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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
August 16, 1945
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Also Known As
- Robert Elmer Balaban
- Robert Balaban
- باب بالابان
Bob Balaban
1.4 Popularity
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.
Known For
🎬
0.0
Fantasy Life
2025
🎬
0.0
Bad Actors
2024
5.8
Self
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
2023
6.5
Larkings Executive
Asteroid City
2023
6.3
Mark
80 for Brady
2023
0.0
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
2022
8.4
Mark Wilkins
Severance
2022
7.0
Uncle Nick
The French Dispatch
2021
6.5
Elliot Rentz
The Chair
2021
0.0
Uncle Aaron
How Moving
2021
Credits
🎬
Fantasy Life
2025
0.0
🎬
Bad Actors
2024
0.0
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
as Self
2023
5.8
Asteroid City
as Larkings Executive
2023
6.5
80 for Brady
as Mark
2023
6.3
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
2022
0.0
Severance
as Mark Wilkins
2022
8.4
The French Dispatch
as Uncle Nick
2021
7.0
The Chair
as Elliot Rentz
2021
6.5
How Moving
as Uncle Aaron
2021
0.0
Space Force
as Ron (voice)
2020
6.5
The Politician
as Keaton Hobart
2019
7.0
Carl Laemmle
as Himself
2019
4.8
An L.A. Minute
as Shelley
2018
2.0
Summer Camp Island
as Gerald (voice)
2018
7.7
Condor
as Reuel Abbott
2018
7.0
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
as Self
2018
6.8
Isle of Dogs
as King (voice)
2018
7.8
Wormwood
as Dr. Harold A. Abramson
2017
6.4
Spielberg
as Self
2017
7.6
Mascots
as Sol Lumpkin
2016
5.5
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
as Mr. Waxcap
2016
4.5
Eva Hesse
as Wilhelm Hesse (voice)
2016
6.5
Starring Austin Pendleton
as Self
2016
6.7
Mike Nichols: An American Master
as Self
2016
6.3
Everything Is Copy
as Self
2015
7.4
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
as Self / The Narrator
2015
6.5
Hitchcock/Truffaut
as Narrator (voice)
2015
7.3
Show Me a Hero
as Leonard B. Sand
2015
7.0
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
as Self
2014
7.9
The Grand Budapest Hotel
as M. Martin
2014
8.0
The Monuments Men
as Pvt. Preston Savitz
2014
6.1
Broad City
as Arthur Wexler
2014
7.1
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
as Lawyer (uncredited)
2013
6.3
Fading Gigolo
as Sol
2013
5.8
Family Tree
as Melvin Schmelff / Tumbleweed Tim
2013
6.4
Alpha House
as Senator Elliot Robeson
2013
7.1
Girl Most Likely
as Maxwell
2012
5.6
Do You Like to Read?
as The Narrator
2012
6.3
Moonrise Kingdom
as The Narrator
2012
7.7
Girls
as Therapist
2012
6.3
Thin Ice
as Leonard Dahl
2012
6.5
China, IL
as (voice)
2011
7.0
Web Therapy
as Ted Mitchell
2011
7.0
The Five Stages of Grief
as Voice of Daniel's father
2011
7.0
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
as Self
2010
4.7
Howl
as Judge Clayton Horn
2010
6.5
F--k
as Bob
2010
5.8
Rage
as Mr. White
2009
3.4
The Good Wife
as Gordon Higgs
2009
7.6
The Windmill Movie
as Self
2009
7.0
Web Therapy
as Ted Mitchell
2008
7.6
Recount
as Ben Ginsberg
2008
6.8
Dedication
as Arthur Planck
2007
6.3
License to Wed
as Jewelry Store Clerk (uncredited)
2007
5.7
No Reservations
as Therapist
2007
6.7
Prince of the City: The Real Story
as Self / Santimassino
2007
0.0
For Your Consideration
as Philip Koontz
2006
5.8
Lady in the Water
as Harry Farber
2006
5.6
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
as Self
2006
0.0
Capote
as William Shawn
2005
7.0
Trust the Man
as Tobey's Therapist
2005
5.2
Hopeless Pictures
2005
8.0
American Dad!
as Glen Hanover (voice)
2005
7.0
Tom Goes to the Mayor
as Walt Pickle (voice)
2004
6.8
Scene Stealers
as Jonathan Crouch Esq.
