Judith Rose Balaban (October 13, 1932 – October 19, 2023) was an American actress and author of ''The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends'', about

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

.New York Times: "A MOVABLE SLUMBER PARTY" by Sey Chassler
June 11, 1989 Balaban was a friend of Kelly's, through her marriage to

Jay Kanter Jay Ira Kanter (December 12, 1926 – August 6, 2024) was an American film producer and talent agent, best known for his long association with Alan Ladd Jr. He was an agent at MCA for a number of years. He is also known for his biographical wor ...

, and served as a bridesmaid at her wedding to

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years. Rainier was born at the Prince's Pal ...

in April 1956.

Biography

Judith Rose Balaban was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

,Heavy.com: "‘Becoming Cary Grant', Showtime Documentary: Meet the Cast" By S.M. Walsh
June 9, 2017 the daughter of Tillie (née Urkov) and

Barney Balaban Barney Balaban (June 8, 1887 – March 7, 1971) was an American film executive and innovator in the film industry who was president of Paramount Pictures from 1936 to 1964, and honorary chairman until his death. Life and career Barney Balaban w ...

. Her brothers were American jazz tubist and sousaphonist, Leonard "Red" Balaban and American film producer and director

Burt Balaban Burt Balaban (March 6, 1922 – October 14, 1965) was an American film producer and director. Biography Balaban was born to a Jewish family, the son of Tillie (née Urkov) from her first marriage, and stepson of Barney Balaban, longtime pres ...

. Balaban wrote ''The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends''. She appeared in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

documentary ''‘Becoming Cary Grant. Balaban was married three times. In the early 1950s she dated actor,

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered f ...

. In 1953, she married Grace Kelly's talent agent

; they had two daughters, Victoria Kanter and Amy Kanter, before divorcing in 1961. In 1961, she married actor

Tony Franciosa Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...

; they had one daughter, Nina Franciosa, before divorcing in 1967. In 1971, she married actor

Don Quine Donald Robert Charles Quine (born September 11, 1938) is an American author, actor, and sports promoter. He is known for his television roles playing Joe Chernak and Stacey Grainger in '' Peyton Place'' and '' The Virginian''. Quine also was th ...

; they divorced in 1996. Balaban died at a Los Angeles hospital on October 19, 2023, at the age of 91.

References

External links

* 1932 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American actresses American people of Russian-Jewish descent American women non-fiction writers Jewish American actresses Judy 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Actresses from Chicago Writers from Chicago 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women writers {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub