What Is Alan Ball's Net Worth?
Alan Ball is an American screenwriter, playwright, director, and producer with a net worth of $40 million. Ball is recognized for his Academy Award-winning screenplay for the 1999 film "American Beauty." He has also created successful TV series like HBO's "Six Feet Under" (2001–2005), "True Blood" (2008–2014), "Here and Now" (2018), and the ABC sitcom "Oh, Grow Up" (1999). Ball served as a writer and executive producer on all these shows and directed many episodes. His theatrical works include plays such as "Cherokee County" (1985), "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" (1993), and "All That I Will Ever Be" (2007). Additionally, he has contributed to TV series like "Grace Under Fire" (1994–1995) and "Cybill" (1995–1998). Ball has written, directed, and produced films such as "Towelhead" (2007) and "Uncle Frank" (2020) and produced the TV movie "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" (2017).
Early Life
Alan Ball was born on May 13, 1957, in Marietta, Georgia, to Mary Ball, a homemaker, and Frank Ball, an aircraft inspector. He had a sister, Mary Ann, who tragically died in a car accident when she was 22, an event that profoundly impacted him. After high school, Ball attended the University of Georgia and later graduated with a degree in theater arts from Florida State University in 1980. He then worked with Sarasota's General Nonsense Theater Company as a playwright.
Career
Alan Ball started his career as a writer for the ABC sitcom "Grace Under Fire" in 1994, contributing several episodes. From 1995 to 1998, he wrote for CBS's "Cybill." In 1999, he created the ABC sitcom "Oh, Grow Up" and wrote the screenplay for "American Beauty," which won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film grossed $356.3 million on a $15 million budget. He followed this success by creating "Six Feet Under," a critically acclaimed HBO series that aired from 2001 to 2005, winning multiple awards including a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama in 2002.
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Ball then wrote, directed, and produced the film "Towelhead" in 2007. He created "True Blood" for HBO, which aired from 2008 to 2014, earning several accolades including a GLAAD Media Award and People's Choice Awards. He also executive produced "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Alan's later works include the HBO drama "Here and Now" and the Amazon Studios film "Uncle Frank," both of which received critical acclaim and awards.
Personal Life
Alan Ball is openly gay and has been in a relationship with actor Peter Macdissi since the early 2000s. Macdissi has appeared in several of Ball's projects, including "Towelhead," "Here and Now," and "Uncle Frank." Ball is a practicing Buddhist and has stated that his faith significantly influences his work. The inspiration for the iconic plastic bag scene in "American Beauty" came from a personal experience he had, which reflects his belief in finding the miraculous within the mundane.
Awards and Nominations
Alan Ball has received numerous awards and nominations throughout his career. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "American Beauty" and received multiple other awards for the film. His HBO series "Six Feet Under" garnered nine Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Ball also earned awards and nominations for "True Blood," "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," and "Uncle Frank." He has been recognized by various organizations, including the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and received special honors such as the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Real Estate
In October 2014, Alan Ball purchased Sheryl Crow's 10-acre Hollywood Hills compound for $11.085 million. In March 2016, he listed his Hollywood Hills home for $8.5 million. The property featured a guesthouse, gym, swimming pool, pool house, aviary, library, and home theater, and it sold for $7.115 million in July 2017.
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