Bob Balaban
Acting • Born 1945-08-16
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 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.
Filmography
140 credits
80 for Brady
Movie • 2023
Mark
Ghost World
Movie • 2001
Enid's Dad
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Movie • 1977
David Laughlin
Jakob the Liar
Movie • 1999
Kowalsky
Midnight Cowboy
Movie • 1969
The Young Student
Conversation with the Beast
Movie • 1997
Mr. Webster
Deconstructing Harry
Movie • 1997
Richard
No Reservations
Movie • 2007
Therapist
2010
Movie • 1984
Dr. R. Chandra
Dead Bang
Movie • 1989
Elliott Webley
Gosford Park
Movie • 2001
Morris Weissman
The Late Shift
Movie • 1996
Warren Littlefield
The Majestic
Movie • 2001
Elvin Glyde
Little Man Tate
Movie • 1991
Quizmaster
Altered States
Movie • 1980
Arthur Rosenberg
The Mexican
Movie • 2001
Bernie Nayman
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Movie • 1981
Carter Hill
For Love or Money
Movie • 1993
Ed Drinkwater
Carl Laemmle
Movie • 2019
Himself
Rage
Movie • 2009
Mr. White
Lady in the Water
Movie • 2006
Harry Farber
Scene Stealers
Movie • 2004
Jonathan Crouch Esq.
Best in Show
Movie • 2000
Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
Dedication
Movie • 2007
Arthur Planck
Recount
Movie • 2008
Ben Ginsberg
The Windmill Movie
Movie • 2009
Self
Report to the Commissioner
Movie • 1975
Joey Egan
For Your Consideration
Movie • 2006
Philip Koontz
Howl
Movie • 2010
Judge Clayton Horn
Waiting for Guffman
Movie • 1997
Lloyd Miller
Funny
Movie • 1988
Self
End of the Line
Movie • 1987
Warren Gerber
Absence of Malice
Movie • 1981
Elliott Rosen
The Strawberry Statement
Movie • 1970
Elliot
Girl Most Likely
Movie • 2012
Maxwell
Clockwatchers
Movie • 1997
Milton Lasky
Asteroid City
Movie • 2023
Larkings Executive
Unnatural Pursuits
Movie • 1992
Lou Finkleberg
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Movie • 2014
M. Martin
The Monster Hunter
Movie • 1999
Dr. William Powell
The Monuments Men
Movie • 2014
Pvt. Preston Savitz
An L.A. Minute
Movie • 2018
Shelley
Me, Natalie
Movie • 1969
Morris
Making It
Movie • 1971
Wilkie
Fading Gigolo
Movie • 2013
Sol
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
Movie • 2022
Moonrise Kingdom
Movie • 2012
The Narrator
Girlfriends
Movie • 1978
Martin
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Movie • 2015
Self / The Narrator
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
Movie • 1994
Dr. Jeffrey Sanborn (uncredited)
Nothing Lasts Forever
Movie • 1984
Guy with Sunglasses in Espresso Bar
Giving Up the Ghost
Movie • 1998
Bob
Swing Vote
Movie • 1999
Justice Eli MacCorckle
A Mighty Wind
Movie • 2003
Jonathan Steinbloom
Trust the Man
Movie • 2005
Tobey's Therapist
The Definite Maybe
Movie • 1997
Wolfe Rollins
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
Movie • 2023
Self
Thin Ice
Movie • 2012
Leonard Dahl
Three to Tango
Movie • 1999
Decker
Greedy
Movie • 1994
Ed
Mascots
Movie • 2016
Sol Lumpkin
The Bank Shot
Movie • 1974
Victor Karp
Marriage: Year One
Movie • 1971
Bernie
Cradle Will Rock
Movie • 1999
Harry Hopkins
Pie in the Sky
Movie • 1996
Paul Entamen
Eva Hesse
Movie • 2016
Wilhelm Hesse (voice)
The Five Stages of Grief
Movie • 2011
Voice of Daniel's father
Isle of Dogs
Movie • 2018
King (voice)
Catch-22
Movie • 1970
Capt. Orr
The Face of Fear
Movie • 1990
Ira Preduski
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Movie • 2016
Mr. Waxcap
George Romero's Golden Tales 2
Movie • 1995
Prince of the City
Movie • 1981
Santimassino
Mike Nichols: An American Master
Movie • 2016
Self
Bob Roberts
Movie • 1992
Cutting Edge Producer
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Movie • 2001
Self
Spielberg
Movie • 2017
Self
Everything Is Copy
Movie • 2015
Self
Capote
Movie • 2005
William Shawn
The Tuxedo
Movie • 2002
Winton Chalmers (uncredited)
Amos & Andrew
Movie • 1993
Dr. R. A. (Roy) Fink
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
Movie • 2006
Self
Plan B
Movie • 2002
James Foster
Starring Austin Pendleton
Movie • 2016
Self
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Movie • 2015
Narrator (voice)
Marie and Bruce
Movie • 2004
Roger
Do You Like to Read?
Movie • 2012
The Narrator
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Movie • 2021
Uncle Nick
License to Wed
Movie • 2007
Jewelry Store Clerk (uncredited)
F--k
Movie • 2010
Bob
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
Movie • 2000
Tex
Alice
Movie • 1990
Sid Moscowitz
The Making of Gosford Park
Movie • 2002
Self
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
Movie • 2013
Lawyer (uncredited)
How Moving
Movie • 2021
Uncle Aaron
Prince of the City: The Real Story
Movie • 2007
Self / Santimassino
Fantasy Life
Movie • 2026
Lenny
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
Movie • 1984
Himself
Bad Actors
Movie • 2024
Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo
Movie • 2004
Self
Now and Again
TV • 1999
The West Wing
TV • 1999
Ted Marcus
Friends
TV • 1994
Frank Sr.
Miami Vice
TV • 1984
Ira Stone
Legend
TV • 1995
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Narrator (voice)
Room 222
TV • 1969
The Mod Squad
TV • 1968
Hank
TV • 1965
The Chair
TV • 2021
Elliot Rentz
Hopeless Pictures
TV • 2005
Maude
TV • 1972
Ambrose Riley
Amazing Stories
TV • 1985
Jo-Jo Gillespie
Seinfeld
TV • 1989
Russell Dalrymple
Broad City
TV • 2014
Arthur Wexler
Girls
TV • 2012
Therapist
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
TV • 2014
Self
Condor
TV • 2018
Reuel Abbott
Show Me a Hero
TV • 2015
Leonard B. Sand
Space Force
TV • 2020
Ron (voice)
Tom Goes to the Mayor
TV • 2004
Walt Pickle (voice)
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
TV • 2010
Self
Love, American Style
TV • 1969
Nick
Web Therapy
TV • 2008
Ted Mitchell
Web Therapy
TV • 2011
Ted Mitchell
Summer Camp Island
TV • 2018
Gerald (voice)
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
TV • 2018
Self
The Politician
TV • 2019
Keaton Hobart
Alpha House
TV • 2013
Senator Elliot Robeson
The Good Wife
TV • 2009
Gordon Higgs
Wormwood
TV • 2017
Dr. Harold A. Abramson
Severance
TV • 2022
Mark Wilkins
China, IL
TV • 2011
(voice)
American Dad!
TV • 2005
Glen Hanover (voice)
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
TV • 1995
Bob (voice)
Family Tree
TV • 2013
Melvin Schmelff / Tumbleweed Tim
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self
Entourage
TV • 2004
Doctor
Fridays
TV • 1980
Self
Graves
TV • 2016
Secretary Burns