| Liane Balaban | |
|---|---|
| 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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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]
Balaban made her feature film debut in New Waterford Girl (1999), playing a 15-year-old misfit longing to escape the Cape Breton coal-mining town, New Waterford. Set in the 1970s, the film was 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 studied drama in high school, but had not intended to be an actor at that point. After seven auditions, Balaban landed the part that won a Special Jury Citation at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and a nomination for a Canadian Comedy Award.[3]
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] She has also written for arts newspapers.[4]
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 played the supporting role of Susan, the estranged and soon-to-be-married daughter of Hoffman's character.[4] She stated to The Globe and Mail that her time in London making the film was like "going to the best acting school in the world".[5]
Balaban starred in the independent drama One Week (2008), as Samantha Pierce, a woman whose fiancé (Joshua Jackson) is diagnosed with terminal cancer and takes a motorcycle trip across Canada.[6] Directed by Michael McGowan, Balaban was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2010 for her performance.[7] Balaban starred in the black comedy You Might as Well Live in 2009, playing a psychotic girl who is obsessed with explosives. She appeared in the 12 minute short film "Goblin Market", directed by Adam Leith Gollner, which was presented at the 2009 Pop Montreal festival.[8] As of 2009, Balaban was writing a screenplay and doing improvisational theatre in Montreal.[4]
Balaban's other films in 2009 include Not Since You, a drama about a group of college friends, and The Trotsky, by Jacob Tierney. She also shot the CBC TV movie Abroad, based on the love life of Leah McLaren, a Toronto columnist for The Globe and Mail. Balaban was nominated for the Gemini Award for best lead actress in a dramatic program or miniseries for the role.[9] She then starred in "The New Tenants" with Vincent D’Onofrio, a short film entered into the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival.[10]
Balaban starred in the 2010 comedy/drama Coach, directed by Will Frears, as an emergency room doctor who falls for an inner city soccer coach (Hugh Dancy).[11] She appeared in the episode "Communication Breakdown" of the TV series Covert Affairs playing Natasha Petrova, a Russian computer hacker, and the character Auggie (Chris Gorham)'s ex-girlfriend.[12] She played a journalist opposite Paul Ahmarani in The Future is Now!, a docudrama by Gary Burns.[13]
Balaban made her stage debut in Divisadero: A Performance at the Theatre Passe Muraille in February 2011, directed by Daniel Brooks.[14] She starred as Claire, in an adaptation of the Governor General’s Award-winning novel by Michael Ondaatje, with music by Justin Rutledge.[3] In mid 2011, Balaban filmed the independent comedy, Finding Joy, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[15]
As of 2007, Balaban lived in Mile End, Montreal. She described Montreal as "not a city that revolves around acting, so you stay very grounded here" to Hour magazine.[16] Balaban includes reading, writing, going to art galleries, and experiencing music as her leisure activities.[16] Balaban told Toronto's Now magazine in January 2009 that she is often mistaken for the actress Natalie Portman.[17] As of 2011, she was living in Los Angeles.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | New Waterford Girl | Moonie Pottie | Film debut |
| 2000 | The City | Alison | TV series, episode: "Blindside!" |
| 2000 | Saint Jude | Jude | |
| 2001 | Full | Meryl | |
| 2001 | After the Harvest | Lind Archer | TV film |
| 2001 | World Traveler | Meg | |
| 2002 | Happy Here and Now | Amelia | |
| 2002 | The Annual Crafts & Arts Contest | Neilburt | |
| 2002 | Spliced | Mary | |
| 2004 | Seven Times Lucky | Fiona | |
| 2004 | Eternal | Lisa | |
| 2005 | Anniversary Present | Sandra Dobbs | TV film |
| 2005 | Leo | Ameilia | |
| 2005 | Burnt Toast | Woman | TV film |
| 2006 | Above and Beyond | Shelagh Emberly | TV miniseries |
| 2007 | The Canadian Shield | Genvieve | |
| 2007 | St. Urbain's Horseman | Jenny | TV miniseries |
| 2008 | Definitely, Maybe | Kelly | |
| 2008 | Beware of Dog | ||
| 2008 | One Week | Samantha Pierce | |
| 2008 | Heartless Disappearance Into Labrador Seas | Lily | |
| 2008 | Last Chance Harvey | Susan | |
| 2008 | A Valentine Haircut | Clare | Short film |
| 2009 | You Might as Well Live | Edna Kemperton | |
| 2009 | Numb3rs | Jessie Robertson | TV series, episode: "First Law" |
| 2009 | The Trotsky | ||
| 2009 | Not Since You | Heather | |
| 2009 | "The New Tenants" | Irene | 2009 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film winner |
| 2010 | Abroad | Amy Pearce | TV film |
| 2010 | Coach | Gabrielle | |
| 2010 | Covert Affairs | Natasha Petrova | TV series, episode: "Communication Breakdown" |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Emma Mastin | TV series, episode: "Black Widow" |
| 2011 | The Future is Now! | Woman of Tomorrow | |
| 2011 | Alphas | Anna | TV series, 2 episodes: "Rosetta", "Original Sin" |