| Talia Balsam | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 5, 1959 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Martin Balsam Joyce Van Patten |
| Relatives | Dick Van Patten (uncle) Tim Van Patten (half-uncle) Vincent Van Patten (cousin) Grace Van Patten (half-cousin) |
Talia Balsam (born March 5, 1959) is an American television and film actress. She is the daughter of film actor Martin Balsam and actress Joyce Van Patten. She is married to John Slattery.
Early life[edit]
Balsam was born in New York City in 1959 to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten.[1] Her ancestry is Russian-Jewish (father) and Italian, Dutch, and English (mother). She is the niece of actor Dick Van Patten, actress Pat Van Patten and actor and director Tim Van Patten. Her cousin is actress Grace Van Patten.
She attended a boarding school in Tucson, Arizona, in her adolescent years.
Career[edit]
Balsam began her career appearing in a recurring role on the ABC sitcom Happy Days and later appeared in a number of shows, including Dallas, Taxi, Hill Street Blues and Magnum, P.I.. Balsam also played female leading roles in films Crawlspace (1986) and In the Mood (1987).[2] She also appeared in a number of made-for-television movies, including Kent State (1981), Nadia (1984), and Consenting Adult (1985). Balsam continued playing supporting film roles and guest starred on television through 1990s and 2000s, include The Cake Eaters (2007), L.A. Doctors (1998–99) and Without a Trace (2003–04).
From 2007 to 2014, Balsam had a recurring role as Mona Sterling in the AMC period drama series Mad Men. In 2012, she also had a recurring role in the Showtime thriller Homeland as Cynthia Walden. From 2016 to 2019, she starred opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the HBO comedy series, Divorce.[3][4]
Personal life[edit]
Balsam married actor George Clooney in Las Vegas in 1989; they were divorced in 1993.[5] Clooney stated, "I probably–definitely–wasn't someone who should have been married at that point." Clooney told Vanity Fair, "I just don't feel like I gave Talia a fair shot."[6] Since 1998, Balsam has been married to John Slattery, with whom she has a son, Harry Slattery.[7] They married in Kauai, Hawaii.[1] Together, they played husband and wife Roger and Mona Sterling in Mad Men.
Balsam lives with her family in SoHo, Manhattan.[8] She owns two cats named Caesar and Catalina.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sunnyside | Ann Rosario | |
| 1984 | Mass Appeal | Liz Dolson | |
| 1986 | Crawlspace | Lori Bancroft | |
| 1986 | The Supernaturals | Pvt. Angela Lejune | |
| 1987 | The Kindred | Sharon Raymond | |
| 1987 | In the Mood | Judy Cusimano | |
| 1987 | P.I. Private Investigations | Jenny Fox | |
| 1989 | Trust Me | Catherine Walker | |
| 1991 | The Walter Ego | Susie the Whore | Short film |
| 1991 | Killer Instinct | Emma | |
| 1995 | Coldblooded | Jean Alexander | |
| 1997 | Camp Stories | Mary | |
| 1999 | Valerie Flake | Linda | |
| 2002 | Emmett's Mark | Suzanne | |
| 2005 | Little Manhattan | Jackie Telesco | |
| 2006 | All the King's Men | Lucy Stark | |
| 2007 | The Cake Eaters | Violet Kaminski | |
| 2008 | The Wackness | Mrs. Shapiro | |
| 2009 | The Broadroom | Julie | Video short |
| 2010 | Conviction | Prosecuting Attorney | |
| 2011 | Return | Julie | |
| 2011 | No Strings Attached | Sandra Kurtzman | |
| 2011 | Choose | Clarissa | |
| 2015 | Don't Worry Baby | Miriam Lang | |
| 2015 | The Girl in the Book | Mom | |
| 2016 | Little Men | Audrey | |
| 2019 | The Climb | Suzi | |
| 2020 | Worth | ||
| TBA | With/In | Post-production |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Happy Days | Nancy Croft | "Hollywood: Parts 1 - 3" |
| 1978 | The Initiation of Sarah | Allison | TV film |
| 1978 | Stickin' Together | Grace Geary | TV film |
| 1978 | Fast Lane Blues | Dolly | TV film |
| 1978 | Dallas | Rita Briggs | "Black Market Baby" |
| 1978 | The Millionaire | Doreen | TV film |
| 1978–1980 | Taxi | Cathy Consuelos | "Like Father, Like Daughter", "Fathers of the Bride" |
| 1979 | Survival of Dana | Rona | TV film |
| 1979 | The Runaways | Diana Robinson | "Wrong Way Street" |
| 1980 | OHMS | Noranne Wing | TV film |
| 1980 | Archie Bunker's Place | Beverly Klein-Munoz | "Murray's Daughter" |
| 1980 | When the Whistle Blows | Sharon Jenkins | "Beauty Pageant" |
| 1981 | Kent State | Sandy Scheuer | TV film |
