Rebecca Balding was born on September 21, 1948, in Little Rock, Arkansas. She attended the University of Kansas, where she studied acting before beginning her professional career. She initially worked on stage in Chicago and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue television and film roles.

She gained early recognition in the mid-1970s with a recurring part as reporter Carla Mardigian in the drama series Lou Grant and soon became known for her role as Carol David, the surrogate mother of Billy Crystal’s character's child on the popular sitcom Soap, appearing in nineteen episodes from 1978 to 1980.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she appeared in various television series including Makin' It, Starsky & Hutch, The Rockford Files, and Barnaby Jones, as well as in TV movies like The Gathering and Deadly Game. Balding also starred in horror films such as The Silent Scream and The Boogens, earning her some recognition in the genre.

In the later part of her career, she had guest roles on shows such as 7th Heaven, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, Home Improvement, and Family Ties. One of her most notable recurring roles was Elise Rothman, the newspaper editor and Phoebe Halliwell’s boss, on the popular supernatural drama Charmed, a role she played from 1998 through the series’ final season in 2006.

She was married to television producer and director James L. Conway, whom she met during the filming of The Boogens in 1981.

Rebecca Balding passed away on July 18, 2022, in Park City, Utah, after a battle with ovarian cancer, leaving behind two daughters.