Alec Baldwin
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Baldwin's official Web site is at www.alecbaldwin.com.
Noted for his disdain of publicity and the press, Baldwin was given the Hollywood Women's Press Club's Sour Apple Award in 1991.
Biography
Alec Baldwin's commanding onscreen presence won him big screen acclaim in "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992), "The Cooler" (2003) and "The Departed" (2006). Baldwin often divided his time between character film roles of varying size, New York stage productions, and political activism until the sitcom "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013) offered him an ideal outlet for his cocky, breezy charm. For years, he had shown hints of comedic timing few actors possessed, but between his fearless "SNL" appearances and the revered role of network exec Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock," it was clear that Baldwin could more than hold his own in comedy. Baldwin continued working after the end of "30 Rock," including a stint as the host of a revived primetime version of the classic game show "Match Game" (ABC 2016- ) and a recurring role on "Saturday Night Live" as President Donald Trump during the 2016 election season and during Trump's first months in office.
Alexander Rae Baldwin III was born on April 3, 1958, and raised in Massapequa, NY alongside his brothers, future actors Daniel, Stephen and William, and sisters Jane and Elizabeth. Mother Carol was a homemaker and Alexander Rae Baldwin, Jr., who had studied law, taught history and government at the local high school as well as coached football. A liberal in conservative East Long Island, Baldwin, Jr. also had a reputation for outspokenness on school and local issues, which no doubt inspired his offspring to fight for what they believed in. Baldwin strove to be well read and up on current world events, even as a young teen; ultimately, to be like the father who was so respected by his family. To that end, Baldwin left Massapequa in 1976 to pursue a political science degree at Georgetown University; acting being the furthest thing from his mind at that time as a legitimate means to make a living. After three years of hard work and a failed run for student body president, Baldwin was visiting a friend at New York University when he was introduced to the school's theater department. He had always had an interest in acting, even appearing in several high school plays, but now decided to put his law school plans on hold and take a more creative and risky detour. He transferred to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and also studied with famed founder of the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Baldwin intended to complete his Political Science major simultaneously, but in 1980, he and his piercing blue eyes were "discovered" while working at a fancy Upper West Side health club. Like many a newbie actor, he was cast as a sexy ne'er do well on a daytime soap, in this instance, "The Doctors" (NBC, 1980-82).
Baldwin's windfall lasted two and half years, after which he attracted serious attention for playing a charismatic yet lunatic TV evangelist on the nighttime soap "Knots Landing" (CBS, 1979-1993). However, his new career did not quell his leanings towards politics and public service, and while in California, he began volunteering for radical California assemblyman Tom Hayden. He also remained active in New York theater, garnering a Theater World award for a revival of Joe Orton's "Loot" and acclaim for a Broadway production of "Serious Money." In the late 1980s, Baldwin began his film career with a dizzying number of character roles, including a pair of hilariously thuggish New Yorkers in "Married to the Mob" (1988) and "Working Girl" (1988). He was memorable as the goofy bespectacled husband in "Beetlejuice" (1988) and displayed his versatility in the heavy-handed "Talk Radio" (1988) and the retro musical "Great Balls of Fire" (1989), where he portrayed ambitious young preacher Jimmy Swaggart (Jerry Lee Lewis' real-life cousin). Meanwhile he kept in step with his politics, attending the 1988 Democratic Convention and joining fundraising efforts for presidential hopeful Michael Dukakis. Back in Hollywood, Baldwin's rapidly growing résumé suggested that the gifted actor was on the track to movie stardom, especially after he landed a leading role playing hero Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October" (1990). The Tom Clancy adaptation was not a critical hit but it was one of the year's top-grossing films, and it put Baldwin in a new league alongside A-listers like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford and Scott Glenn. He broke through to top-billing status later that year with "Miami Blues" (1990), which showcased him to great effect as a psychopathic thief and murderer in a hard-hitting drama. Onstage, Baldwin continued to knock them out of the park, earning an Obie Award for his lead in the off-Broadway production of "Prelude to a Kiss."
