Born on August 16, 1945 in Chicago Illinois, Robert Balaban
didn't establish himself on the silver screen until the latter
years of the twentieth century.
It wasn't until Bob attended Colgate University and N.Y.U. that
Balaban's real love for acting started to develop. Like most
actors, Balaban started his career on the stages of Broadway
in the late sixties.
In 1969 Balaban made his silver screen debut in “Midnight Cowboy”,
starring opposite Jon Voight. Throughout the seventies Balaban
continued his focus in theater and TV and landed his infamous
role in the series “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1978.
Once established as an actor, Balaban slowly edged his way
off the screen, transcending from reliable character to ambitious
director. Balaban's first breakthrough job was with the 1984 TV series
“Tales from the Dark Side”. The following year Balaban also
directed another successful series simply titled, “Amazing Stories”.
It wasn’t until 1989 that Balaban took a stab at the
big screen with his debut of the much-debated black comedy film,
“Parents”. His other notable silver screen contributions, 1993's
“My Boyfriend’s Back”, and 1994's “The Last Good Time”, were
more widely accepted.
Balaban has since returned to acting, particularly in TV where
has starred as a memorable character in “Seinfeld”. But his
performance in 2000's “Best in Show” proved that Robert Balaban
has what it takes to make his mark no matter what medium he
chooses; subtle comedic lines with an equally amusing persona.
In fact, his trademark style is that of the quirky intelligent
types.
Bob Balaban's film credits include:
Scene Stealers (2004)
The Majestic (2001)
Best In Show (2000)
Three to Tango (1999)
Cradle Will Rock (1999)
Clock Watchers (1997)
City Slickers II (1994)
ALTERED STATES (1980)
CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
CATCH-22 (1970)
MIDNIGHT
COWBOY (1969)
Bob Balaban in ABSENCE OF
MALICE (1981)
Bob Balaban in CAPOTE (2005)
