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Bob Balaban is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter and Producer American born on 16 august 1945 at Chicago (USA)

Bob Balaban

Bob Balaban
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Birth name Robert Elmer Balaban
Nationality USA
Birth 16 august 1945 (78 years) at Chicago (USA)

Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, author, producer, and director. He was one of the producers nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for Gosford Park (2001), in which he also appeared.

Biography

Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor (née Pottasch) and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television. His mother acted under the name Eleanor Barry. His uncles were dominant forces in the theatre business; they founded the Balaban and Katz Theatre circuit in Chicago, a chain which included the Chicago and Uptown Theatres. Balaban's father and uncle Harry founded the H & E Balaban Corporation in Chicago, which operated its own movie palaces including the Esquire Theatre in Chicago. They later owned a powerful group of television stations and cable television franchises. His uncle Barney Balaban was president of Paramount Pictures for nearly 30 years from 1936 to 1964. His maternal grandmother's second husband, Sam Katz, was a vice president at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer beginning in 1936. Sam had been early partners with Bob's uncles Abe, Barney, John, and Max in forming Balaban and Katz. Sam also served as President of the Publix theatre division of Paramount Pictures.

Balaban began his college career at Colgate University where he joined Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and then transferred to New York University. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his family. He is Jewish. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Russia to Chicago, while his mother's family was from Germany, Russia, and Romania.

Best films

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
(Actor)
The Mexican (2001)
(Actor)
Gosford Park (2001)
(Idea)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
(Actor)
Absence of Malice (1981)
(Actor)
2010 (1984)
(Actor)

Usually with

Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
(5 films)
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
(4 films)
Ed Begley Jr.
Ed Begley Jr.
(10 films)
Jim Piddock
Jim Piddock
(5 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Bob Balaban (76 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

The French Dispatch
Directed by Wes Anderson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Crime, Romance
Themes Films about journalists, Children's films
Actors Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright
Roles Uncle Nick
Rating70% 3.549673.549673.549673.549673.54967
Le quotidien de quelques correspondants de presse américains à Paris.
Isle of Dogs, 1h41
Directed by Wes Anderson
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Medical-themed films, Films about dogs, Films about viral outbreaks, Dystopian films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Ken Watanabe
Roles King (voice)
Rating78% 3.9004953.9004953.9004953.9004953.900495
Dans un futur dystopique, dans la ville japonaise de Megasaki, un virus de la grippe se propage dans toute la population canine grandissante. Le maire autoritaire, Kobayashi (un homme issu d'une longue lignée d'amateurs de chats et haïsseurs de chiens) avec son bras droit le major Domo, signe un décret bannissant tous les chiens à l'Île poubelle (« l'île des déchets » où sont stockés les détritus de la ville), bien que le scientifique Watanabe fasse savoir qu'il est sur le point de trouver un remède. Le premier chien à être banni est Spots, qui appartenait à Atari Kobayashi, le neveu orphelin et pupille du maire.
Spielberg
Spielberg (2017)
, 2h20
Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Richard Dreyfuss, Francis Ford Coppola, Tom Hanks, J. J. Abrams
Roles Self
Rating76% 3.8466253.8466253.8466253.8466253.846625
Ce documentaire, qui comprend des entretiens avec Steven Spielberg, nous raconte la carrière longue de 50 ans du réalisateur et nous donne un aperçu de la part de ses proches notamment J.J. Abrams, Christian Bale, Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett, Francis Ford Coppola, Daniel Craig, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brian de Palma, Laura Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Dreyfuss, Ralph Fiennes, Harrison Ford, David Geffen, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ben Kingsley, Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Liam Neeson, Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey et Robert Zemeckis
Mascots
Mascots (2016)

