Rule]]
* [[Penny Santon]]
* [[Frank J. Scannell]]
* [[George Selk]]
* [[Barbara Stuart]]
* [[Mary Treen]]
* [[Virginia Vincent]]
* [[Ralph Votrian]]
* [[H. M. Wynant]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
[[File:Lee Marvin M Squad.JPG|thumb|150px|left|Lee Marvin in ''M Squad'']]
In episode "The Jumper", an officer was depicted taking bribes. This prompted [[Richard J. Daley]], the [[Mayor of Chicago]] at the time, to discourage motion picture and television location filming in Chicago for the rest of his administration (1955–1976). (He made an exception for the 1975 [[John Wayne]] film ''[[Brannigan (film)|Brannigan]]'', because of Daley's personal admiration for Wayne.) ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', released in 1980, marked the reversal of the policy under then-mayor [[Jane Byrne]].{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Lee Marvin as Lt. Frank Ballinger carried two [[Colt Cobra]] snub nosed revolvers, the lightweight variant of Colt's "Detective's Special" revolver, which was popular with detectives at the time. Lt. Ballinger was the first TV police detective, of any note, to carry a backup revolver. The second Cobra revolver was carried in a more concealed position than the other.<ref>{{cite magazine |author-last=Ahern |author-first=Jerry |date=March 1989 |title=Movie and T.V. Guns |magazine=Petersen's Handguns for Sport & Defense |page=43}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author-last=Thompson |author-first=Leroy |date=1 Feb 2019 |title=Don't Snub the Snub |magazine=Concealed Carry Handguns |pages=54–55}}</ref>

A novel was published in 1962, ''M Squad: The Chicago Cop Killer, '' by David Saunders. It was published by [[Belmont Books]], New York.

The 1982 TV series ''[[Police Squad!]]'', which spun off into the ''[[The Naked Gun]]'' film, was a direct parody of ''M Squad''. The opening credits of ''Police Squad'' are a shot-for-shot parody of the ''M Squad'' opening, and the ''Police Squad'' pilot is an extended line-for-line, shot-for-shot send-up of the season 2 ''M Squad'' episode "More Deadly".

==See also==
* ''[[Police Squad!]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}

[[Category:1957 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1960 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1950s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1960s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Chicago Police Department]]
[[Category:Television series by Universal Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Chicago]]
[[Category:NBC crime dramas]]

Alan Ball (screenwriter)

2025-08-28T15:28:38Z

70.50.93.199:

{{short description|American screenwriter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_name = Alan Erwin Ball
| image = BALL Allan-24x30-2008b.jpg
| caption = Ball in 2008
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|05|13}}
| birth_place = [[Marietta, Georgia]], U.S.
| education = [[University of Georgia]] {{nowrap|[[Florida State University]]}}
| occupation = Screenwriter, director, producer
| known_for = Screenwriter of ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]''
| television = ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' ''[[True Blood]]'' ''[[Banshee (TV series)|Banshee]]''
| partner = [[Peter Macdissi]]
| awards = [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] ''American Beauty'' (1999)
}}

'''Alan Erwin Ball''' (born May 13, 1957)<ref name="Curr Bio">{{cite book|title=Current Biography Yearbook 2011|year=2011|publisher=H.W. Wilson|location=Ipswich, MA|isbn=9780824211219|pages=[https://archive.org/details/currentbiography0000unse_z0h6/page/36 36–40]|chapter=Ball, Alan|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/currentbiography0000unse_z0h6/page/36}}</ref> is an American writer and director for film and television. Ball is best known for writing the screenplay for the dramedy film ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'' (1999), for which he won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] at the [[72nd Academy Awards]] ceremony. He also created the [[HBO]] drama series ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' (2001–2005) and ''[[True Blood]]'' (2008–2014), and served as an executive producer on the [[Cinemax]] action drama series ''[[Banshee (TV series)|Banshee]]'' (2013–2016). He wrote and directed the films ''[[Towelhead (film)|Towelhead]]'' (2007) and ''[[Uncle Frank (film)|Uncle Frank]]'' (2020).

