---
name: "Lucien Ballard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/lucien-ballard"
fi1m_id: "lucien-ballard"
imdb_id: "nm0005644"
tmdb_id: 3351
wikidata_id: "Q348093"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "6 May 1908"
died: "1 October 1988"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-26T17:03:50.710899+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lucien Ballard

## Identity

Lucien Ballard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/lucien-ballard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** lucien-ballard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005644
- **TMDB ID:** 3351
- **Wikidata ID:** Q348093
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien_Ballard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q348093, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005644/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3351

Cinematographer. Born 6 May 1908 in Miami, Oklahoma, USA. Died 1 October 1988.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 6 May 1908, Miami, Oklahoma, USA
- **Died:** 1 October 1988
- **Active:** 1932–1969
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 80 (2), 1960s 84 (1)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 2, Romance 2, Western 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien_Ballard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q348093, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005644/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3351

## Biography

Lucien Ballard was an American cinematographer who worked on more than 100 films over a career spanning nearly 50 years. He shot *The Wild Bunch* (1969) for Sam Peckinpah, with whom he collaborated on several projects including *Ride the High Country* (1962), *The Ballad of Cable Hogue* (1970) and *The Getaway* (1972). His other credits include *The Killing* (1956), *The Parent Trap* (1961), *True Grit* (1969) and *The Party* (1968).

Ballard began in the film industry as an assistant cameraman to Lee Garmes on Josef von Sternberg's *Morocco* (1930). He received an Academy Award nomination for *The Caretakers* (1963) and won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography for *The Wild Bunch*. He retired after *Rabbit Test* (1978).

He was born in Miami, Oklahoma, and died on 1 October 1988 in Rancho Mirage, California, following a road accident.

*Sources: nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, tcm.com, okhistory.org.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Wild Bunch* (1969), Fi1m 84, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wild-bunch.md)
- *Love Me Tonight* (1932), Fi1m 84, First Assistant Camera — [page](https://film.one/film/love-me-tonight.md)
- *One Hour with You* (1932), Fi1m 77, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/one-hour-with-you.md)

## Complete filmography (127)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *My Kingdom For...* (1985), Cinematography
- *Rabbit Test* (1978), Director of Photography
- *From Noon Till Three* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Drum* (1976), Director of Photography
- *St. Ives* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Breakheart Pass* (1975), Director of Photography
- *Chat en poche* (1975), Director of Photography
- *Breakout* (1975), Director of Photography
- *The Three Stooges Follies* (1974), Director of Photography
- *Three the Hard Way* (1974), Director of Photography
- *Thomasine & Bushrod* (1974), Director of Photography
- *Lady Ice* (1973), Director of Photography
- *The Getaway* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Arruza* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Junior Bonner* (1972), Director of Photography
- *What's the Matter with Helen?* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Elvis: That's the Way It Is* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Hawaiians* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Ballad of Cable Hogue* (1970), Director of Photography
- *A Time for Dying* (1969), Director of Photography
- *The Wild Bunch* (1969), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wild-bunch.md)
- *True Grit* (1969), Director of Photography
- *La Perruche et le Poulet* (1969), Camera Operator
- *How Sweet It Is!* (1968), Director of Photography
- *The Party* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Will Penny* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Hour of the Gun* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Noon Wine* (1966), Director of Photography
- *At Theatre Tonight* (1966), series, Director of Photography, Cinematography
- *J'y suis, j'y reste* (1966), Cinematography
- *Nevada Smith* (1966), Director of Photography
- *An Eye for an Eye* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Boeing, Boeing* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The Sons of Katie Elder* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Dear Brigitte* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Roustabout* (1964), Director of Photography
- *The New Interns* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Take Her, She's Mine* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Wall of Noise* (1963), Director of Photography
- *The Caretakers* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Ride the High Country* (1962), Director of Photography
- *Susan Slade* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Ricochet* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Marines, Let's Go* (1961), Director of Photography
- *The Parent Trap* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Desire in the Dust* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Westerner* (1960), series, Director of Photography
- *Pay or Die!* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Bramble Bush* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Law of the Plainsman* (1959), series, Director of Photography
- *Al Capone* (1959), Director of Photography
- *City of Fear* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Black Saddle* (1959), series, Director of Photography
- *Murder by Contract* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Anna Lucasta* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Buchanan Rides Alone* (1958), Director of Photography
- *I Married a Woman* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Band of Angels* (1957), Director of Photography
- *The Unholy Wife* (1957), Director of Photography
- *The King and Four Queens* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Killing* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Proud Ones* (1956), Director of Photography
- *A Kiss Before Dying* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Killer Is Loose* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Seven Cities of Gold* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Magnificent Matador* (1955), Director of Photography
- *White Feather* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Raid* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Prince Valiant* (1954), Director of Photography
- *New Faces* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Inferno* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Glory Brigade* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Desert Rats* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Night Without Sleep* (1952), Director of Photography
- *O. Henry's Full House* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Don't Bother to Knock* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Diplomatic Courier* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Return of the Texan* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Fixed Bayonets!* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Let's Make It Legal* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The House on Telegraph Hill* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Berlin Express* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Night Song* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Temptation* (1946), Director of Photography
- *This Love of Ours* (1945), Director of Photography
- *The Lodger* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Holy Matrimony* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Bomber's Moon* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Tonight We Raid Calais* (1943), Director of Photography
- *The Outlaw* (1943), Additional Photography
- *The Undying Monster* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Orchestra Wives* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Moontide* (1942), Additional Director of Photography
- *Wild Geese Calling* (1941), Director of Photography
- *The Villain Still Pursued Her* (1940), Director of Photography
- *No Census, No Feeling* (1940), Cinematography
- *Yes, We Have No Bonanza* (1939), Cinematography
- *Blind Alley* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Outside These Walls* (1939), Director of Photography
- *A Ducking They Did Go* (1939), Cinematography
- *Let Us Live* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Three Little Sew and Sews* (1939), Cinematography
- *Flat Foot Stooges* (1938), Cinematography
- *Violent Is the Word for Curly* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Halfway to Hollywood* (1938), Cinematography
- *Highway Patrol* (1938), Cinematography
- *Penitentiary* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Man Bites Lovebug* (1937), Director of Photography
- *The Shadow* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Life Begins with Love* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Cash and Carry* (1937), Cinematography
- *From Bad to Worse* (1937), Cinematography
- *Devil's Playground* (1937), Cinematography
- *Craig's Wife* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Final Hour* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The King Steps Out* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Crime and Punishment* (1935), Director of Photography
- *The Devil Is a Woman* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Blonde Venus* (1932), Assistant Camera
- *Love Me Tonight* (1932), First Assistant Camera — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/love-me-tonight.md)
- *This Is the Night* (1932), Assistant Camera
- *One Hour with You* (1932), Camera Operator — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/one-hour-with-you.md)
- *The Beloved Bachelor* (1931), Camera Technician
- *Morocco* (1930), Director of Photography, Assistant Camera
- *Monte Carlo* (1930), Camera Operator
- *Dangerous Curves* (1929), Production Assistant

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1964: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Caretakers*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/lucien-ballard