I'm from the Midwest, and I loved my family. I had a very good time as a child, but I was also - I have a theory about Jews growing up in the Midwest, that there is an ultimately sort of wonderful avoidance of a lot of things, and a great acceptance of whatever is happening.

In 2010 Balaban appeared as Judge Clayton Horn the real-life judge who presided over the obscenity trial of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and City Lights Bookstore in the movie Howl. H & E Balaban Corporation operated their own movie palaces including the Esquire Theatre in Chicago. In 1999 Balaban made a guest appearance in the sitcom Friends as Phoebe Buffay's father Frank in "The One With Joey's Bag".

Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban (born August 16 1945) is an American actor author producer and director.