Interview by Cliff Stephenson
July 27, 2001

You might not know his name, but you know his face...

In a career that has spanned over thirty years, actor Bob Balaban has managed to become one of Hollywood's most sought after and recognizable character actors. Starting with a small role in Midnight Cowboy - the 1969 Academy Award winner for Best Picture - he is probably best remembered by moviegoers for his portrayal of translator David Laughlin in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Throughout the 1980s, he would go on to solidify his standing as one of Hollywood's most dignified character actors with strong roles in such films as Altered States, Absence Of Malice and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, before successfully making the transition behind the camera. Balaban launched a successful career as a director, helming such television fare as Tales from the Darkside and Amazing Stories before moving into feature films with his 1989 cult hit, Parents.

Currently, he continues to successfully balance acting and directing, appearing in such films as Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show (both for director Christopher Guest) and Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock. And this Christmas, he'll appear in as well as produce Robert Altman's latest opus Gosford Park.

Balaban can currently be seen on a number of new DVD releases, most notably DreamWorks' The Mexican, starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, which premieres on DVD this August 7^th. Along with Close Encounters, Best In Show and Waiting For Guffman, also recently released, Balaban is becoming quite ubiquitous lately on DVD!

We recently had a chance to chat with Balaban about his career, the importance of preserving the film medium, and what he didn't know about the DVD release of his film Parents...