Alan Ball's first produced feature film screenplay, 'American Beauty", won him the 1999 Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay. The film also brought him honors in the same category from the Writers Guild of America and the Golden Globe Awards, among others.
Ball's work has been primarily in television, he serves as the creator, co-executive producer and writer of the critically acclaimed HBO series "Six Feet Under". He has also served as creator, head writer and executive producer of the series "Oh Grow Up." His other writing credits include the hit shows "Cybill" (which he also co-executive produced) and "Grace Under Fire."
Ball's roots are in the theater. He has written numerous comedic plays, including "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, "The M Word", "Made for a Women", "The Two Mrs. Trumps", "Bachelor Holiday", "The Amazing Adventures of a Tense Guy", "Your Mothers Butt" and "Power Lunch." He was a founding member of the theater company Alarm Dog Rep, where he wrote, acted in and directed a variety of plays and revues. Ball was born in Atlanta and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He attended Florida State University, where he majored in theater, with an emphasis in acting and play writing. After college, he moved to New York, where he first worked as an art director for various trade publications.