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