- Born
- Birth nameRobert Elmer Balaban
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Bob Balaban was born on August 16, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Gosford Park (2001), A Mighty Wind (2003) and Capote (2005). He has been married to Lynn Grossman since April 1, 1977. They have two children.
- SpouseLynn Grossman(April 1, 1977 - present) (2 children)
- ParentsEleanor Balaban
- RelativesJudy Balaban(Cousin)Burt Balaban(Cousin)Elmer Balaban(Aunt or Uncle)Barney Balaban(Aunt or Uncle)A.J. Balaban(Aunt or Uncle)Leon "Red" Balaban(Cousin)Charlie B. Foster(Niece or Nephew)
- Frequently cast by Wes Anderson
- Frequently cast in Christopher Guest films
- Glasses
- Frequently appears in films with Bill Murray
- Played the head of NBC in both Seinfeld (1989) and The Late Shift (1995).
- For his part in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Balaban auditioned in French.
- His mother, Elenore (Pottasch), acted under the surname Barry. His father, Elmer Balaban (1909-2001), was the last surviving of seven Balaban brothers, who dominated the movie theater business in Chicago and in much of the Midwest. The Balaban boys built the city's first "supercolossal" theaters, the 700-seat Circle and the 2,000-seat Central Park. Bob's uncle, Barney Balaban, became chairman of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood and wanted to pass the torch to Elmer, but he declined. Elmer has been credited with devising an early version of pay-TV, based on a set-top box that would show first-run movies at home by accepting quarters.
- His paternal grandparents were immigrant Russian Jewish grocery store owners in Chicago, while his mother's family were Jewish emigrants from Germany, Russia, and Romania.
- Was nominated for Broadway's 1979 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for "The Inspector General."
- God, I'd love to do a big commercial movie that made a lot of money and whose plot was interesting, too.
- Yes, I try to do everything I can not to fail hideously.
- When I felt unsure of my abilities and terrified of the whole enterprise, I said to myself, 'You're an actor, right? So act like a director.'
- There is an aphorism, well regarded by Freudian analysts and talent agents alike, that all people are half-actors. We can only expand that wisdom a bit and posit the following: all actors are half-directors.
- [describing his Chicago youth] I was one of those kids who'd put on neighborhood puppet shows. I was a puppet fanatic. I was always putting on plays and enlisting my friends to help.
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