Bob Balaban
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.
140 acting credits · 26 directing credits
Acting · 140
The Simpsons
1989
American Dad!
2005
Friends
1994
Seinfeld
1989
The Good Wife
2009
The West Wing
1999
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Miami Vice
1984
Love, American Style
1969
Entourage
2004
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
2014
Severance
2022
Summer Camp Island
2018
Amazing Stories
1985
Girls
2012
Broad City
2014
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
1995
Room 222
1969
The Mod Squad
1968
Space Force
2020
The Grand Budapest Hotel
2014
Maude
1972
Condor
2018
Tom Goes to the Mayor
2004
Alpha House
2013
Web Therapy
2008
Web Therapy
2011
Fridays
1980
The Politician
2019
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
Graves
2016
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
2018
Isle of Dogs
2018
Now and Again
1999
Asteroid City
2023
The Tuxedo
2002
Show Me a Hero
2015
No Reservations
2007
China, IL
2011
The Chair
2021
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
2021
Gosford Park
2001
Wormwood
2017
The Monuments Men
2014
Moonrise Kingdom
2012
Midnight Cowboy
1969
The Majestic
2001
2010
1984
Family Tree
2013
Legend
1995
The Mexican
2001
Spielberg
2017
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
2010
Hank
1965
Lady in the Water
2006
Ghost World
2001
Best in Show
2000
Little Man Tate
1991
Catch-22
1970
80 for Brady
2023
Altered States
1980
For Love or Money
1993
Cradle Will Rock
1999
Deconstructing Harry
1997
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
1994
Capote
2005
Alice
1990
Absence of Malice
1981
Howl
2010
Prince of the City
1981
Fantasy Life
2026
Clockwatchers
1997
License to Wed
2007
For Your Consideration
2006
Bob Roberts
1992
Hopeless Pictures
2005
Fading Gigolo
2013
Waiting for Guffman
1997
Greedy
1994
Recount
2008
Jakob the Liar
1999
The Making of Gosford Park
2002
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
2013
Three to Tango
1999
Rage
2009
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
2016
Trust the Man
2005
Me, Natalie
1969
Thin Ice
2012
A Mighty Wind
2003
Mascots
2016
Dead Bang
1989
Amos & Andrew
1993
Girl Most Likely
2012
Everything Is Copy
2015
The Late Shift
1996
Swing Vote
1999
Starring Austin Pendleton
2016
Dedication
2007
Mike Nichols: An American Master
2016
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
2015
Report to the Commissioner
1975
The Monster Hunter
1999
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
1981
The Bank Shot
1974
Hitchcock/Truffaut
2015
Making It
1971
Nothing Lasts Forever
1984
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
1984
Marie and Bruce
2004
Plan B
2002
F--k
2010
The Definite Maybe
1997
Bad Actors
2024
The Strawberry Statement
1970
Marriage: Year One
1971
Giving Up the Ghost
1998
End of the Line
1987
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
2001
Pie in the Sky
1996
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
2006
Girlfriends
1978
The Five Stages of Grief
2011
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
2023
Funny
1988
George Romero's Golden Tales 2
1995
Carl Laemmle
2019
Prince of the City: The Real Story
2007
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
2022
Unnatural Pursuits
1992
The Face of Fear
1990
How Moving
2021
Scene Stealers
2004
The Windmill Movie
2009
Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo
2004
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
2000
Conversation with the Beast
1997
An L.A. Minute
2018
Eva Hesse
2016
Do You Like to Read?
2012
Directing · 26
Oz
1997
Amazing Stories
1985
The Twilight Zone
2002
Nurse Jackie
2009
Maude
1972
Strangers with Candy
1999
Alpha House
2013
Eerie, Indiana
1991
Graves
2016
Now and Again
1999
Swingtown
2008
Legend
1995
Subway Stories
1997
Bernard and Doris
2006
My Boyfriend's Back
1993
Parents
1989
Georgia O'Keeffe
2009
We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss
2014
Tales from the Darkside
1990
The Brass Ring
1983
The Exonerated
2006
Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread
1987
The Last Good Time
1994
George Romero's Golden Tales 3
1995
Trick or Treat
1983
The Wedding Toast
1999