Descends from Mayflower passenger John Howland

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander Rae Baldwin III ‎(born April 3, 1958 in Massapequa, New York)‎ is an Oscar-nominated American actor. He is the oldest and best known of the "Baldwin brothers".

Biography

Early life
Baldwin was born in Massapequa, Long Island, New York to Catholic parents Alexander Rae Baldwin II, an Irish American high school history teacher, drama club director and football coach, and Carol Newcomb Martineau, who has distant French ancestry. His brothers are Daniel, Stephen and William Baldwin, all of whom are actors; he also has two sisters, Jane and Elizabeth.

When Baldwin was young, he worked as a busboy at famous New York City disco Studio 54. He graduated from the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in 1979, and took Political Science at The George Washington University.

Career

Main title caption for Knots Landing, in which Baldwin played Joshua Rush.Baldwin's first major role was as Billy Aldrich on the daytime soap The Doctors from 1981 to its cancellation a year later. He shot to stardom co-starring on Knots Landing, and spent most of the 1980s appearing in television series, before turning to film in 1988, making his film debut with a minor role in She's Having a Baby. That year, he had major roles in Beetlejuice and Working Girl, both of which were box office successes and raised his profile.

After appearing in several other supporting roles, he starred as lead character Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, which grossed over $100m after its release in March of 1990. He subsequently had several notable roles in early 1990s films, including opposite ex-wife Kim Basinger in 1991's The Marrying Man ‎(he and Basinger had a daughter, Ireland, born in 1995)‎; as one of an ensemble cast in Glengarry Glen Ross; and as the title character in 1994's superhero film, The Shadow. He appeared opposite Basinger again in The Getaway, a 1994 remake of the same-name 1972 film.

Baldwin's late 1990s roles varied in terms of critical and box office reception, and included several thrillers, such as The Edge, The Juror ‎(opposite Demi Moore)‎ and Heaven's Prisoners. He has since appeared mostly in supporting roles, including his Academy Award nominated turn in 2003's The Cooler, and several voice over roles, including work in the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. On June 9, 2005, he appeared in a concert version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific Carnegie Hall. He starred as Billis, alongside Reba McEntire as Nellie and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile. The production was taped and telecast by PBS on April 26, 2006.

Baldwin's next role will be in the ensemble drama-comedy Running with Scissors, which will be released in September 2006. He will also star in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock alongside Tina Fey; the show it scheduled to debut in the fall of 2006 on NBC.

Politics
Baldwin was criticized by Jack Valenti, Rush Limbaugh, and Brit Hume for his appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 11, 1998, eight days before President Bill Clinton was impeached. In a skit that Baldwin later referred to as a "parody", he said that "if we were in another country... we would stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families".‎[1]‎ Baldwin later apologized to Hyde for his remarks and NBC has promised never to re-air the show.‎[2]‎

Baldwin, a liberal Democrat, has always had an active interest in politics and is frequently rumored to be a candidate for public office. He recently revealed in a British magazine interview that he plans to leave acting in a few years to pursue a career in politics. He has recently called Vice President Dick Cheney a "terrorist", and claimed that "he terrorizes our enemies abroad and innocent citizens here at home indiscriminately.".‎[4]‎ He later recanted this statement, saying that Cheney was not a terrorist but rather "a lying, thieving oil whore and a murderer of the U.S. Constitution".‎[5]‎. Baldwin has continued to level strong criticisms at the Bush Administration on his blog labeling President Bush a "trust fund puppet" and Vice President Cheney a "constitution hating sociopath" and a "hate-filled maniac". ‎[6]‎

Baldwin and commentator Bill O'Reilly have been in a number of conflicts, yet despite their political differences, Baldwin stated on his blog after an interview with O'Reilly, that he "was aggressive, but was a gentleman throughout", and also called O'Reilly a "talented broadcaster." ‎[7]‎. Baldwin, however, also referred to O'Reilly's employer, Fox News Channel, in the same blog post as "Roger Ailes' Luftwaffe/Looney Bin news operation".

