Movie actor Bob Balaban comes from a show business family famous in both Chicago and nationally. Bob was born in Chicago on Aug. 16, 1945. His father Elmer and four of his six uncles created the Balaban and Katz (B&K) movie theater chain in the 1920s. The chain eventually had about 100 theaters in Chicago and suburbs. The landmark Chicago Theater at 175 N. State Street was the crown jewel of the B&K chain that was built as the first lavish theater palace designed speficially for movies when it opened on Oct. 26, 1921. The famous Uptown Theatre near Broadway and Lawrence was also a landmark B&K Theater in the Depression era. The Balaban family also created Chicago's first commercial television station, WBKB on Channel 4, (Balaban & Katz Broadcasting) in the 1940s.