Inspired by his father’s career as a boat builder, Carroll Ballard set his eye on becoming a car designer. While at ArtCenter College of Design, he became disenchanted with the design, dropped out of school and joined the Army, where he developed a passion for still cameras and film. Following the Army, he enrolled in UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television intending to study cinematography, but quickly transitioned to directing. After graduating, he directed several acclaimed shorts, including Pigs! (1965), Beyond This Winter’s Wheat (1965), Harvest (1967), which earned him an Academy Award nomination, The Perils of Priscilla (1969), and Rodeo (1969), among others. He transitioned to features when Francis Ford Coppola, a fellow UCLA alumnus, offered him the chance to direct The Black Stallion. In addition to The Black Stallion, he has directed the features Never Cry Wolf (1983), Nutcracker (1986), Wind (1992), Fly Away Home (1996) and Duma (2005).
Ballard has been a member of the Guild since 1977.