Liane Balaban
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| Liane Balaban | |
|---|---|
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| Born | June 24, 1980 North York, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
Liane Balaban (born June 24, 1980)[1] is a Canadian actress. Her film debut was in New Waterford Girl (1999), playing Agnes-Marie "Moonie" Pottie, and has since appeared in the films Definitely, Maybe (2008), Last Chance Harvey (2009), and the independent drama One Week (2008).
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[edit] Early life
Balaban was born in North York, Ontario, the daughter of a Catholic mother who worked as a medical secretary, and Leon Balaban, a Jewish immigrant from Uzbekistan who works in real estate.[2] She grew up in the Willowdale neighbourhood of North York, now part of Toronto, and went to high school at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute. Balaban majored in journalism at Ryerson University but left to concentrate on acting. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Concordia University.[1]
[edit] Career
Balaban made her film debut playing a 15-year-old misfit longing to escape the Cape Breton coal-mining town New Waterford in New Waterford Girl (1999), a film set in the 1970s and directed by Allan Moyle. Producer Julia Sereny, who had known Balaban through her aunt and uncle, asked her to audition for the film. Balaban had not intended to be an actor at that point. After seven auditions, Balaban landed the part that won a Special Jury Congratulation at the Toronto International Film Festival and a nomination for a Canadian Comedy Award.
Balaban made a successful follow-up with Saint Jude (2000), directed by John L'Ecuyer. She starred in the TV movie After the Harvest (2001), opposite Sam Shepard, and appeared in Happy Here and Now (2002), opposite David Arquette and Ally Sheedy. She also starred in the horror film Spliced (2002), co-starring Ron Silver. Balaban was a member of the garage/electro/pop band We are Molecules where she sang and played keyboards and drums,[1] and has also written for arts newspapers.[3]
While previously unsure of acting as a career, Balaban committed to seriously pursuing acting around 2007. She appeared in her first mainstream Hollywood feature film, Definitely, Maybe in 2008, a romantic comedy starring Ryan Reynolds. She next appeared in Last Chance Harvey, a romance starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson which had a wide release in January 2009. She plays the supporting role of Susan, the estranged and soon-to-be-married daughter of Hoffman's character.[3] She described her time in London making the film as "going to the best acting school in the world" to The Globe and Mail.[4]
Balaban starred in the independent drama One Week, directed by Michael McGowan. She played Samantha Pierce, whose fiancé, played by Joshua Jackson, is diagnosed with terminal cancer and takes a motorcycle trip across Canada.[5] Balaban also stars in the black comedy You Might as Well Live, playing a psychotic girl who is obsessed with explosives. Her other upcoming films include Not Since You, a drama about a group of college friends, The Trotsky by Jacob Tierney, and Coach by Will Frears and starring Hugh Dancy. She also shot a CBC television pilot for Abroad, a series based on the love life of Leah McLaren, a Toronto columnist for The Globe and Mail. Balaban is also trying to write her own screenplay and doing improvisational theatre in Montreal.[3] She appeared in the 12 minute short film "Goblin Market", directed by Adam Leith Gollner, which was presented at the 2009 Pop Montreal festival.[6]
[edit] Personal life
As of 2007, she lives in Mile End, Montreal. She described Montreal as "not a city that revolves around acting, so you stay very grounded here" to Hour magazine, and includes reading, writing, going to art galleries, and experiencing music as her leisure activities.[7] She is engaged to her long-time partner, journalist and author Adam Gollner.[8] Balaban told Toronto's Now magazine in January 2009 that she is often mistaken for the actress Natalie Portman.[9]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | New Waterford Girl | Moonie Pottie | Film debut |
| 2000 | The City | Alison | TV series - in the episode "Blindside!" |
| Saint Jude | Jude | ||
| 2001 | Full | Meryl | |
| After the Harvest | Lind Archer | TV film | |
| World Traveler | Meg | ||
| 2002 | Happy Here and Now | Amelia | |
| The Annual Crafts & Arts Contest | Neilburt | ||
| The Wisher | Mary | ||
| 2004 | Seven Times Lucky | Fiona | |
| Eternal | Lisa | ||
| 2005 | Anniversary Present | Sandra Dobbs | TV film |
| Leo | Ameilia | ||
| Burnt Toast | Woman | TV film | |
| 2006 | Above and Beyond | Shelagh Emberly | TV miniseries |
| 2007 | The Canadian Shield | Genvieve | |
| St. Urbain's Horseman | Jenny | TV miniseries | |
| 2008 | Definitely, Maybe | Kelly | |
| Beware of Dog | |||
| One Week | Samantha Pierce | ||
| Heartless Disappearance Into Labrador Seas | Lily | ||
| Last Chance Harvey | Susan | ||
| A Valentine Haircut | Clare | Short film | |
| 2009 | You Might as Well Live | Edna Kemperton | |
| Numb3rs | Jessie Robertson | TV series - in the episode "First Law" | |
| Abroad | Amy Pearce | TV film | |
| The Trotsky | |||
| Not Since You | Heather | ||
| Coach | Gabrielle |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sara Wilson (March 25, 2005). "7 questions: Liane Balaban". Globe and Mail: p. R34.
- ^ Paterson, Jennifer (September 2007). "Liane Balaban". Post City Magazines. Retrieved on October 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c Stone, Jay (January 8, 2009). "New water works girl". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
- ^ Macdonald, Gayle (January 9, 2009). "Liane Balaban: The Undergraduate". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
- ^ Young, Robyn (February 27, 2009). "Balaban’s Week of grand Canadiana". Metro Canada. Retrieved on March 2, 2009.
- ^ Griffin, John (September 25, 2009). "Pop Montreal: A lean music and film machine". The Gazette. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.
- ^ Koepke, Melora (January 8, 2009). "Last Chance Harvey". Hour. Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
- ^ Govani, Shinan (January 24, 2009). "Always your own worst critic". National Post. Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
- ^ Hooper, Barrett (January 14, 2009). "Q&A: Liane Balaban". Now. Retrieved on February 2, 2009.
