Sound Of Freedom family includes Tim Ballard and his wife Katherine Ballard and their kids. Tim and Katherine have seven biological and two adopted children.
The action flick Sound of Freedom has become a nuisance for Lucas Films executives just because the film produced by a relatively unknown studio is giving tough competition to Indiana Jones 5 at the box office. The film made headlines after making a first-day box office collection higher than the fifth-day collection of Indy 5.
The movie tells the story of an ex-government agent named Tim Ballard. The plot follows Tim as he goes on a seemingly impossible mission to rescue kids from a sex trafficking mafia in Colombia.
Directed by Alejandro Monteverde and produced by Eduardo Verastegui, the film was made on a modest budget of $14.5 million. It was released after Angel Studios generated over $5 million through crowd-funding.
The July 4 release made over $14.2 million in opening day box office collection. The movie has also used the “Pay It Forward” scheme where people can buy tickets for strangers. As per the makers, the scheme brought over $2.6 million in revenue. Meanwhile, Disney-affiliated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny only raked in about $12 million on the Independence day holiday.
Tim Ballard Family on Sound of Freedom
Sound of Freedom family consists of special agent Tim Ballard, his wife Katherine, and their nine children. The Ballard couple had six children when the story of the movie took place.
Now they have altogether nine children, including the two adopted ones. Their family includes two kids bought by Tim during a Haitian sting operation.
As of 2023, many members of Ballard’s family are actively involved in the non-profit organization, Operation Undercover Railroad (OUR). OUR director Todd Reynolds is Tim’s brother-in-law.
Similarly, his sister Julianne Blake is also an OUR director. Moreover, Tim’s sister-in-law Tevya Ware is the CFO of the organization, whereas Todd’s brother Mark Reynolds works as the Secretary.
Sound of Freedom tells the story of Tim Ballard, a former Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security. He worked as an undercover agent for 12 years to infiltrate crimes against children.
In 2012, Tim was told to distance himself from two cases that he had closely followed. When his ethics didn’t allow him to quit, he decided to resign from his job and work as a vigilante.
The character of Tim is played by American actor Jim Caviezel. Jim is best known for playing Jesus Christ in the 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ. Likewise, the role of Tim’s wife Katherine is played by actress Mira Sorvino.
The supporting cast of the film includes Kurt Fuller as Frost, Gary Basaraba as Earl Buchanan, Bill Camp as Vampiro, Gerardo Taracena as El Alacran, and more.
Tim comes from a deeply religious family. He is a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called the Mormon Church.
Also, learn about the real family from The Glass Castle movie.
He Is Married To Katherine Ballard
Tim Ballard wife Katherine Ballard is his support system for over two decades. Katherine married the former US government agent in 1998.
Tim often credits his wife for playing a crucial role in the formation of Operation Underground Railroad. The former Homeland Security agent regularly mentions that the organization would not have existed without Katherine.
Like her husband, Katherine is also actively involved in work related to social reforms. She established a foundation called Children Need Families, which was eventually taken over by OUR.
Tim and Katherine first met in 1998 when they studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The couple started dating soon and eventually got married.
As Tim grew frustrated by his limited authority and wanted to quit his job at Homeland Security, he didn’t expect Katherine to support him. However, Katherine was sympathetic to his cause and didn’t want her husband to worry about the financial consequences if he quit the job.
Katherine fully supported his decision to leave his job with Homeland Security. She has also been actively involved with OUR and works for the well-being of at-risk children.
The Couple Has Nine Kids
Tim Ballard kids are Blain Ballard, James Ballard, Samuel Ballard, Jada Ballard, Trey Ballard, Dallin Ballard, and Lexi Ballard. Tim also adopted Colin and Coline.
The Ballard couple’s seven biological children are named:
- Blain Ballard
- James Ballard
- Samuel Ballard
- Jada Ballard
- Trey Ballard
- Dallin Ballard
- Lexi Ballard
Moreover, Tim and Katherine have also adopted two kids from Haiti named Colin and Coline.
When Tim was on a mission to rescue a Utah child named Gardy, he pretended to be a buyer and visited an orphanage that was known to be a front for child trafficking.
There, he came across siblings named Colin and Coline. Even after the orphanage was shut down, Ballard couldn’t get the kids out of his mind.
Tim regularly visited Colin and Coline for the next years before he and his wife Katherine decided to adopt them and raise them as their own. The adoption process was completed in 2018.
As of 2023, some of Tim’s eldest children work alongside him at Operation Underground Railroad. His son Blain is a former rugby player and an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Is Sound of Freedom Real?
Sound of Freedom true story is a little less dramatic in the real life than portrayed in the movie. Overall, the 2023 film is not just a work of fiction.
The makers of Sound of Freedom have taken the creative liberty to add drama to the film. But, the movie is primarily based on the remarkable works done by Tim Ballard.
Many of the scenes depicted in the film actually happened in the real world, including the rescue operation scene in Colombia. Further, many of the characters are based on real individuals although their names have been changed. For instance, the character of Giselle is inspired by a former model and beauty pageant contestant named Kelly Johana Suarez.
Similarly, the characters of Vampiro, Fuego, and Rocio are also based on real people. But, in reality, Vampiro was not incarcerated and Rocio was not rescued by Tim from the jungles of Colombia.
Sound of Freedom real story also differs in the number of people Tim murdered. The film falsely shows Ballard killing a person to rescue a kid. However, Tim hasn’t killed anybody in real life.