At this point in his rather short career in show business, Baldwin had already begun to earn a reputation for his outspoken despair over the politics and players in Hollywood. The 1991 romantic comedy, "The Marrying Man" left a serious bruise on Baldwin's reputation - not only because it was a flop, but because of Baldwin's alleged violent outbursts on the set and arguments with Disney execs that barred him from ever working with the Mouse House again. Co-star Kim Basinger was likewise accused of problematic behavior, and when the pair subsequently fell in love on set, they developed an instant reputation as one of Hollywood's most high maintenance couples. Despite the controversy, Baldwin was still offered a contract to star in the next two Jack Ryan films. In a snub that may have forever squelched his shot at true Hollywood stardom, he turned down Tinseltown to appear in "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway; in the process, earning a Tony nomination for his portrayal of hot-tempered Stanley Kowalski. However, thumbing his nose at a lucrative film franchise and forcing a studio to recast with Harrison Ford - was considered by many either a bold or stupid move, depending on who was asked. One thing was clear - Baldwin would never again step into the stereotypical matinee idol sh s that his handsome looks and talent demanded.
While in New York, the ever passionate Baldwin continued to stir the pot, testifying before the City Council that horse-drawn carriages amounted to animal cruelty. An expletive-riddled shouting match with a hansom cab driver landed him in the headlines. Onscreen, Baldwin's explosiveness was corralled brilliantly that year in David Mamet's universally praised "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992), in which he memorably portrayed an unforgiving, coffee-rationing real estate executive. In fact, his uncredited appearance - which writer David Mamet reportedly wrote specifically for Baldwin - was generally regarded as the standout and certainly the most quoted of the A-list lot, including such powerhouse co-stars as Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris and Kevin Spacey.
Over the next few years, Baldwin's film career stalled with a spate of bad movies. A reprise of his stage role in the movie version of "Prelude to a Kiss" (1992) passed without much notice and "Malice" (1993) brought some acclaim for Baldwin's turn as a slick surgeon in another entry from the psychological thriller school, but was not box office blockbuster. "The Shadow" (1994), a rendering of the cult radio and pulp-fiction mystery hero, came maddeningly close to working, only to squander a great production design and star-studded supporting cast. Baldwin fared better with critics when he revived Stanley Kowalski for a CBS production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1995), leading to both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work. In 1995, Baldwin became the president of the non-profit advocacy group the Creative Coalition, taking the reigns after president Christopher Reeve's term was interrupted by his paralyzing accident. Unfortunately, Baldwin probably got the most ink that year for punching out a paparazzo who attempted to photograph Baldwin and Basinger leaving a New York hospital following the birth of their daughter, Ireland.
Returning to the big screen, Baldwin gave a forceful performance in "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996), starring as a crusading district attorney attempting to bring the murderer of Medgar Evers to justice. Baldwin's strong dramatic background was also apparent in Al Pacino's Shakespearean examination, "Looking for Richard" (1996). While promoting the films, Baldwin worked hard to repair his tarnished image and stood by his wife proudly as she reaped various awards for her role of hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold in "L.A. Confidential" (1997). Baldwin ended 1997 by leading three busloads of volunteers on a tour of Massachusetts to gather signatures for a campaign reform initiative.
The actor kicked off 1998 with a run of "Macbeth" at New York's Public Theater and followed up by lobbying in Washington on behalf of national funding for the arts. In 1998, he wrote and guest-starred in an episode of "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010). The small screen further provided one of his best performances, as a dedicated U.S. attorney prosecuting Nazi war criminals in the miniseries "Nuremberg" (TNT, 2000). Continuing to rack up the accolades, Baldwin earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and did an about-face with a winning comic turn as a movie star with a bloated ego and a penchant for underage girls in David Mamet's "State and Main" (2000). The actor lent his distinctive voice to the narration of Wes Anderson's cult fave "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001) and voiced animated shows including "The Fairly Odd Parents" (Nickelodeon, 2002- ) and "Clerks" (ABC, 2000), before portraying WWII hero General James Doolittle in Jerry Bruckheimer's misguided film epic, "Pearl Harbor" (2001). The following year the highly prolific Baldwin was nominated for his first Emmy for his role in the HBO drama "Path to War," but the recovery of his professional career sadly coincided with the beginning of a highly-contentious divorce and custody battle with Basinger.
Baldwin enjoyed a strong showing in "The Cooler" (2003), earning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as an old school Vegas casino boss who uses and abuses his only friend. In a sillier mode, he played Ben Stiller's tough-talking, always inappropriate boss in the romantic comedy, "Along Came Polly." Martin Scorsese added Baldwin to his list of regulars he enjoyed working with, beginning with 2004's "The Aviator," the epic biography of the maverick and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). Baldwin played PanAm founder Juan Trippe, the troubled tycoon's main competitor and eventual provocateur of a trumped-up scandal bought and paid for through a compliant Washington Senator (Alan Alda).
