Bob Balaban

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.

Brooklyn, Minnesota
2024
Producer
80 for Brady
2023
Mark
Asteroid City
2023
Larkings Executive
Carl Laemmle
2019
Himself
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
2018
Executive Producer
We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss
2014
Director
The Grand Budapest Hotel
2014
M. Martin
The Monuments Men
2014
Pvt. Preston Savitz
Girl Most Likely
2012
Maxwell
Howl
2010
Judge Clayton Horn
Georgia O'Keeffe
2009
Director
Rage
2009
Mr. White
The Windmill Movie
2009
Self
Recount
2008
Ben Ginsberg
No Reservations
2007
Therapist
Dedication
2007
Arthur Planck
Bernard and Doris
2006
Director
The Exonerated
2006
Director
Lady in the Water
2006
Harry Farber
For Your Consideration
2006
Philip Koontz
Scene Stealers
2004
Jonathan Crouch Esq.
Gosford Park
2001
Producer
Ghost World
2001
Enid's Dad
The Majestic
2001
Elvin Glyde
The Mexican
2001
Bernie Nayman
Best in Show
2000
Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
George Romero's Golden Tales 2
1999
Writer
Jakob the Liar
1999
Kowalsky
The Monster Hunter
1999
Dr. William Powell
Subway Stories
1997
Director
Conversation with the Beast
1997
Mr. Webster
Deconstructing Harry
1997
Richard
Clockwatchers
1997
Milton Lasky
The Late Shift
1996
Warren Littlefield
Waiting for Guffman
1996
Lloyd Miller
The Last Good Time
1994
Director
My Boyfriend's Back
1993
Director
For Love or Money
1993
Ed Drinkwater
Unnatural Pursuits
1992
Lou Finkleberg
Little Man Tate
1991
Quizmaster
Tales from the Darkside
1990
Director
Parents
1989
Director
Dead Bang
1989
Elliott Webley
Funny
1988
Self
Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread
1987
Director
End of the Line
1987
Warren Gerber
Stephen King's Golden Tales
1985
Writer
The Brass Ring
1983
Director
George Romero's Golden Tales 3

Director
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
2023
Self
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
2022
The French Dispatch
2021
Uncle Nick
How Moving
2021
Uncle Aaron
An L.A. Minute
2018
Shelley
Isle of Dogs
2018
King (voice)
Spielberg
2017
Self
Mascots
2016
Sol Lumpkin
Eva Hesse
2016
Wilhelm Hesse (voice)
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
2016
Mr. Waxcap
Mike Nichols: An American Master
2016
Self
Starring Austin Pendleton
2016
Self
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
2015
Self / The Narrator
Everything Is Copy
2015
Self
Hitchcock/Truffaut
2015
Narrator (voice)
Fading Gigolo
2013
Sol
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
2013
Lawyer (uncredited)
Moonrise Kingdom
2012
The Narrator
Thin Ice
2012
Leonard Dahl
Do You Like to Read?
2012
The Narrator
The Five Stages of Grief
2011
Voice of Daniel's father
F--k
2010
Bob
License to Wed
2007
Jewelry Store Clerk (uncredited)
Prince of the City: The Real Story
2007
Self / Santimassino
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
2006
Self
Trust the Man
2005
Tobey's Therapist
Capote
2005
William Shawn
Marie and Bruce
2004
Roger
A Mighty Wind
2003
Jonathan Steinbloom
The Tuxedo
2002
Winton Chalmers (uncredited)
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
2002
Self
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
2001
Self
Plan B
2001
James Foster
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
2000
Tex
Swing Vote
1999
Justice Eli MacCorckle
Three to Tango
1999
Decker
Cradle Will Rock
1999
Harry Hopkins
Giving Up the Ghost
1998
Bob
The Definite Maybe
1997
Wolfe Rollins
Pie in the Sky
1996
Paul Entamen
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
1994
Dr. Jeffrey Sanborn (uncredited)
Greedy
1994
Ed
Amos & Andrew
1993
Dr. R. A. (Roy) Fink
Bob Roberts
1992
Cutting Edge Producer
The Face of Fear
1990
Ira Preduski
Alice
1990
Sid Moscowitz
2010
1984
Dr. R. Chandra
Nothing Lasts Forever
1984
Guy with Sunglasses in Espresso Bar
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
1984
Himself
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
1981
Carter Hill
Absence of Malice
1981
Elliott Rosen
Prince of the City
1981
Santimassino
Altered States
1980
Arthur Rosenberg
Girlfriends
1978
Martin
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
David Laughlin
Report to the Commissioner
1975
Joey Egan
The Bank Shot
1974
Victor Karp
Making It
1971
Wilkie
Marriage: Year One
1971
Bernie
The Strawberry Statement
1970
Elliot
Catch-22
1970
Capt. Orr
Midnight Cowboy
1969
The Young Student
Me, Natalie
1969
Morris