==Early life==
Ball was born in [[Marietta, Georgia]] to Frank and Mary Ball, both of whom were aircraft inspectors. His older sister, Mary Ann, was killed in a car accident when Ball was 13; he was in the passenger seat at the time.<ref>Waxman, Sharon. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2002/05/26/alan-balls-life-after-death/47492a0b-169b-4e13-8663-6d8747fc6a20/ "Alan Ball's Life After Death"] ''The Washington Post''. May 26, 2002.</ref> He attended Marietta High School in [[Marietta, Georgia]] and went to college at the [[University of Georgia]] and [[Florida State University]]. Ball graduated from Florida State in 1980 with a degree in [[theater arts]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ball, Alan (b. 1957)|url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/ball_a.html|access-date=May 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305035949/http://www.glbtq.com/arts/ball_a.html|archive-date=March 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Devaney|first=Sheila|title=Alan Ball (b. 1957)|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1519|access-date=May 16, 2013|archive-date=February 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201015533/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1519|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After college, Ball began work as a playwright at the General Nonsense Theater Company in [[Sarasota, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Alan Ball|url=http://sohryu.nu/eric/introduction/alan-ball/|access-date=May 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614184910/http://sohryu.nu/eric/introduction/alan-ball/|archive-date=June 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career==
Ball broke into television as a writer and story editor on the sitcoms ''[[Grace Under Fire]]'' and ''[[Cybill]]''.<ref>{{IMDb name|50332|Alan Ball}}. {{Retrieved|access-date=May 6, 2013}}</ref>

Ball wrote two film scripts that ended up in [[development hell]] prior to ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'' (1999).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|title=Nominees speak out|date=February 15, 2000|last1=Ault|first1=Susanne|last2=Bing|first2=Jonathan}}</ref> He won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] for ''American Beauty''. He has written two further films: ''[[Towelhead (film)|Towelhead]]'' (2007) and ''[[Uncle Frank (film)|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 (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' and ''[[True Blood]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37331/true-blood-minisode-2-now-available|title=True Blood Minisode No. 2 Now Available|newspaper=Dread Central |date=September 12, 2012|last1=Barton |first1=Steve }}</ref> Ball was the [[showrunner]] for ''True Blood'' for its first five seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2012/02/27/true-blood-creator-alan-ball-leaving-season-6/|title=True Blood Boss Alan Ball to Step Down as Showrunner After Season 5|work=TV Line|last=Gelman|first=Vlada|date=February 27, 2012|access-date=April 20, 2012}}</ref>

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]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/18306/alan-ball-to-point-out-all-signs-of-death-for-hbo/|title=Alan Ball to Point Out All Signs of Death for HBO|website=dreadcentral.com|date=July 12, 2010|access-date=December 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20867|title=TV: 'Six Feet Under' Creator Discovers 'All Signs of Death'|date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> In December 2010, after several months of pre-production, HBO cancelled production.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/signs-death-doa-hbo-57936 |title='All Signs of Death' DOA at HBO|author=James Hibberd | work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

Ball was one of the executive producers of the [[Cinemax]] series ''[[Banshee (TV series)|Banshee]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/alan-ball-true-bloods-loss-is-banshees-gain-8578637.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420094118/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/alan-ball-true-bloods-loss-is-banshees-gain-8578637.html |archive-date=2013-04-20 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Alan Ball: True Blood's loss is Banshee's gain|date=April 19, 2013|work=The Independent|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref>