Fresh off these continues successes, Baldwin returned to the New York stage for a well-received revival of the 1930s comedy "Twentieth Century" before performing "South Pacific" at Carnegie Hall. He only appeared in the first scene of Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy "Elizabethtown" (2005), but his performance as the flummoxed athletic sh tycoon Phil DeVoss, who would lose billions on the failed design of his golden boy designer (Orlando Bloom), was a deadpan comedic delight. In fact, even a Baldwin cameo was good for a guaranteed laugh and both filmmakers and fans began to look at Baldwin in a whole new light. He continued to deliver laughs on the small screen in a recurring role on the sitcom "Will & Grace" (NBC, 1998-2006), earning Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest in 2005 and 2006. His 13 appearances as the host of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) almost confounded viewers as to why he had not strictly pursued a career in comedy, with his quotable moments hawking "Schweddy Balls" and teaching sing-songy high school French, as well as feeling up Adam Sandler in the racy "Canteen Boy" sketch. In a more serious vein, he guest-starred as a plastic surgeon on the FX series "Nip/Tuck" (2003-09) and played the dubious ex-partner of "Big Ed" Deline (James Caan) on the hit series "Las Vegas" (NBC, 2003-08). In 2005, Baldwin also launched a blog on the renowned liberal website, The Huffington Post, where he regularly published commentaries on the Bush administration, the war in Iraq, and other current events.
In 2006, Baldwin was again tapped by Scorsese to join Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson in the ensemble mob thriller, "The Departed." The powerhouse actor gave an excited and often hilarious performance as a sweaty South Boston police captain whose department has one of its officers deep undercover inside a criminal syndicate. Baldwin gained further big screen kudos in "Running with Scissors" (2006), playing the alcoholic father of a young man who puts him into the care of a psychologist running a house full of loons. The same year he appeared in the Robert De Niro-helmed "The Good Shepherd" (2006), about an idealistic Yale student (Matt Damon) who joins a secretive spy agency during World War II, only to help form the CIA after the war. Critics hailed all three of Baldwin's 2006 screen performances, but it was nothing compared to the raves for his return to series television. On "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013), "SNL" alum Tina Fey's ripping single-camera, behind-the-scenes comedy about an "SNL"-like show, Baldwin played the bombastic and preening network vice president Jack Donaghy, whose cultured air and haughty nonchalance served as the perfect foil to the dressed-down immaturity of the rest of the cast. Baldwin not only won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy, but was largely responsible for the second season renewal of the low-rated critical darling which was slowly but surely drawing in new rabid converts.
Baldwin's career high, however, was overshadowed by "the voicemail message heard round the world." The actor had been battling ex-wife Basinger for custody rights to their only child, Ireland, since their divorce in 2002 - much of it ugly fodder for the press through the years, with each side accusing the other of all sorts of ugliness. Basinger insisted Baldwin had anger issues; Baldwin insisted his ex-wife was mentally unstable and trying to turn his daughter against him and keep him from seeing her. In April of 2007, things grew particularly vile when a voicemail message was leaked to the press in which Baldwin berated his 11-year-old daughter after she was not available for a scheduled phone call, leaving fans shocked to hear the enraged actor call his daughter a "rude, thoughtless, little pig" among other things. The actor made a public apology through the press and on "The View" (ABC, 1997- ) but accused his former wife of leaking the tape and violating their court order. Basinger denied the accusations, staying out of sight, but the obviously distraught actor countered that he had been pushed to the brink by Basinger's "parental alienation," and hoped people would understand his position once they read his 2008 book about their relationship, A Promise to Ourselves.
Baldwin was, in fact, so upset about how the couple's problems had played out in the press, that he publicly asked NBC to let them out of his contract so he could heal things with this daughter. NBC, knowing they had too good a thing in Jack Donaghy, did not seriously consider his plea - much to the relief of "30 Rock" fans. In fact, as ugly as the voicemail was, by the time season two premiere rolled around in late 2007, all seemed to be forgiven by the press and fans - such was the good will that Baldwin had amassed throughout his career as a truly original talent. The actor even scooped up an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in late 2008, calling his "30 Rock" gig, "the best job I've ever had." Back on the big screen, he played a philandering real estate developer in the independently made coming-of-age drama, "Lymelife" (2008), which he followed by voicing Makunga in the animated sequel, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" (2008). The next year, he gave a strong dramatic performance in the Nick Cassavetes tearjerker, "My Sister's Keeper" (2009), playing an attorney who helps a young girl (Abigail Breslin) sue her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) for the rights to her own body after she discovers that they brought her into the world for the sole purpose of finding a genetic match to help cure their ailing first born (Sofia Vassilieva).
Baldwin's hot streak continued when he was nominated for his seventh Golden Globe - this time receiving his award for Best Actor in the television comedy category - which he won in early 2009. Hot on the heels of his Globe win, Baldwin received a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy. Meanwhile, he sought to repeat his Emmy feat from the year before when he was again nominated for the coveted award in the lead actor category in mid-2009. Not surprisingly, he won. Just as prestigious, it was announced in November that he and Steve Martin would co-host the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. After playing the redemptive ex-husband of a well-adjusted divorcee (Meryl Streep) in "It's Complicated" (2009), Baldwin found himself in contention for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards once again when he was nominated that year for playing the humorously arrogant Jack Donaghy. As expected, the beloved actor took home yet another Golden Globe and SAG award in early 2010 and repeated the SAG win in 2011.
Baldwin made unflattering personal headlines once again in December of 2011 when while on board an American Airlines flight awaiting take off, he was asked to turn of his "electronic device" while playing the game "Words with Friends" on his smart phone. After refusing and reportedly becoming belligerent, Baldwin was removed from the plane. He later issued an apology to the passengers who were inconvenienced by the incident, although not the airline or the flight's crew. On a happier note, the following spring the actor made public his engagement to yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas, whom he had been dating since the previous summer. Tainting the good news was an incident in April 2012 in which Canadian actress Genevieve Sabourin was arrested outside Baldwin's New York home, after trying to gain access unannounced. Accused of stalking Baldwin and sending him bizarre emails, Sabourin - who had met the actor on the set of a film a decade prior - was placed under a restraining order. On the professional front, Baldwin re-teamed with "Lymelife" director Derick Martini for a brief turn in the violent coming-of-age story "Hick" (2012), prior to showing off his vocal ability as Dennis Dupree, owner of The Bourbon Room, a fictional L.A. music venue in the late-1980s in the musical "Rock of Ages" (2012), a film adaptation of the hit stage show, and as a member of the ensemble cast of Woody Allen's ode to Italy, "To Rome, with Love" (2012). Baldwin re-teamed with Allen once again in 2013's "Blue Jasmine," which was also the same year "30 Rock" ended its run after seven successful seasons on NBC. However, controversy found Baldwin once again in November of 2013 when an internet clip surfaced in which the actor appeared to use an anti-homosexual slur while dealing with a photographer. As a result, Baldwin's month-old MSNBC interview program, "Up Late With Alec Baldwin" (2013) was suspended by the network for two episodes. Although Baldwin later released an apology for the outburst, the network canceled the series outright before it returned from the enforced hiatus.
Baldwin returned to the big screen as a character actor, appearing in films including Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy "Aloha" (2015), Julianne Moore drama "Still Alice" (2014), Tom Cruise blockbuster "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" (2015), football drama "Concussion" (2015), and Warren Beatty's directorial comeback "Rules Don't Apply" (2016). Baldwin returned to television during this period as the host of a prime-time revival of popular game show "Match Game" (ABC 2016- ), he also appeared on several episodes of "Saturday Night Live," playing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in several sketches opposite Kate McKinnon as his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. After Trump's surprise win in November 2016, Baldwin continued playing Trump for the remainder of the season, garnering ratings and media buzz the show had last seen during the 2008 campaign when Baldwin's former "30 Rock" boss Tina Fey was playing Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. During this period, Baldwin scored another film hit with the title role in the animated comedy "The Boss Baby" (2017), and co-starred in indie drama "The Private Life of a Modern Woman" (2017) opposite Sienna Miller.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1980
Began career playing Billy Aldrich on NBC daytime TV series "The Doctors"
1983
Played Dr. Hal Wexler on the short-lived CBS primetime medical drama "Cutter to Houston"
1984
Cast in featured role on the primetime soap "Knots Landing" (CBS) as Julie Harris' son Joshua Rush
1986
Made Broadway debut as a bumbling thief in Joe Orton's "Loot"
1986
Starred as a West Point cadet implicated in a murder in the NBC miniseries "Dress Gray"
1986
Film acting debut in "Forever, Lulu"
1988
Returned to Broadway as a slick corporate raider in Caryl Churchill's play "Serious Money"
1988
Landed pivotal supporting roles in "Working Girl" and "Married to the Mob"
1988
Played first romantic lead in Tim Burton's supernatural farce "Beetlejuice"
