Bob Balaban is an American actor, author, producer, and director, best known for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Ghost World, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Other film credits include Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, Howl, Dedication, Capote, A Mighty Wind, Gosford Park, The Majestic, Best in Show, Cradle Will Rock, Deconstructing Harry, Waiting for Guffman, Absence of Malice, Whose Life is it Anyway?, Altered States, Catch-22, and Midnight Cowboy.

Theatre credits include his Broadway debut as Borden Eisler/Others in Plaza Suite (Plymouth Theatre), Judge Vaughn Walker in 8 (Eugene O'Neill Theatre), Harry in A Delicate Balance (John Golden Theatre), Charlie Fox in Speed-the-Plow (Royale Theatre), Óssip in The Inspector General (Circle in the Square Theatre), and Lawrence Mumford in Some of My Best Friends (Longacre Theatre) and Off-Broadway, as Henry McNeil in Some Americans Abroad (Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater) and Nicolai Lvovich Tuzenbach in Three Sisters (N.Y.C. Center Stage).