Martin Henry Balsam was born on November 4, 1919, in the Bronx, New York City, to Lillian Weinstein and Albert Balsam, a manufacturer of women's sportswear. His father, a Russian Jewish immigrant, and his mother, born in New York to Russian Jewish parents, welcomed their first-born child.
Balsam's interest in acting was sparked in high school, where he participated in the drama club. After high school, he continued his passion for acting by attending Manhattan's progressive New School. World War II broke out, and Balsam was called to service in his early twenties. Following the war, he secured a position as an usher at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
By 1947, Balsam was honing his craft at the Actors Studio, run by Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, where he trained in the famous Stanislavsky method. Despite his excellent training, he had to prove himself, just like any up-and-coming young actor. He began his career on Broadway in the late 1940s.
Balsam's breakthrough came in 1951 with Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo." He then had a few minor television roles before joining the cast of "On the Waterfront" (1954). In the 1950s, he had many television roles, including recurring parts on popular series such as "The United States Steel Hour," "The Philco Television Playhouse," "Goodyear Playhouse," and "Studio One."
In 1957, Balsam proved himself on the big screen once again with a prominent role in "12 Angry Men" (1957),directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda. His television work in the 1950s did not go to waste, as he impressed Alfred Hitchcock with his performance on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955),leading to a key supporting role in "Psycho" (1960).
Balsam's work with Hitchcock opened him up to a world of other acting opportunities. He received many strong movie roles in the 1960s, including parts in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961),"Cape Fear" (1962),and "The Carpetbaggers" (1964). One of the proudest moments in his life was when he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "A Thousand Clowns" (1965).
After this success, Balsam began accepting roles in European movies, and he developed a love for Italy. He lived there most of his remaining years, acting in over a dozen Italian movies and traveling between Hollywood and Europe for his many roles.
After a career spanning more than fifty years, Martin Balsam died of natural causes in his beloved Italy at age 76. He passed away of a stroke at a hotel in Rome called Residenza di Repetta, leaving behind his third wife, Irene Miller, and three children, Adam, Zoe, and Talia.