2004
0.0
Marie and Bruce
as Roger
2004
3.9
A Mighty Wind
as Jonathan Steinbloom
2003
6.7
The Tuxedo
as Winton Chalmers (uncredited)
2002
5.7
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
as Self
2002
5.0
Gosford Park
as Morris Weissman
2001
6.8
The Majestic
as Elvin Glyde
2001
6.8
Ghost World
as Enid's Dad
2001
7.1
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
as Self
2001
6.9
The Mexican
as Bernie Nayman
2001
5.9
Plan B
as James Foster
2001
4.3
Best in Show
as Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
2000
6.9
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
as Tex
2000
0.0
Cradle Will Rock
as Harry Hopkins
1999
6.5
George Romero's Golden Tales 2
1999
0.0
Three to Tango
as Decker
1999
5.7
Now and Again
1999
6.9
The West Wing
as Ted Marcus
1999
8.3
Jakob the Liar
as Kowalsky
1999
6.7
Swing Vote
as Justice Eli MacCorckle
1999
5.6
The Monster Hunter
as Dr. William Powell
1999
4.8
Giving Up the Ghost
as Bob
1998
6.0
Deconstructing Harry
as Richard
1997
7.3
The Definite Maybe
as Wolfe Rollins
1997
0.0
Clockwatchers
as Milton Lasky
1997
6.1
Conversation with the Beast
as Mr. Webster
1997
0.0
Waiting for Guffman
as Lloyd Miller
1996
7.0
The Late Shift
as Warren Littlefield
1996
6.4
Pie in the Sky
as Paul Entamen
1996
6.6
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
as Bob (voice)
1995
7.7
Legend
1995
6.0
Friends
as Frank Sr.
1994
8.4
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
as Dr. Jeffrey Sanborn (uncredited)
1994
5.3
Greedy
as Ed
1994
6.2
For Love or Money
as Ed Drinkwater
1993
6.2
Amos & Andrew
as Dr. R. A. (Roy) Fink
1993
5.4
Bob Roberts
as Cutting Edge Producer
1992
6.5
Unnatural Pursuits
as Lou Finkleberg
1992
0.0
Little Man Tate
as Quizmaster
1991
6.6
Alice
as Sid Moscowitz
1990
6.4
The Face of Fear
as Ira Preduski
1990
6.6
The Simpsons
as Narrator (voice)
1989
8.0
Seinfeld
as Russell Dalrymple
1989
8.3
Dead Bang
as Elliott Webley
1989
6.3
Funny
as Self
1988
0.0
End of the Line
as Warren Gerber
1987
5.2
Amazing Stories
as Jo-Jo Gillespie
1985
7.4
2010
as Dr. R. Chandra
1984
6.6
Miami Vice
1984
7.5
Nothing Lasts Forever
as Guy with Sunglasses in Espresso Bar
1984
6.3
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
as Himself
1984
0.0
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
as Carter Hill
1981
7.1
Absence of Malice
as Elliott Rosen
1981
6.6
Prince of the City
as Santimassino
1981
7.0
Altered States
as Arthur Rosenberg
1980
6.7
Girlfriends
as Martin
1978
6.7
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
as David Laughlin
1977
7.3
Report to the Commissioner
as Joey Egan
1975
6.6
The Bank Shot
as Victor Karp
1974
5.4
Maude
as Ambrose Riley
1972
6.8
Marriage: Year One
as Bernie
1971
6.0
Making It
as Wilkie
1971
4.5
The Strawberry Statement
as Elliot
1970
6.3
Catch-22
as Capt. Orr
1970
6.7
Love, American Style
as Nick
1969
6.0
Room 222
1969
6.0
Me, Natalie
as Morris
1969
5.6
Midnight Cowboy
as The Young Student
1969
7.5
The Mod Squad
1968
6.3
Hank
1965
3.5