Balaban's entertainment philosophy
got its start while he grew up in a fam-
ily that owned a chain of movie the-
aters in Chicago. He studied acting in
college and became the original Linus
in the Off-Broadway production of

You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.
After being hired by director Mike
Nichols for Neil Simon's Plaza Suite
on Broadway, Balaban moved on to do
a film, Catch 22, again with Nichols.
Ultimately, he has appeared in some
50 films, including Midnight Cowboy.
Balaban's commitment to directing
was launched in his 30s as he succes-
sively worked in theater, TV and film.
He was hired for the play Girls, Girls,
Girls for public theater, developed a
pilot for a successful television series,
Tales From the Darkside, and tackled a
couple of movies, including Parents.
Producer and co-writer of the recent
film Gosford Park, he has directed the
play Addicted, a one-man show run-
ning Off-Broadway.
Married and the father of two,
Balaban detoured a bit by writing a
children's reading series, the McGrowl
books, about a boy, a girl and a bionic
dog, published by Scholastic.
Balaban takes great pride in a chari-
table project started by daughter
Hazel, now 16, to celebrate her bat
mitzvah. The initiative came to
involve the whole family as they col-
lected: 6,000 books to start a library
for a homeless shelter. The family
decided on a similar project for a shel-
ter housing abused women.
The Exonerated, on a 14-city nation-
al tour, offers a different charitable
project that Balaban also finds very
satisfying. The production has collect-
ed more than $400,000 for the six
exonerees who received no remunera-
tion for the time in which they were
wrongfully imprisoned.
"Most of the people represented in
the play have no money to live on,"
Balaban explains. "They are using the
donations for food, clothing and shel-
ter. Gary, who was able to go back to
farming, has donated most of the
money he's received to an organiza-
tion devoted to overturning wrongful
convictions." ❑

Your invitation to

Ten Pathways To Eliminate It From Your Life
And Transform Your Soul

With special guest

Lori Palatnik

Monday, March 1, 2004

11:00 am Registration
Noon - 1:30 pm Program and Lunch

B'nai Moshe, 6800 Drake Road, West Bloomfield

A minimum gift of $118 to Federation's 2004 Annual Campaign is
required to attend. (You will have a private moment to sign your pledge card)

Couvert $36 • Dietary laws observed

A program of the Women's Campaign and Education Department
of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

For more information or to register contact Heidi Hes at (248) 203-1459
or email hes@jfmd.org

This is Federation

Visit us online: www.thisisfederation.org

806300

For any occasion! Unique
Birthdays Unusual
Picture Frames Anniversaries
Stunning Crystal
Fabulous Serving Pieces Wedding
Adorable-Little-People-Dept
Magnificent Judaica
Bar & Bat Mitzvahs
Very Cool Photo Albums
Colorful Handcrafted Pieces
Whimsical Dolls
And lots more... plus
'Complimentary Gift Wrapping

and always

The Exonerated will be performed
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays and 7:30
p.m. Sundays, Feb. 24-March 14,
at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.
$30-$50. (313) 872-1000.

9,1;Z:77. A

Shop Sherwood... it's worth it.

cr
to All 108

Fine Designer Furniture • Accessories • Gifts
6644 Orchard Lake Road at Maple • West Bloomfield • 248 855.1600
Mon&Thur 10-9 Tue-Wed-Fri-Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 *most mfrs

2/20

2004

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