Talia Balsam

American actress (born 1959)

Talia Balsam

Born|  (1959-03-05) March 5, 1959 (age 66)

New York City, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1977–present
Spouses|

George Clooney

(m. 1989; div. 1993)​

John Slattery

(m. 1998)​

Children| 1
Parents|

* Martin Balsam
* Joyce Van Patten

Relatives|

* Dick Van Patten (uncle)
* Tim Van Patten (half-uncle)
* Nels Van Patten (cousin)
* Vincent Van Patten (cousin)
* Grace Van Patten (half-cousin)

Talia Balsam (born 1959) is an American television and film actress.

## Early life

[edit]

Talia 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/director Tim Van Patten. Her cousin is actress Grace Van Patten.[citation needed]

## 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, Family Ties, The Larry Sanders Show, and Magnum, P.I. Balsam also played 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] In an interview with Vanity Fair after their divorce, Clooney stated, "I probably (definitely) wasn't someone who should have been married at that point. 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.[7] They married in Kauaʻi, Hawaii.[1] They played husband and wife Roger and Mona Sterling in Mad Men. As of 2015, Balsam was living with her family in SoHo, Manhattan.[8]

## 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  |
2019  | South Mountain | Lila  |
2020  | Worth | Dede Feinberg  |
2021  | With/In: Volume 1 |  | Segment: "Intersection"
2021  | The Many Saints of Newark | Mrs. Jarecki  |
2022  | Master | Diandra  |
2023  | Late Bloomers | Dorothy  | [9]
2025  | Omaha | Edie  | Completed

### 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  | The 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
2017  | Z: The Beginning of Everything | Anne Ober  | Recurring role
2021  | Girls5eva | Herself  | "Alf Musik"
2021  | The Premise | Prosecutor  | "Social Justice Sex Tape"
2023  | Wilderness | Bonnie  | Main cast

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Buchanan, Jason. "Talia Balsam movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography – AllMovie". Allmovie.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
2. ^ "Talia Balsam | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
3. ^ "George Clooney's ex-wife speaks out about their marriage". The Independent. October 7, 2016. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022.
4. ^ "Divorce - Dallas". HBO.
5. ^ "Talia Balsam Movies, Pictures and Awards". MovieTimes.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
6. ^ Wang, Julia. "George Clooney Biography :". People.com. People. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
7. ^ Helena de Bertodano (April 8, 2013). "John Slattery on ageing, drinking, and how he'd like Mad Men to end". Telegraph. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
8. ^ Krum, Sharon (May 6, 2015). "Mad Men star John Slattery is back in the Big Apple — where he belongs". Brick Underground. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
9. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 14, 2022). "Karen Gillan, Margaret Sophie Stein & Jermaine Fowler". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Talia Balsam at IMDb

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

People|

* Deutsche Synchronkartei

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced