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Bob Balaban
Acting
Biography
Robert Elmer Balaban, Born: August 16, 1945, Chicago, Illinois, U.S (Height: 5' 5" [1.65 m]). is an American actor, author, comedian, director, and producer. He is best known for his appearances in the Christopher Guest mockumentary comedies Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), as well as his roles in the films Midnight Cowboy (1969), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Altered States (1980), 2010 (1984), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and Capote (2005). Balaban has also directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films. He is also an author of children's novels.
Balaban began his ca…
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Robert Elmer Balaban, Born: August 16, 1945, Chicago, Illinois, U.S (Height: 5' 5" [1.65 m]). is an American actor, author, comedian, director, and producer. He is best known for his appearances in the Christopher Guest mockumentary comedies Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), as well as his roles in the films Midnight Cowboy (1969), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Altered States (1980), 2010 (1984), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and Capote (2005). Balaban has also directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films. He is also an author of children's novels. Balaban began his career in the 1960s, appearing in small roles in films and television shows. He made his breakthrough role in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, playing a young hustler who befriends an aging rodeo cowboy. In the 1970s, Balaban appeared in a number of popular films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Altered States (1980), and 2010 (1984). He also continued to work in television, appearing in recurring roles on the shows Lou Grant and Designing Women. In the 1990s, Balaban began a long and fruitful collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Guest. He appeared in all of Guest's mockumentary comedies, including Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). Balaban's performances in these films were widely praised, and he earned a reputation as one of the most reliable comedic actors in Hollywood. In addition to his work in film and television, Balaban has also directed three feature films: The Last Shot (1999), Bernie (2011), and A Little Help (2010). He is also a successful author of children's novels, and he has won several awards for his writing. Balaban is a respected and versatile actor who has enjoyed a long and successful career in the entertainment industry. He is known for his sharp wit, his impeccable comedic timing, and his ability to create memorable characters. He is a true Renaissance man, and he is sure to continue to entertain audiences for many years to come. Balaban has been nominated for numerous awards throughout his career. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, for his work on the television shows Lou Grant and Designing Women. He has also been nominated for two Tony Awards, for his performances in the Broadway plays The Norman Conquests and The Plough and the Stars. Balaban is a recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Balaban is married to Lynn Grossman, and they have two children together. He is a resident of New York City.
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BODY OF WORK
Bob Balaban's Filmography
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Fantasy Life
as Lenny
Bad Actors
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
as Self
Asteroid City
as Larkings Executive
80 for Brady
as Mark
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
as Uncle Nick
How Moving
as Uncle Aaron
Carl Laemmle
as Himself
An L.A. Minute
as Shelley
Isle of Dogs
as King (voice)
Spielberg
as Self
Mike Nichols: An American Master
as Self
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
as Mr. Waxcap
Mascots
as Sol Lumpkin
Eva Hesse
as Wilhelm Hesse (voice)
Starring Austin Pendleton
as Self
Everything Is Copy
as Self
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
as Self / The Narrator
Hitchcock/Truffaut
as Narrator (voice)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
as M. Martin
The Monuments Men
as Pvt. Preston Savitz
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
as Lawyer (uncredited)
Fading Gigolo
as Sol
Girl Most Likely
as Maxwell
Do You Like to Read?
as The Narrator
Moonrise Kingdom
as The Narrator
Thin Ice
as Leonard Dahl
The Five Stages of Grief
as Voice of Daniel's father
Howl
as Judge Clayton Horn
F--k
as Bob
Rage
as Mr. White
The Windmill Movie
as Self
Recount
as Ben Ginsberg
Dedication
as Arthur Planck
License to Wed
as Jewelry Store Clerk (uncredited)
No Reservations
as Therapist
Prince of the City: The Real Story
as Self / Santimassino
For Your Consideration
as Philip Koontz
Lady in the Water
as Harry Farber
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
as Self
Capote
as William Shawn
Trust the Man
as Tobey's Therapist
Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo
as Self
Scene Stealers
as Jonathan Crouch Esq.
Marie and Bruce
as Roger
A Mighty Wind
as Jonathan Steinbloom
The Tuxedo
as Winton Chalmers (uncredited)
The Making of Gosford Park
as Self
Plan B
as James Foster
Gosford Park
as Morris Weissman
The Majestic
as Elvin Glyde
Ghost World
as Enid's Dad
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
as Self
The Mexican
as Nayman
Best in Show
as Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
as Tex
Cradle Will Rock
as Harry Hopkins
Three to Tango
as Decker
Jakob the Liar
as Kowalsky
Swing Vote
as Justice Eli MacCorckle
The Monster Hunter
as Dr. William Powell
Giving Up the Ghost
as Bob
Deconstructing Harry
as Richard
The Definite Maybe
as Wolfe Rollins
Clockwatchers
as Milton Lasky
Conversation with the Beast
as Mr. Webster
Waiting for Guffman
as Lloyd Miller
The Late Shift
as Warren Littlefield
Pie in the Sky
as Paul Entamen
Golden Tales 2
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
as Dr. Jeffrey Sanborn (uncredited)
Greedy
as Ed
For Love or Money
as Ed Drinkwater
Amos & Andrew
as Dr. R. A. (Roy) Fink
Bob Roberts
as Cutting Edge Producer
Unnatural Pursuits
as Lou Finkleberg
Little Man Tate
as Quizmaster
Alice
as Sid Moscowitz
The Face of Fear
as Ira Preduski
Dead Bang
as Elliott Webley
Funny
as Self
End of the Line
as Warren Gerber
2010
as Dr. R. Chandra
Nothing Lasts Forever
as Guy with Sunglasses in Espresso Bar
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
as Himself
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
as Carter Hill
Absence of Malice
as Elliott Rosen
Prince of the City
as Santimassino
Altered States
as Arthur Rosenberg
Girlfriends
as Martin
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
as David Laughlin
Report to the Commissioner
as Joey Egan
The Bank Shot
as Victor Karp
Marriage: Year One
as Bernie
Making It
as Wilkie
The Strawberry Statement
as Elliot
Catch-22
as Capt. Orr
Me, Natalie
as Morris
Midnight Cowboy
as The Young Student