Lucien Ballard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lucien Ballard
Born	(1908-05-06)May 6, 1908 Miami, Oklahoma
Died	October 1, 1988(1988-10-01) (aged 80) Rancho Mirage, California
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1929–1978
Spouse(s)	Margaret McLellan ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1944)​ Merle Oberon ​ ​ (m. 1945; div. 1949)​ Inez Ethel Pokorny ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	4

Lucien Ballard (May 6, 1908 – October 1, 1988) was a famous American cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of the camera and lighting on a film set. They decide how a movie looks. Lucien worked on over 130 films during his 50-year career. He often worked with well-known directors like Josef von Sternberg, Henry Hathaway, Sam Peckinpah, and Tom Gries. He was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the movie The Caretakers in 1963.

Biography

Early Life and Starting in Movies

Lucien Ballard was born in Miami, Oklahoma, in 1908. His mother, Ada, was Cherokee, and Lucien was part Cherokee. He went to the University of Oklahoma and the University of Pennsylvania. After college, he worked as a surveyor, which means he measured land.

In 1929, Lucien started working at Paramount Pictures. He got into the film business after dating a script woman there. He once joked that a party at actress Clara Bow's house made him realize movies were for him! He began by loading trucks and then trained to be a camera assistant. He worked with famous cinematographer Lee Garmes on the film Morocco in 1930.

Working with Josef von Sternberg

Director Josef von Sternberg gave Lucien credit as a second cameraman on The Devil is a Woman (1935). They even won an award together at the Venice Film Festival in 1935 for Best Cinematography. Von Sternberg then promoted Lucien to director of photography for Crime and Punishment (1935) and The King Steps Out (1936).

Experimenting with Film Techniques

After working on a few more big films, Lucien started shooting many "B movies." These were smaller, less expensive films. He enjoyed working on them because it gave him the freedom to try out different lenses and filters. This helped him learn and experiment with new ways to make movies look good. He even filmed some comedies with The Three Stooges!

The "Obie" Light Invention

Lucien met actress Merle Oberon while filming The Lodger in 1944. They got married in 1945. He filmed four more movies with her. After Merle was in a serious car accident, she had some facial scarring. Lucien invented a special light called the "Obie." This light was attached to the camera and shone directly on an actor's face. It helped to reduce the appearance of blemishes and wrinkles. The "Obie" became very popular and was used widely in the film industry.

Lucien also worked on Howard Hughes's film The Outlaw (1941). He helped with screen tests and assisted the main cinematographer. He also worked on Laura (1944).

Collaborations with Directors

Lucien had strong working relationships with many directors. He worked with Henry Hathaway on five films, including Prince Valiant (1954) and True Grit (1969). For True Grit, filmed in beautiful Southwest Colorado, Lucien received much praise for his camera work.

He also made six films with Budd Boetticher, such as The Killer Is Loose (1956) and The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960). He worked with Raoul Walsh on three films and with Roy Ward Baker on three films, including Inferno (1953), which is known for its great color 3D effects. He even worked with famous director Stanley Kubrick on The Killing (1956).

Awards and Later Career

Lucien was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on The Caretakers in 1963.

Another very important partnership was with director Sam Peckinpah. They worked together on many films, including the TV series The Westerner (1960), Ride the High Country (1962), and the classic western The Wild Bunch (1969). Lucien won an award from the National Society of Film Critics for Best Cinematography for The Wild Bunch.

He also teamed up with Tom Gries for five films, like Will Penny (1968) and Breakheart Pass (1976). His last feature film was Rabbit Test (1978), which starred Billy Crystal in his first movie role.

Lucien Ballard passed away in 1988 at the age of 80, after being involved in a car accident.

Personal life

Lucien Ballard was married three times. His first marriage was to Margaret J McLellan, and they had two daughters, Zoe and Pamela. He later married actress Merle Oberon, but their marriage ended in 1949. In 1949, he married Inez Pokorny. Inez was an adventurous traveler and photographer. She was known for being one of the first women to explore the Amazon River from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Inez died in a car accident in 1982. Lucien had two sons, Christopher and Anthony, from his third marriage.

Partial filmography