Born in Philadelphia, a Master in Applied Linguistics and a graduate of UCLA, Bob Balchus has lived both in the U.S. and in Europe. A practicing filmmaker — having collaborated through the years with top industry talent — he possesses a working knowledge of all phases of the international motion picture industry, and has likewise worked for TV and advertising. Although principally a writer and a linguist, he has demonstrated his versatility accumulating experience also as an actor, producer, and director.
He began his career as a child actor with a one-liner on THREE COINS IN A FOUNTAIN, went on to tv and stage, and in Italy acted and dubbed for Giorgio Albertazzi. Behind camera, he functioned as production assistant on the set of Mark Robson’s VON RYAN’S EXPRESS and John Frankenheimer’s GRAND PRIX. After attaining his Fine Arts degree he was assigned as a writer to develop THE HOUR OF CAIN, a Fox project on the Six Day War, with RAMBO director Georges Kosmatos. He then moved on to George Litto Pictures and functioned as Brian De Palma’s assistant on OBSESSION where he also adapted Mr. De Palma’s film for Italian shoot. He story edited projects for the company collaborating with Oscar and Cannes Festival winning talent such as Abraham Polonsky, Joseph Losey, and Alvin Sargent. Consequently, he went on to create projects for Mr. Litto and became his production advisor and associate in Europe where he also ventured into the realm of artistic experimental cinema creating projects with Bolaffi prize winning artist Ugo Nespolo. Mr. Balchus has participated in either creating, developing, adapting, doctoring or packaging projects of international appeal for renowned European producers such as Anthony Havelock-Allen, Dino De Laurentiis, and Mario/Vittorio Cecchi Gori; stars as Brooke Shields, Liv Ullman, Anthony Quinn, and directors as Mauro Bolognini, Pasquale Squitieri, Mario Monicelli, Sergio Leone, Oscar winners Michael Andersen, William Friedkin, Robert Altman, and Sergei Bondarchuk; and writers such as Franco Solinas, Gianfranco Angelucci, Carlos Castaneda, Raffaello Brignetti, Mario Soldati, Laura Toscano and Franco Marotta, Karol Woytila, Valerio Riva, Nicola Badalucco, Alexandra Marinina and Luciano Vincenzoni. He has been involved with American companies like Warner Bros, Paramount, HBO, Showtime, ABC and NBC, and with European companies like RAI, Channel 4, Granada, Canal Plus, and Eagle Pictures.
Of his original screenplays, L.A. ROMANTICO, a feature-length romantic comedy set both in Rome and L.A., was optioned by Kenneth Branagh’s HAMLET and HARRY POTTER CHAMBER OF SECRETS producer, David Barron. MILLEFLEURS, a romantic comedy set in Rome, and HAVANA, the story of a Roman boy and an American Quarter Horse, also set in Rome, are both being packaged.