1989
Portrayed Jimmy Swaggart, cousin to rock singer Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) in the biopic "Great Balls of Fire"
1990
Cast as Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October; passed on reprising his role in the sequels
1990
First received top billing in "Miami Blues"
1990
Starred opposite Mary-Louise Parker in Craig Lucas' play "Prelude to a Kiss" at Circle Repertory Theatre
1990
Directed by Woody Allen in "Alice"
1991
First teamed on screen with future wife Kim Basinger in "The Marrying Man"
1992
Reprised stage role opposite Meg Ryan in Norman Rene's film version of "Prelude to a Kiss"
1994
Played title role in "The Shadow"
1994
Founded El Dorado Productions
1994
Acted opposite wife Kim Bassinger in Roger Donaldson's remake of "The Getaway"
1995
Played Stanley Kowalski opposite Jessica Lange in the Broadway revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire"; earned a Tony nomination; reprised role for TV-movie that year for which he netted an Emmy nomination
1996
Appeared in Rob Reiner's "Ghosts of Mississippi"
1997
Starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in the David Mamet scripted "The Edge"
1998
Offered a villainous turn in "Mercury Rising"
1998
Returned to the stage to play "Macbeth" opposite Angela Bassett
1999
Played supporting role as the father of a troubled teen in "Outside Providence"
1999
Made cameo appearance in "Notting Hill"
2000
Played (also executive producerd) a self-centered actor in David Mamet's "State and Main"
2000
Produced City Center Voices! Of The American Theater, a series of one-night only staged readings of American plays; appeared with Joanne Woodward in the inaugural production of "Arsenic and Old Lace"
2000
Cast (also executive produced) as the lead attorney in the TNT miniseries "Nuremberg"
2001
Starred in "Gross Points" at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY; role reportedly based on actor Al Pacino
2002
Cast as Robert McNamara in the HBO drama "Path To War"
2002
Feature directorial debut (also co-starred), the remake of "The Devil and Daniel Webster"
2003
Cast as Quinn in the film adaptation of "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat"
2003
Co-starred with William H. Macy in "The Cooler" as a casino tycoon, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination
2004
Guest starred on the season finale of "Nip/Tuck" (F/X) playing Dr. Barrett Moore, the ex-husband of "life coach" Ava Moore (Famke Janssen)
2004
Cast in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," a biopic of legendary director and recluse Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio)
2005
Earned two Emmy nominations for his guest starring role on "Will & Grace" (NBC) as Will's new boss
2005
Cast in "Fun with Dick and Jane," an update of the 1977 comedy where a married couple turn to robbery to pay the bills
2006
Cast as an alcoholic father in the ensemble drama-comedy "Running with Scissors"
2006
Cast in Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd," as a CIA operative
2006
Performed on stage in "Entertaining Mr. Sloane"; co-star Jan Maxwell left the production after complaining about the behavior of her co-star and was replaced by an understudy; this was denied by Baldwin and the theatre
2006
Played Jack Donaghy, the network boss of a New York based sketch comedy show on "30 Rock" (NBC)
2006
Played a macho police official in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed"
2007
Starred in (also produced) "Shortcut to Happiness" as a struggling writer who sells his soul to the devil for fame and fortune
2009
Co-starred as Meryl Streep's ex-husband in the Nancy Meyers comedy "It's Complicated"
2009
Played Campbell Alexander in "My Sister's Keeper," a Nick Cassavetes-directed adaptation of the Jodi Picoult novel
2009
Announced as co-host, along with Steve Martin, of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards
2011
Nominated for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series
2012
Co-starred with Chloë Grace Moretz in the indie drama "Hick"
2012
Played manager of the Bourbon Room opposite Tom Cruise and Julianne Hough in feature adaptation of the stage musical "Rock of Ages"
2012
Again directed by Woody Allen in the romantic comedy "To Rome with Love"
2012
Voiced Santa Claus character North in animated adventure "Rise of the Guardians"
2013
Premiere of "Up Late with Alec Baldwin" on MSNBC
2013
"Up Late with Alec Baldwin" was suspended by MSNBC
2013
"30 Rock" ends after seven successful seasons on NBC
2013
Re-teamed with Woody Allen in "Blue Jasmine"
2014
Co-starred in the Oscar-winning drama "Still Alice"
2015
Nabbed a supporting role in the NFL drama "Concussion"
2016
Began impersonating Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live"
2017
Voiced the title character in animated comedy "The Boss Baby"
2017
Co-starred with Demi Moore in Michael Mailer's romance drama "Blind"
2018
Joined the "Mission: Impossible" franchise as Alan Hunley in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout"
Videos
Movie Clip
Promo
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Baldwin's official Web site is at www.alecbaldwin.com.