Baldwin serves on the board of People for the American Way.

Trivia
Alec Baldwin had a "starring" role in the marionnette comedy Team America: World Police, where he was portrayed as the president of the fictional "Film Actors' Guild" ‎(F.A.G.)‎ and chief patsy of North Korean "Dear Leader", Kim Jong Il. Jong Il pronounces his name "Arec Bardwin". He was voiced by Maurice LaMarche, most famous for voicing The Brain in Pinky and the Brain

Selected filmography

Baldwin in BeetlejuiceYear Title Role Notes
2006 Mini's First Time Martin
2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Jack McCallister
Elizabethtown Phil DeVoss
2004 The Aviator Juan Trippe
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Dennis ‎(voice only)‎
Along Came Polly Stan Indursky
2003 The Cat in the Hat Quinn
The Cooler Shelly Kaplow
2002 The Adventures of Pluto Nash M.Z.M ‎(uncredited)‎
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums Narrator ‎(voice only)‎
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Capt. Gray Edwards ‎(voice only)‎
Cats & Dogs Butch ‎(voice only)‎
Pearl Harbor Lt. Col. James Doolittle
2000 State and Main Bob Barrenger
Thomas and the Magic Railroad Mr. Conductor
1999 Outside Providence Old Man Dunphy
Notting Hill Jeff King ‎(uncredited)‎
1998 The Matthew Barnard Show Movie ‎(Cameo appearance)‎
1998 Mercury Rising Lt. Col. Nicholas Kudrow
1997 The Edge Robert Green
1996 Ghosts of Mississippi Bobby DeLaughter
Heaven's Prisoners Dave Robicheaux
The Juror Teacher
1994 The Shadow Lamont Cranston/The Shadow
The Getaway Carter 'Doc' McCoy
1993 Malice Dr. Jed Hill
1992 Glengarry Glen Ross Blake
Prelude to a Kiss Peter Hoskins
1991 The Marrying Man Charley Pearl
1990 Alice Ed
Miami Blues Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
The Hunt for Red October Jack Ryan
1989 Great Balls of Fire! Jimmy Swaggart|
1988 Talk Radio Dan
Working Girl Mick Dugan
Married to the Mob 'Cucumber' Frank de Marco
Beetlejuice Adam
She's Having a Baby Davis McDonald

TV appearances
30 Rock - will debut in the fall of 2006 on NBC
Las Vegas - Jack Keller, fictional character who is an ex-CIA employee, episodes 12 and 32.
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Narrator/Voices. He narrated the American Thomas episodes in 1998 and 2003, after George Carlin left and Baldwin was replaced by Michael Angelis in 2003.
Storytime With Thomas - Along with Ringo Starr in 1998.
The Matthew Barnard Show Christmas Special: Yellow Snow ‎(1998)‎
The Simpsons - Guest appearance in two episodes ‎(1998: 13.17)‎ - Himself.
Friends ‎(8.17, 8.18)‎ - Phoebe's annoyingly optimistic boyfriend Parker.
Nip/Tuck ‎(2004: 2.16)‎ - Dr. Barrett Moore ‎(plastic surgeon)‎, husband of Ava Moore, a male-to-female transsexual who formally went by Avery Tanner.
Will & Grace ‎(2005: 7.23, 7.24, 8.01, 8.03, 8.04, 8.05)‎ - Malcolm
Saturday Night Live - hosted 12 times
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom - Regular narrator of the present incarnation of the series ‎(2002 - present)‎

Alec Baldwin at the Internet Movie Database
Alec Baldwin at the Voice Chasers Database
Political contributions of Alec Baldwin
Unofficial Fansite of Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin's Blog at Huffington Post
Unofficial Fansite of Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin speaks out about travelling animal acts.
Alec Baldwin circus ad
Alec Baldwin addresses congress
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