- Born
- Birth nameBelinda Lou Balaski
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Belinda Balaski began acting at age five. Through her career she has starred in many feature films, movies of the week, and commercials, not to mention making guest appearances on dozens of television series. Honored with an Emmy Award for starring in Best After School Special, "Runaways" (1974), she received two Emmy submissions for "Are You My Mother" (1986) (with Michael York) and Proud Men (1987) (with Charlton Heston and Peter Strauss). Her theatre background earned her the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, and two Robbie Awards.
Memorable movie roles include a hippie chick in The Werewolf of Woodstock (1975); as Essie Beaumont in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976); as an imperiled pregnant woman in The Food of the Gods (1976), and as Robert Carradine's surfer girl in Cannonball! (1976). She starred in a dozen Joe Dante films: a summer camp counselor in Piranha (1978); a news producer in The Howling (1981); in Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), and as a harried working class mother in Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). She appeared in such television series as Baretta (1975), S.W.A.T. (1975), Starsky and Hutch (1975), Charlie's Angels (1976), Vega$ (1978), The A-Team (1983), Matt Houston (1982), Hunter (1984), Simon & Simon (1981), Our House (1986), Falcon Crest (1981), Father Dowling Mysteries (1989), Eerie, Indiana (1991) and Baywatch (1989).
In the late 1980s, she created BB's Kids Acting School where she teaches both children, teenagers, and adults in theatrical, commercial and musical workshops; passing on the knowledge she has acquired through her four decades in the entertainment industry. She has been an actress, teacher, painter, photographer, writer and, of course, mother.- IMDb Mini Biography By: SacredCatalyst
- ParentsLester Anthony Balaski
- RelativesBeverly Sue Balaski(Sibling)Bonnie Jean Balaski(Half Sibling)
- Frequently cast by Joe Dante in his movies.
- She has appeared with Robert Picardo in six films: The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993) and The Second Civil War (1997).
- She appeared in three "revenge of nature" horror films of the 1970s: Locusts (1974), The Food of the Gods (1976) and Piranha (1978).
- She has appeared in ten films or television films directed by Joe Dante: Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), The Second Civil War (1997), Small Soldiers (1998), and The Osiris Chronicles (1998). Dante also directed her in three television episodes: ForeverWare (1991), The Hole in the Head Gang (1992) and Runaway Daughters (1994).
- She has appeared with Dick Miller in nine films: Cannonball! (1976), Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993) and The Second Civil War (1997).
- She is close friends with her Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976) and The Food of the Gods (1976) co-star Marjoe Gortner.
- I'm a character actress. I like to change from role to role. That actually was one of my problems because people saw me and I looked so different, casting people didn't realize I was the same person. For Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976), I dyed my hair red and had beveled glasses made; for Cannonball! (1976), I was blonde and totally changed my appearance. If you looked at those two people, you would not realize they were the same person.
- It is so important for a director to have a vision and be able to communicate that vision to you while empowering your creativity. That way everyone is on the same page and working at their peak together.
- The worst kind of director is one who makes you feel small and stupid.
- I am at heart a character actress. It took a while to get in the front seat of the car, but the better roles are in the back seat.
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