
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