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Judy Balaban, a high-placed participant in Hollywood who was a friend of Grace Kelly and served as a bridesmaid in her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, died Thursday night in a hospital in Los Angeles. She was 91.
Balaban’s death was confirmed by her friend, author and documentary filmmaker Cari Beauchamp. Balaban had been in declining health for some time.
The late actress was born in Chicago in 1932 and moved to Los Angeles with her family as a child. Her father, Barney Balaban, was the president of Paramount Pictures from 1935 to 1958.
She began her career as an actress in the early 1950s, appearing in television shows such as Dragnet and Perry Mason. She also had small roles in films such as The Ten Commandments (1956) and The Best of Everything (1959).
In 1956, Balaban married Jay Kanter, a television producer who was also a friend of Grace Kelly’s. Balaban and Kelly became close friends, and Balaban was one of six bridesmaids in Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956.
Balaban retired from acting in the early 1960s to focus on her family and her husband’s career.
However, she remained involved in the entertainment industry as a writer and producer. In 1985, she published the book The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends, a memoir of her friendship with Kelly.
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