Daniel Paul Ballard was born on November 5 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is the son of A.D. and Connie and has a brother, 'Nick Ballard' who is also an actor. His parents owned a pipelining company in Louisiana where he and his brother worked during the summers while in school. Daniel started acting when he was in his late teens and attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he majored in Theatre. He started to transition into film during this time. After graduating he then was accepted into the Masters program at Texas Tech University. Daniel graduated with an MFA in acting and directing, then started to work in Texas on several films as an actor and directing his first film, Alike in Dignity. He worked in Louisiana and Texas briefly before moving to Los Angeles and is now acting, directing, producing, and writing. He is known for his roles in White Trash, Piece by Piece and Indestructibles.