In July 2016, it was announced that Ball's family drama ''[[Here and Now (2018 TV series)|Here and Now]]'' had been ordered to series by [[HBO]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=HBO Orders New Alan Ball Series, Extends Overall Deal With 'Six Feet Under' Creator|url=https://deadline.com/2016/07/hbo-orders-alan-ball-series-extends-overall-deal-six-feed-under-1201795368/|access-date=August 13, 2017|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=July 29, 2016}}</ref> Starring [[Tim Robbins]] and [[Holly Hunter]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Petski|first1=Denise|title='Chance' Casts David Barrera; Marwan Salama Joins Alan Ball's HBO Drama Series|url=https://deadline.com/2017/08/chance-casts-david-barrera-marwan-salama-alan-ball-hbo-drama-series-1202145950/|access-date=August 13, 2017|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=August 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=Tim Robbins To Star in Alan Ball's Family Drama Series For HBO|url=https://deadline.com/2017/02/tim-robbins-co-star-alan-ball-family-drama-series-hbo-holly-hunter-1201917612/|access-date=August 13, 2017|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 21, 2017}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.spiritualteachers.org/alan_ball.htm |title=Alan Ball Interview |publisher= Spiritualteachers.org |access-date=May 27, 2011}}</ref> Ball also discussed how his Buddhism shaped themes in ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' and ''[[True Blood]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Parsi |first=Novid |url=http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/tv/55541/blood-on-his-hands |title= Blood on his hands – Arts + Culture – Time Out Chicago |work= Time Out |date=September 1, 2008 |access-date=May 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jul-18-la-ca-true-blood-20100718-story.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100723011513/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/18/entertainment/la-ca-true-blood-20100718/4 | url-status= live | archive-date= July 23, 2010 | title='True Blood' runs through Alan Ball | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Gina | last=Piccalo | date=July 18, 2010}}</ref>

Ball is gay and has been called "a strong voice for [the] [[LGBT]] community".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Robinson|first1=Charlotte|title=Alan Ball's LGBT Vision: Audio Interview|url=http://voices.outtakeonline.com/2008/08/alan-balls-lgbt-vision-audio-interview.html|website=Outtake|access-date=May 3, 2015|date=September 5, 2008|quote=He is also openly gay & a strong voice for our LGBT community.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Delaney|first1=Sam|title=TV preview: True Blood|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/jul/11/true-blood-tv-preview|access-date=May 3, 2015|work=The Guardian|date=July 11, 2009|quote=Ball has been lauded as a strong and significant voice for the American gay community.}}</ref> In 2008, he made [[Out Magazine|''Out'' magazine]]'s annual list of the 100 most impressive gay men and women.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://out.com/out100_2008/nominees_32.asp |title=Out Magazine | Out 100 2008 |publisher=Out.com |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |archive-date=September 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930142033/http://out.com/out100_2008/nominees_32.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Accolades==
For his work in television and film, Ball has received critical acclaim and numerous awards and nominations, including an [[Academy Award]], an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] a [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]], and awards from the [[Writers Guild of America Award|Writers]], [[Directors Guild of America Award|Directors]], and [[Producers Guild of America Award|Producers]] Guilds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37925/alan-ball-gets-set-true-blood-season-3|title=Alan Ball Gets 'Set' for True Blood Season 3| first= Matt |last=Serafini | date= June 9, 2010| work= dreadcentral.com}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}
;Awards
* 2000 [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] – ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]''
* 2000 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]  – ''American Beauty''
* 2000 [[Writers Guild of America Award]] for Best Original Screenplay – ''American Beauty''
* 2002 [[Directors Guild of America Award]] for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under''
* 2002 [[Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series – ''Six Feet Under''
* 2004 [[Producers Guild of America Award]] for Dramatic Series – ''Six Feet Under''
{{col-2}}
;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''
{{col-end}}

