In a move that will no doubt trigger an avalanche of show killer jokes, Eric Balfour is joining the cast of The CW’s The Beautiful Life for a multi-episode arc.
The star of Hawaii, Conviction, Sex Love & Secrets, and a slew of other short-lived series will play Eric, a charming rival to Claudia (Elle Macpherson) at a competing modeling agency.
To be fair, Balfour has also appeared on a bunch of shows that weren’t euthanized after nine episodes. In addition to The O.C., he had arcs on 24, The West Wing, and Six Feet Under. He was also really charming on The Ex List, so lighten up on the dude.
Fun fact free of charge: The gig reunites Balfour with his former O.C. co-star Mischa Barton.
PHOTO REQUEST: Macpherson: Takashi Seida /The CW; Balfour: Robin Wong/PR Photos
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Let’s not forget that he was on the first season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer either.
How can he be a “rival” if they’re not even the same gender? Sure, they work with different companies but that alone doesn’t make him her rival.
I assume they run competing companies, making them business rivals, not runway rivals.
He didn’t just appear in the first season of Buffy — he was in and killed off in the pilot. Almost as shocking as Reed Diamond getting killed off at the end of the first episode of The Shield.
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Also, IMO, his arc as the doomed Milo opposite romantic interest/kindasorta CTU boss Nadia in s6 of 24 was one of the few bright spots of that absolutely terrible season.
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– Rob
Ah, he will always be Xander’s fanged ex-BFF to me.
Have him on once, but not twice. His 2nd stint with 24 was a disaster.
has anyone guest stared on more series then he has?
they guy has been on like every tv series
Melinda Clarke?
Can’t stand him. Ugh.
And as for most guest-starred actor? Jane Lynch! She was on-screen in three shows in one week last season! From Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds, Party Down, The L Word… and that’s just part of her 2009 resume pre-Glee!
Yeah, don’t forget his memorable, yet ill-fated role as Jesse in the Buffy pilot. Our first glimpse into the mind of Joss, letting us know that he has no problem killing or maiming characters in the main credits!
I like Balfour, and my favorite part of Conviction (which I loved, by the way) was his friends-turned-love-interests arc with Julianne Nicholson. Balfour deserves a good gig!
Forget TV his best role was the movie Lie With Me which shows off just how big his talent really is ;’>
Quit following me Eric Balfour.
I may actually watch this now…I’m all about Eric Balfour
he was good in the OC ( whatever that means…
” ‘good’ in the OC”) but was out of place on Conviction , but that was not that good anyway.
In any case , like him or not , congrats. It’s always good when an actor gets a job and doesn’t have to wait tables( not that he was doing that )
I thought he showed how small a certain talent of his was (re: Lie To ME).
Lucky cast, he’s well known for strutting around naked on sets. Oh nudists.
letsbevain.ajaystewartproject.com
YES!!!!
First “Sex, Love & Secrets”, then “Conviction”, and now this!
This guy is the most intolerable actor of this decade, and with this casting TBL is sure not to make it to 2010. If this is Ashton Kutcher’s way to self-sabatoge this horrid idea of a show, congratulations to him for doing it with the best guy possible.
I uh wouldn’t call his role of Drunk Frat Boy 3 on The West Wing an arc but fair enough I suppose.
I was going to mention that a role in a single episode of The West Wing didn’t quite constitute a true arc. But I’m still a Balfour fan. There’s something about the guy that just draws my eyes. Problem is, the same quality seems to make me forget everything BUT him. Not all that great for a series. Lauren Ambrose (in my opinion) has been the only actor capable of matching him on-screen.
I remember reading and seeing pics of Eric filming a scene where he stripped naked for a fox pilot called my slutty girlfriend guess it didn’t get picked up =-(
To be fair, Ausiello, Eric Balfour’s stints in 24’s seasons one and six both really, really sucked.
Still waiting on Heather Locklear Melrose news!
Jon Cryer used to be pilot cancer too before “Two and a Half Men” Oh but wait, Jon Cryer is talented. Never mind.
This just made it to my DVR playlist.
OMG, Now I know for sure I’m gonna watch this show, I flove Eric Balfour!!
Wasn’t he in Six Feet Under? If so, didn’t that show last a while? (I really don’t know if he was in it or for how long, but I thought I’d heard that)
Yeah, he was in it for a while as Claire’s screwed up boyfriend. On and off from season 1-3. He was pretty good.
Conviction was my favorite of his roles. I think he’s very talented I may have to actually watch this show now.
*chuckle* One of my friends is an entertainment journo and she calls Eric the “Cockroach of Hollywood” — because he turns up everywhere! As a result, I crack up every time I see him, whether it’s exiting a helicopter at the end of “Secondhand Lions” or cracking wise with Arnold Vosloo in the otherwise totally forgettable “Veritas: The Quest”.
True, Balfour has been in various series that have tanked. Regardless, he is a very good actor who deserves better than he has been given.
You could say the same about Nathan Fillion, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s cursed in some voodooistic way. Although it is possible!
I’ve been in love with Eric Balfour since I got Conviction and Six Feet Under on DVD! He’s got that je ne sais quoi. I really did not want to have to watch this crappy series, but I may tune in now.
I can’t take my eyes off anything with Eric Balfour in it! I even watched Gargoyles on the SciFi channel.
show-killer jokes or not, it seemed that the most unfortunate has happened again.. his episodes haven’t even aired yet, and the show is already cancelled..
where does barry fit in here?
Eric Balfour is so cute and a good actor he’s very attractive… to bad i dont watch the show, is it any good?