Directed by Christopher Guest
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Zach Woods, Sarah Baker, Parker Posey, Jim Piddock, Chris O'Dowd, Michael Hitchcock
Roles Sol Lumpkin
Rating57% 2.8966452.8966452.8966452.8966452.896645
Grosses têtes et combinaisons en fourrure ! Les concurrents entrent en lice pour le titre de Meilleure mascotte du monde dans cette comédie décalée de Christopher Guest.
Mascots
Mascots (2016)
, 1h29
Directed by Christopher Guest
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Zach Woods, Sarah Baker, Parker Posey, Jim Piddock, Chris O'Dowd, Michael Hitchcock
Roles Sol Lumpkin
Rating57% 2.8966452.8966452.8966452.8966452.896645
Plongée dans le monde des concours de mascottes sportives.
Hitchcock/Truffaut, 1h19
Origin France
Genres Documentary
Themes Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry
Actors Bob Balaban, Mathieu Amalric, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, David Fincher
Roles Narrator (voice)
Rating72% 3.6485253.6485253.6485253.6485253.648525
Le documentaire retrace la genèse du célèbre livre de Truffaut et des entretiens qu'il a enregistré avec Alfred Hitchcock dans les studios Universal en 1962.
The Monuments Men, 1h59
Directed by George Clooney
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Peinture, Political films, Children's films
Actors Matt Damon, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Hugh Bonneville
Roles Pvt. Preston Savitz
Rating60% 3.0493453.0493453.0493453.0493453.049345
In 1943 during World War II, the Allies are making good progress driving back the Axis powers in Italy. However, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) persuades the American President that victory will have little meaning if the artistic treasures of Western civilization are lost in the fighting. Stokes is directed to assemble an Army unit nicknamed the "Monuments Men", comprising seven museum directors, curators, and art historians to both guide Allied units and search for stolen art to return it to its rightful owners.
The Grand Budapest Hotel, 1h39
Directed by Wes Anderson
Origin German
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Adventure
Themes Monde imaginaire, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Tony Revolori, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan
Roles Monsieur Martin
Rating80% 4.049984.049984.049984.049984.04998
In the present, a teenage girl approaches a monument to a writer in a cemetery. In her arms is a memoir penned by a character known only as "The Author". She starts reading a chapter from the book. The Author begins narrating the tale from his desk in 1985 about a trip he made to the Grand Budapest Hotel in 1968.
Fading Gigolo, 1h38
Directed by John Turturro
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about religion, Films about sexuality, Erotic films, Films about prostitution, Films about Jews and Judaism, Erotic thriller films
Actors Liev Schreiber, John Turturro, Woody Allen, Sofía Vergara, Sharon Stone, Vanessa Paradis
Roles Sol
Rating61% 3.096043.096043.096043.096043.09604
Dr. Parker, a wealthy dermatologist, mentions to her patient Murray that she and a woman friend, Robbie, wish to experience a ménage à trois and asks if he knows a willing man. Murray, whose used bookstore has failed, convinces his friend and former employee Fioravante to take the gig, as both are short of money. Soon, they build a thriving gigolo trade with Murray as the pimp. Murray lives with Othella and her children, one of whom gets head lice. Murray takes the boy to Avigal, the attractive widow of a Hassidic rabbi, for treatment.
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, 1h37
Directed by Stephen Frears
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Documentary
Themes Politique, Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Political films, Le boxe anglaise
Actors Christopher Plummer, Danny Glover, Frank Langella, Ed Begley Jr., Barry Levinson, Pablo Schreiber
Roles Lawyer
Rating66% 3.3469453.3469453.3469453.3469453.346945
Le procès pour objection de conscience du boxeur Mohamed Ali jusqu'à la Cour suprême.
Moonrise Kingdom, 1h34
Directed by Wes Anderson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Films about children, Scoutisme, Transport films, Road movies
Actors Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand
Roles The Narrator
Rating77% 3.899153.899153.899153.899153.89915