| 1981 | Crazy Times | Eve | TV film |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | Sally | "Some Like It Hot-Wired" |
| 1983 | Cagney & Lacey | Diane | "Affirmative Action" |
| 1983 | Family Ties | Carrie Newman | "Tender Is the Knight" |
| 1984 | Calamity Jane | Jean Irene O'Neill | TV film |
| 1984 | Magnum, P.I. | Emily Jackson | "On Face Value" |
| 1984 | Punky Brewster | Miranda 'Randi' Mitchell | "Punky Finds a Home: Parts 2 & 3" |
| 1985 | Consenting Adult | Margie | TV film |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Debbie Delancey | "Footnote to Murder" |
| 1987 | Tales from the Darkside | Gail | "The Social Climber" |
| 1987 | The Ladies | Linda | TV film |
| 1988 | Tour of Duty | Vickie Adams | "Pushin' Too Hard" |
| 1988 | Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Golden Land | Verna | TV film |
| 1989–1990 | Thirtysomething | Paige | "Michael's Campaign", "Pulling Away" |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Julie Pritzer | "Murder: According to Maggie" |
| 1991 | Sins of the Mother | Liz Trent | TV film |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Ms. Melanie Karlsen | "Ghost of Grandpa Past" |
| 1991 | Stat | Rita Falco | "Psychosomatic" |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Cathy Reno | "Come Along with Me" |
| 1991 | Past Imperfect | Jill | TV film |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Turner | "Consultation" |
| 1993 | The Larry Sanders Show | Dora | "Being There" |
| 1993 | Mad About You | Debbie | "The Unplanned Child" |
| 1994 | The Companion | Charlene | TV film |
| 1995 | Diagnosis: Murder | Tonya Gilpin | "Call Me Incontestable" |
| 1995 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Joanne Glassberg | "In the Name of God" |
| 1995 | Almost Perfect | Jeannie Guthrie | "A Dog Day Afternoon", "You Like Me, You Really Like Me", "The Ex-Files" |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Teri Marks | "Remand" |
| 1997 | Early Edition | Dr. Robbin English | "The Cat" |
| 1997–1998 | Profiler | Monica Sikes | "Old Acquaintance", "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick" |
| 1998 | Nothing Sacred | Laura | "A Nun's Story" |
| 1998 | The Love Boat: The Next Wave | Diana Wilson | "Smooth Sailing" |
| 1998–1999 | L.A. Doctors | Julie Lonner | Recurring role |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Shelia Kent | "Angels and Blimps" |
| 2000 | Schimmel | Kathy | TV film |
| 2000 | The Street | Mrs. Nicole Mason | "Hostile Makeover" |
| 2003 | Third Watch | Mrs. Beckman | "In Confidence" |
| 2003 | K Street | Gail | Recurring role |
| 2003–2004 | Without a Trace | Maria Malone | Recurring role |
| 2005 | Into the Fire | Dr. Linda Boyle | TV film |
| 2005 | Commander in Chief | Ruth | "Pilot" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Victoria Carson | "Wrongful Life" |
| 2007–2014 | Mad Men | Mona Sterling Pike | Recurring role |
| 2008 | Wainy Days | Carol | "Carol" |
| 2009 | FlashForward | Surgeon Gen. Anita Ralston | "Gimme Some Truth" |
| 2010 | Treme | Carla Hall | "Shallow Water, Oh Mama" |
| 2012 | Homeland | Cynthia Walden | Recurring role |
| 2013 | Elementary | Cheryl Gregson | "An Unnatural Arrangement" |
| 2013–2014 | The Good Wife | Anne Stevens | "A Precious Commodity", "Goliath and David" |
| 2014 | The Newsroom | Toni Dodd | "Contempt" |
| 2016–2019 | Divorce | Dallas Holt | Regular role |
| 2021 | Girls5eva | Herself | Episode: "Alf Musik" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Buchanan, Jason. "Talia Balsam movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography – AllMovie". Allmovie.com. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ "Talia Balsam | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
- ^ "George Clooney's ex-wife speaks out about their marriage". The Independent. October 7, 2016.
- ^ "Divorce - Dallas". HBO.
- ^ "Talia Balsam Movies, Pictures and Awards". MovieTimes.com. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ Wang, Julia. "George Clooney Biography : People.com". People.com. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ By Helena de Bertodano 10:50AM BST 08 Apr 2013 (2013-04-08). "John Slattery on ageing, drinking, and how he'd like Mad Men to end". Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ^ Krum, Sharon (May 6, 2015). "Mad Men star John Slattery is back in the Big Apple — where he belongs". Brick Underground. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
External links[edit]
- Talia Balsam at AllMovie
- Talia Balsam at IMDb