Noted for his disdain of publicity and the press, Baldwin was given the Hollywood Women's Press Club's Sour Apple Award in 1991.
With companion (and later wife) Kim Basinger, Baldwin owns 11 dogs, seven cats and a wolf. These devoted pet owners were honored at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ball during President Clinton's 1993 inauguration festivities.---From USA Today, January 20, 1993.
Along with Basinger, Baldwin received an award from The Carriage Horse Action Committee at an event held on January 27, 1993 at The Sherry Netherland hotel in NYC. The organization was honoring the couple's commitment to better working conditions for the horses and the fact that Baldwin testified on the animals' behalf at a City Coucil hearing in 1992. (He also got into a fight with a carriage horse driver there.)---From the "Apple Sauce" column of Daily News, January 28, 1993.
In 1995, when his wife and newborn daughter were returning home from the hospital, Baldwin got into a scuffle with photographer Alan Zanger. Zanger sued the actor for lost wages due to injuries and distress caused by the incident while Baldwin countersued for invasion of privacy. In a 1998 jury verdict, both were found to bear some responsibility for the conflict; Baldwin was ordered to pay $6,000 in damages which were reduced to $4,500 as Zanger was held 25 percent responsible. Baldwin was awarded nothing in his invasion of privacy suit.
"I was reared in a very diehard, left-leaning home: Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. I grew up with that philosophy."--Alec Baldwin quoted in The Seattle Times, July 16, 2000.
In December 1998, at the height of the controversy surrounding the impeachment of then, President Bill Clinton, Baldwin appeared on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and made the questionable comment, "If we were in other countries . . . all of us together would go down to Washington and we would stone [US Senator] Henry Hyde to death." The actor later claimed it was meant humorously.
"Am I ever going to give up acting? Yes. I almost can't wait to give up acting, in one sense. I'm never going to get it right. I've resolved this with myself. I've made tons of money and seen the world and worked with all these great people, and still feel like a failure out there."---Baldwin quoted in New York, November 24, 1997.
"All along, I think there were things I could have done to make things easier for me in the industry sense. I suppose, deep down inside, that really wasn't important to me because ultimately, if it WAS important to me, I would have acted differently, made different decisions. What I wanted seven years ago was to give the best performance possible in the best possible film, but then I realised I wasn't willing to make certain sacrifices in order to cement that. I was really, really down after a bunch of movies that were really, really frustrating."---Baldwin quoted in Empire, June 1997.
"Nothing is worse than the movie business. Washington is just like the Boy Scouts compared to the movies."---Baldwin as quoted to New York, November 24, 1997.
"I've walked away from some films knowing we've given the director the ingredients to make a good movie, and then I've seen it and it isn't so good. That's why I don't get involved much in the movies I'm in. With about half of them, I've never gone to a screening. I show up at the opening, wave, sign autographs, take pictures, talk to the press and then sneak out the side door with my wife and leave. Because watching my own movies reached a level of frustration where all I see is what might have been, and I must add, that's my shortcoming."---Alec Baldwin quoted in Daily News, September 27, 1997.
"Acting to me is like sex," he said with a chuckle. "When I was young, I would do it with anybody. Now I'm older and it's just too intimate. I can't do it with just anybody, anymore."---Alec Baldwin quoted in Toronto Sun, September 10, 2000.
"The loss of my family was the most catastrophic and painful thing I ever had to go through," he says. "It was so awful. I am not looking for sympathy, but I was really, really down. There was a period when I didn't want to live. I'd go to bed at night and say, `Just please let me die in my sleep.' I didn't want to live anymore without my daughter."---Baldwin quoted in W Magazine, November 2003.
"I was not willing to do the things to make more money," he said. "But I am taken more seriously as an actor as a result of the things I did and the choices I made. I make less, but I can't complain. I am happy. If I did better, maybe I would be happier."---Baldwin quoted to New York Times, September 21st, 2003.
"To me, the Republican Party is the real great tragedy of the last 25 years because there are lot of good and decent people and a lot of good political points [that have] come from the Republican Party in the post-war period, but it has been hijacked by these fundamentalist wackos."---Baldwin speaking at a DNC-sponsored event called "Funny But True: Important Issues in 2004." CNSNews.com, July 29, 2004.