In September 1965, on a New England island called New Penzance, 12-year-old orphan Sam Shakusky is attending Camp Ivanhoe, a Khaki Scout summer camp led by Scoutmaster Randy Ward. Suzy Bishop, also 12, lives on the island with her parents, Walt and Laura, both attorneys, and her three younger brothers in a house called Summer's End. Sam and Suzy, both introverted, intelligent and mature for their age, met in the summer of 1964 during a church performance of Noye's Fludde and have been pen pals since then. Having fallen in love over the course of their correspondence, they have made a secret pact to reunite and run away together. Sam brings camping equipment, and Suzy brings her binoculars, six books, her kitten, and her brother's battery-powered record player. They hike, camp and fish together in the wilderness with the goal of reaching a secluded cove on the island. They are confronted by a group of Khaki Scouts who try to capture them, and during the resulting altercation, Suzy injures one of the Scouts with scissors and Camp Ivanhoe's dog is killed by a stray shot from a bow and arrow wielded by one of the Scouts. The Scouts flee and Sam and Suzy hike to the cove which they name Moonrise Kingdom. They set up camp and go swimming. Later, while drying off, they begin dancing to Françoise Hardy in their underwear. As the romantic tension between them grows, they kiss repeatedly.
Girl Most Likely, 1h43
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, Matt Dillon, Christopher Fitzgerald, Darren Criss, Natasha Lyonne
Roles Maxwell
Rating56% 2.849462.849462.849462.849462.84946
Imogene (Kristen Wiig) is a struggling playwright, working a low-paying job at a magazine in New York City. After her affluent boyfriend leaves her and she is fired, she stages a suicide attempt in an effort to get her ex's attention and is accidentally discovered by her friend Dara. Held in the hospital on a 5150 (involuntary psychiatric hold), she is eventually released into her estranged mother's (Annette Benning) care where she is taken to her childhood home in New Jersey.
A Monster in Paris, 1h22
Directed by Éric Bergeron
Origin France
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about insects, Musical films, Steampunk films, Mise en scène d'une plante
Actors Vanessa Paradis, Matthieu Chedid, Sean Lennon, Gad Elmaleh, Sébastien Desjours, Adam Goldberg
Roles Pâté
Rating67% 3.353633.353633.353633.353633.35363
The film is set in 1910; the story beginning by documenting the flooding of the River Seine that year.
Thin Ice
Thin Ice (2011)
, 1h54
Directed by Jill Sprecher
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Crime
Actors Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Billy Crudup, Lea Thompson, Bob Balaban, David Harbour
Roles Leonard Dahl
Rating62% 3.1054253.1054253.1054253.1054253.105425
Wisconsin insurance salesman Mickey Prohaska is in desperate financial straits. His wife JoAnn has thrown him out of the house, and he is willing to do or say practically anything to sell anybody a policy. Mickey accompanies another insurance agent he has just met, Bob Egan, to the farm of an elderly man named Gorvy Hauer. The house is a mess and Gorvy is absent-minded, perhaps a tad senile. He does not have much money and, the little he has, he seems to keep in a jar. Mickey tries to sell the old man some insurance anyway.
Howl
Howl (2010)
, 1h24
Directed by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography
Themes Films about writers, Poésie, Politique, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Political films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors James Franco, Aaron Tveit, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Prescott
Roles Judge Clayton Horn
Rating65% 3.2990253.2990253.2990253.2990253.299025
Howl explores the super smash bros and works of 20th-century American poet, Allen Ginsberg. Constructed in a nonlinear fashion, the film juxtaposes historical events with a variety of cinematic techniques. It reconstructs the early life of Ginsberg during the 1940s and 1950s (as portrayed by James Franco). It also re-enacts Ginsberg's debut performance of "Howl" at the Six Gallery Reading on October 7, 1955 in black-and-white. The reading was the first important public manifestation of the Beat Generation and helped to herald the West Coast literary revolution that became known as the San Francisco Renaissance. In addition, parts of the poem are interpreted through animated sequences. Finally, these events are juxtaposed with color images of the 1957 obscenity trial of San Francisco poet and City Lights Bookstore co-founder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was the first person to publish "Howl" in Howl and Other Poems.