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IMDbPro

Bob Balaban

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000616
Bob Balaban at an event for Jack Goes Boating (2010)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:05
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (2022)
48 Videos
99+ Photos
Bob Balaban was born on 16 August 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Gosford Park (2001), A Mighty Wind (2003) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He has been married to Lynn Grossman since 1 April 1977. They have two children.
BornAugust 16, 1945
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornAugust 16, 1945
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000616
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 11 wins & 20 nominations total

    Photos177

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    + 172
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    Known for

    Gosford Park (2001)
    Gosford Park
    7.2
    • Morris Weissman
    • 2001
    A Mighty Wind (2003)
    A Mighty Wind
    7.2
    • Jonathan Steinbloom
    • 2003
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    7.6
    • David Laughlin
    • 1977
    Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005)
    Capote
    7.3
    • William Shawn
    • 2005

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor

    • Fantasy Life (2025)
      Fantasy Life
      7.7
      • Lenny
      • 2025
    • Patrick Stewart, Curtis Armstrong, Dee Bradley Baker, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jeff Fischer, Scott Grimes, David Koechner, Seth MacFarlane, Kevin Michael Richardson, Wendy Schaal, Daisuke Suzuki, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Mike Barker, Mike Henry, Rachael MacFarlane, and Matt McKenna in American Dad! (2005)
      American Dad!
      7.4
      TV Series
      • Glen Hanover (voice)
      • 2025
    • Adam Scott in Severance (2022)
      Severance
      8.7
      TV Series
      • Mark Wilkins
      • 2025
    • Tom Hanks, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Park, Aristou Meehan, Maya Hawke, Rupert Friend, Jake Ryan, Ethan Josh Lee, and Sophia Lillis in Asteroid City (2023)
      Asteroid City
      6.4
      • Larkings Executive
      • 2023
    • Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin in 80 for Brady (2023)
      80 for Brady
      5.9
      • Mark
      • 2023
    • Past My Bedtime (2022)
      Past My Bedtime
      5.7
      Podcast Series
      • 2022
    • How Dare You Want More (2022)
      How Dare You Want More
      Short
      • Rick
      • 2022
    • John Malkovich, Steve Carell, Don Lake, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Tawny Newsome, and Diana Silvers in Space Force (2020)
      Space Force
      6.7
      TV Series
      • Ron (voice)
      • 2022
    • The Harper House (2021)
      The Harper House
      5.4
      TV Series
      • Frederick
      • Buck Mastiff (voice)
      • 2021
    • Sandra Oh in The Chair (2021)
      The Chair
      7.2
      TV Mini Series
      • Elliot Rentz
      • 2021
    • Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Benicio Del Toro, Edward Norton, Henry Winkler, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Mathieu Amalric, Steve Park, Lois Smith, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jeffrey Wright, Jarvis Cocker, Mohamed Belhadjine, Saoirse Ronan, Tony Revolori, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, and Krishna Bagadiya in The French Dispatch (2021)
      The French Dispatch
      7.1
      • Uncle Nick
      • 2021
    • How Moving (2021)
      How Moving
      6.8
      Short
      • Uncle Aaron
      • 2021
    • Summer Camp Island (2018)
      Summer Camp Island
      7.7
      TV Series
      • Gerald (voice)
      • 2021
    • Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)
      The Simpsons
      8.6
      TV Series
      • Narrator (voice)
      • 2021
    • Condor (2018)
      Condor
      7.7
      TV Series
      • Reuel Abbott
      • 2018–2020

    Director

    • Nick Nolte in Graves (2016)
      Graves
      6.6
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2016
    • Fishkill (2016)
      Fishkill
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2016
    • John Goodman, Mark Consuelos, Clark Johnson, and Matt Malloy in Alpha House (2013)
      Alpha House
      7.5
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2013–2014
    • We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss (2014)
      We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss
      5.8
      • Director (segment "Globalization... Who Cares?... You Do")
      • 2014
    • Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie (2009)
      Nurse Jackie
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2011–2012
    • Georgia O'Keeffe (2009)
      Georgia O'Keeffe
      6.5
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2009
    • Molly Parker, Lana Parrilla, and Miriam Shor in Swingtown (2008)
      Swingtown
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2008
    • Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon in Bernard and Doris (2006)
      Bernard and Doris
      6.5
      • Director
      • 2006
    • Hopeless Pictures (2005)
      Hopeless Pictures
      7.1
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2005
    • The Exonerated (2005)
      The Exonerated
      6.6
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2005
    • The First Amendment Project: No Joking
      7.8
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2004
    • The Twilight Zone (2002)
      The Twilight Zone
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2002–2003
    • Sara Downing, Tyler Labine, and Birkett Turton in Dead Last (2001)
      Dead Last
      7.3
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2001
    • Lili Taylor, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt, and Tom Conti in Deadline (2000)
      Deadline
      6.3
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2000
    • Eric Close, Margaret Colin, and Dennis Haysbert in Now and Again (1999)
      Now and Again
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2000

    Producer

    • Brooklyn, Minnesota (2024)
      Brooklyn, Minnesota
      9.8
      • executive producer
      • 2024
    • Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
      Can You Ever Forgive Me?
      7.1
      • executive producer
      • 2018
    • Beautiful Hills of Brooklyn
      6.9
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2008
    • Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon in Bernard and Doris (2006)
      Bernard and Doris
      6.5
      • executive producer
      • 2006
    • Nicholle Tom and Laura Kightlinger in The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (2006)
      The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman
      8.3
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2006–2007
    • Celebrity Charades (2005)
      Celebrity Charades
      6.7
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2005
    • The Exonerated (2005)
      The Exonerated
      6.6
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 2005
    • The Burbs
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 2002
    • Gosford Park (2001)
      Gosford Park
      7.2
      • producer
      • 2001
    • The Wedding Toast
      Short
      • producer
      • 1999
    • The Definite Maybe (1997)
      The Definite Maybe
      4.1
      • executive producer
      • 1997
    • The Last Good Time (1994)
      The Last Good Time
      6.6
      • producer
      • 1994
    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos48

    How Sandra Oh and the Cast of "The Chair" Learned to Play College Professors
    Clip 2:59
    How Sandra Oh and the Cast of "The Chair" Learned to Play College Professors
    "Second Opinion"
    Clip 0:57
    "Second Opinion"
    "Second Opinion"
    Clip 0:57
    "Second Opinion"
    Howl: "Artistic Merit"
    Clip 0:55
    Howl: "Artistic Merit"
    Lady in the Water
    Clip 0:49
    Lady in the Water
    Lady in the Water
    Clip 0:57
    Lady in the Water
    Lady in the Water
    Clip 0:58
    Lady in the Water

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Robert Balaban
    • Height
      • 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
    • Born
      • August 16, 1945
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Spouse
      • Lynn GrossmanApril 1, 1977 - present (2 children)
    • Parents
        Elmer Balaban
    • Relatives
        Judy Balaban(Cousin)
    • Other works
      Stage: Appeared (as "Linus") in the original off-Broadway production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". He is also on the original cast album
    • Publicity listings
      • 5 Interviews
      • 3 Articles
      • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Played the head of NBC in both Seinfeld (1989) and The Late Shift (1995).
    • Quotes
      God, I'd love to do a big commercial movie that made a lot of money and whose plot was interesting, too.
    • Trademarks
        Frequently cast by Wes Anderson

    FAQ11

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