Born on March 5, 1959, in New York City to actors Joyce Van Patten and Martin Balsam, Talia Balsam was introduced to the world of acting at an early age. Balsam’s career began in 1977 and has since spanned over four decades. Apart from her career highlights, she was also the former wife of actor George Clooney.
Her Career Highlights
Balsam’s acting career began with her television debut in the series ‘Happy Days’ in 1977. She then transitioned to the big screen two years later with ‘Sunnyside.’
Some of her notable film credits include ‘Mass Appeal,’ ‘In the Mood,’ ‘Killer Instinct,’ and ‘Coldblooded.’ More recently, she appeared in ‘Little Manhattan,’ ‘Conviction,’ ‘Choose,’ ‘No Strings Attached,’ and ‘Little Men.’
As for her television career, Balsam is well-known for her major roles in series like ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Homeland,’ ‘L.A. Doctors,’ ‘K Street,’ and ‘Without a Trace.’ As of now, she is a regular on the comedy series ‘Divorce,’ playing the character Dallas Holt. She’s also seen in television films, with performances in ‘The Initiation of Sarah,’ ‘Stickin’ Together,’ and ‘Survival of Dana.’
She also has one upcoming project named ‘Omaha,‘ where she’ll appear as Edie.
Talia’s Relationship With George Clooney
The relationship between Balsam and George Clooney lasted for a brief period. The couple, who first met in 1984 while co-starring in a play, got married in Las Vegas in 1989. Their union, however, ended in 1992. Clooney’s reflections on their marriage revealed his feeling of responsibility for this result:
“She didn’t do anything to me. We had a relationship that didn’t work out; most of it was my own fault. That’s not me trying to nail me first. I can look at it like it was a TV show. I was the one in the relationship who wasn’t willing to fix things. For me, it was about children. Everybody keeps telling me I have to have children, and they keep betting I will.”
Clooney also admitted that he wasn’t meant to be a married man at that point in his life:
“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. I was responsible for the failure of that marriage.”
Following her divorce from Clooney, Balsam married actor John Slattery, with whom she shares a son, Harry. Clooney, on the other hand, is currently together with Amal Alamuddin.
