Liane Balaban
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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, perhaps best known for her role as Agnes-Marie "Moonie" Pottie in New Waterford Girl (1999).
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Balaban was born in North York, Ontario, the daughter of a Catholic mother, a medical secretary, and Leon Balaban, a Jewish father from Uzbekistan who works in real estate.[2] She grew up in the Willowdale neighborhood of North York, now part of Toronto, and went to high school at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute. Balaban majored in journalism at Ryerson University and 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 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 hadn't 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 is a member of the garage/electro/pop band We are Molecules where she sings and plays keyboards and drums.[1] As of 2007, she lives in Montreal.
In 2008, Balaban appeared in her first mainstream Hollywood feature film, Definitely, Maybe. Also slated for 2008 are: Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, One Week, a drama about a motorcycle trip across Canada, The Hill, a drama about a group of college friends, and You Might as Well Live.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sara Wilson. "7 questions: Liane Balaban", Globe and Mail, March 25, 2005, p. R34.
- ^ Paterson, Jennifer (September 2007). "Liane Balaban". Post City Magazines. Retrieved on October 8, 2007.
