Frank Ballard

Frank W. Ballard
Frank Ballard in 1974
Born(1929-12-07)December 7, 1929
DiedJune 4, 2010(2010-06-04) (aged 80)
Alma materUniversity of Illinois (MA)
Shurtleff College (BA)
Occupation(s)Puppeteer, educator
EmployerUniversity of Connecticut

Frank Willard Ballard (December 7, 1929 – June 4, 2010) was an American puppeteer and educator. Serving as Professor of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut from 1956 to 1989, Ballard developed internationally renowned programs for puppetry education. The university-operated Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry was named in his honor. The museum opened in 1996 and was moved to a prominent new location in the downtown business district of Storrs near the main UConn campus in 2014.