==Works==

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''[[Grace Under Fire]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | "The Road to Paris, Texas"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1994
| {{plainlist|
*Teleplay
*Story, with Brett Butler }}
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Grace vs. Wade"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1994
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "A Night at the Opera"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Memphis Bound"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Writer, with Marc Flanagan
|
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''[[Cybill]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | "Zing!"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Teleplay, with Lee Aronsohn
|
|-
! scope="row" | "To Sir, with Lust"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1996
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Three Women and a Dummy"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1996
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Venice or Bust"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1996
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Buffalo Gals"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1996
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Name That Tune"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Teleplay, with Michael Langworthy
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Mother's Day"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Story
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Regarding Henry"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Story
| Season 4 premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "Halloween"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Teleplay, with Mark Hudis
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Where's a Harpoon When You Need One?"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Teleplay, with Kim Friese
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Bakersfield"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Story
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Oh Brother!"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Teleplay, with Mark Hudis
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Dream Date"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Story
|
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''[[Oh, Grow Up]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | "Pilot"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Writer
| Series premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "Good Pop, Bad Pop"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Writer
|
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | "Pilot"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| {{plainlist|
*Writer
*Director }}
| Series premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "An Open Book"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Knock Knock"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| {{plainlist|
*Writer
*Director }}
| Season 1 finale
|-
! scope="row" | "In The Game"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Writer
| Season 2 premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "Someone Else's Eyes"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "The Last Time"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Director
| Season 2 finale
|-
! scope="row" | "Perfect Circles"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Writer
| Season 3 premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "Nobody Sleeps"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Writer, with Rick Cleveland
|
|-
! scope="row" | "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Director
| Season 3 finale
|-
! scope="row" | "Can I Come Up Now?"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Untitled"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Director
| Season 4 finale
|-
! scope="row" | "Everyone's Waiting"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| {{plainlist|
*Writer
*Director }}
| Series finale
|}
[[File:Anna Paquin & Alan Ball (7605747414).jpg|thumb|right|Ball with ''True Blood'' star [[Anna Paquin]] in July 2012]]
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ ''[[True Blood]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | "Strange Love"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| {{plainlist|
*Writer
*Director }}
| Series premiere
|-
! scope="row" | "The First Taste"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Mine"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "You'll Be the Death of Me"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Director
| [[True Blood (season 1)|Season 1]] finale
|-
! scope="row" | "Shake and Fingerpop"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Frenzy"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Evil is Going On"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Writer
| [[True Blood (season 3)|Season 3]] finale
|-
! scope="row" | "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Spellbound"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Hopeless"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Save Yourself"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Writer
| [[True Blood (season 5)|Season 5]] finale
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+''[[Here and Now (2018 TV series)|Here and Now]]''
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row"| "Eleven Eleven"
| style="text-align:center;" | 2018
|{{plainlist|
*Writer
*Director }}
| Series premiere
|-
! scope="row"| "It's Coming"
| style="text-align:center;" | 2018
| Writer
|
|-
! scope="row"| "It's Here"
| style="text-align:center;" | 2018
| Writer
|
|}

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]''
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| {{plainlist|
*Writer
*Co-producer }}
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Towelhead (film)|Towelhead]]''
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007
| {{plainlist|
*Screenwriter
*Director }}
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (film)|The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks]]''
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| {{plainlist|
*Executive producer }}
| Television film
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Uncle Frank (film)|Uncle Frank]]''
| style="text-align:center;"| 2020
| {{plainlist|
*Screenwriter
*Director }}
|
|}

===Theatre===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Credit
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Five Women Wearing the Same Dress]]''
| style="text-align:center;"| 1993
| {{plainlist|
*Playwright}}
|<ref name="iobd">{{iobdb name|8578|Alan Ball}}. {{retrieved|access-date=May 6, 2013}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''All That I Will Ever Be''
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007
| {{plainlist|
*Author}}
|<ref name="iobd"/>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite interview | subject=Alan Ball | interviewer=Tamara Palmer | title=SF Weekly Interview: Alan Ball | url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2008/09/interview_alan_ball.php | type=transcript | work=SF Weekly | date=September 9, 2008 | access-date=September 11, 2008}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | author=Linda Rapp | title=Ball, Alan (b. 1957) | url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/ball_a.html | encyclopedia=glbt Encyclopedia | date=February 12, 2007 | access-date=September 11, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821174640/http://glbtq.com/arts/ball_a.html | archive-date=August 21, 2008 | url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|50332|Alan Ball}}
* {{iobdb name|8578|Alan Ball}}
* {{emmytvlegends name|alan-ball|Alan Ball}}

{{Alan Ball}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Alan Ball
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScreenplay 1981-2000}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaOutstandingDirectingDramaSeries 1990–2009}}
{{EmmyAward DirectingDrama 2001-2025}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestScreenplayMotionPicture 1981-2000}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

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