# Talia Balsam

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

## Early life

Talia Balsam was born in New York City in 1959, to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten. 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.

## Career

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). 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.

## Personal life

Balsam married actor George Clooney in Las Vegas in 1989; they were divorced in 1993. 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."
Since 1998, Balsam has been married to John Slattery, with whom she has a son. They married in Kauai, Hawaii. They played husband and wife Roger and Mona Sterling in Mad Men. As of 2015, Balsam was living with her family in SoHo, Manhattan.

## Filmography
### Film

| 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 | |
| 2025 | Omaha | Edie | Completed |

### Television

| 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 |