Friday, August 5, 2011

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin


Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.
Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons (6 and 7) before his character was killed off. The series aired on CBS from 1979 to 1993. He has since played both leading and supporting roles in films such as Beetlejuice (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), Final Fantasy The Spirits Within (2001), The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006). His performance in the 2003 film The Cooler garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Since 2006 he has starred as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He has received two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and six Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is the oldest of the Baldwin brothers working in Hollywood.

Alec Baldwin - Best performance


Hulu's Superbowl Commercial - 60sec


New Era Commercial - The Trash Talking Begins


Alec Baldwin on Tracy Morgan and Kim Jong-il


Inside The Actors Studio - Alec Baldwin (second visit)


New Era Commercial - One Hitter








Early life

Baldwin was born in Nassau Shores, Massapequa, New York,[1] the son of Carolyn Newcomb (née Martineau) and Alexander Rae Baldwin, Jr., a high school history/social studies teacher and football coach. Baldwin was raised in a Roman Catholic family of Irish, English, and French descent. He has three younger brothers, Daniel, William, and Stephen, who also became actors. Baldwin has two sisters, Beth Baldwin Keuchler (born 1955), and Jane Baldwin Sasso (born 1965).[citation needed]
Baldwin attended Alfred G. Berner High School in Massapequa, Long Island, and played football there under Coach Bob Reifsnyder, who is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He worked as a busboy at the famous New York City disco Studio 54. Baldwin attended George Washington University from 1976 to 1979. He then transferred to New York University to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute under Elaine Aiken and Geoffrey Horne.[1] He returned to NYU in 1994 and graduated with a BFA that year. On May 12, 2010, he again returned to New York University, this time as a commencement speaker and to receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree, honoris causa.


Career

Stage
Baldwin made his Broadway debut in 1986, in a revival of Joe Orton's Loot alongside theater veterans Zoë Wanamaker, Željko Ivanek, Joseph Maher and Charles Keating. This production closed after three months. His other Broadway credits include Caryl Churchill's Serious Money with Kate Nelligan and a highly acclaimed revival of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. His performance as Stanley Kowalski in the latter garnered him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. Baldwin also received an Emmy nomination for the 1995 television version of the production, in which both he and Jessica Lange reprised their roles, alongside John Goodman and Diane Lane. In 1998, Baldwin played the title role in Macbeth at the Public theater alongside Angela Bassett and Liev Schreiber in a production directed by George C. Wolfe. In 2004, Baldwin starred in a revival of Twentieth Century with Anne Heche.
On June 9, 2005, he appeared in a concert version of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific at Carnegie Hall. He starred as Luther Billis, alongside Reba McEntire as Nellie and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile. The production was taped and telecast by PBS on April 26, 2006. In 2006, Baldwin made theater news in Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway revival of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr. Sloane. In 2010, Baldwin starred opposite Sam Underwood in a critically acclaimed revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus, directed by Tony Walton at Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY.
[edit]Television
Baldwin's first major acting role was as Billy Aldrich on the daytime soap opera The Doctors from 1980 to 1982. In the fall of 1983, he starred in the short-lived television series Cutter to Houston. He then co-starred in the television series Knots Landing from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, Baldwin starred in Dress Gray, a four-hour made-for-television miniseries, as an honest cadet sergeant who tries to solve the mystery of a murdered gay classmate.[6] The film was adapted by Gore Vidal from the novel by Lucian Truscott.
Between the years of 1998 and 2002, Baldwin was the U.S. narrator for the children's show Thomas and Friends, narrating all 52 episodes of seasons 5 and 6. Baldwin appeared in a celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in November 2000, competing against Jon Stewart, Charlie Sheen, Vivica A. Fox and Norm Macdonald. He won $250,000 for PAWS, and used Kim Basinger as one of his "phone-a-friend" partners.
In 2002, Baldwin appeared on two episodes of Friends as Phoebe Buffay's overly enthusiastic love interest, Parker. He also portrayed a recurring character in a number of episodes in seasons 7 and 8 of Will & Grace, in which he played Malcolm – a 'top secret agent' and the lover of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally). He also guest-starred in the first live episode of the series. Baldwin wrote an episode of Law & Order entitled "Tabloid", which aired in 1998. He played the role of Dr. Barrett Moore, a retired plastic surgeon, in the series Nip/Tuck.
On July 7, 2007, Baldwin was a host at the American leg of Live Earth, which was broadcast on NBC.[citation needed]
Baldwin stars in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which first aired October 2006. Baldwin met his future co-stars Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan while appearing on Saturday Night Live. He has received two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role. Baldwin received his second Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical as Jack Donaghy in 2008, marking his seventh Primetime Emmy nomination and first win. He won again in 2009. Since season 3, Baldwin has been credited as producer of the show.
Baldwin joined TCM’s The Essentials Robert Osborne as co-host beginning in March 2009.[7][8]
Baldwin co-hosted the 82nd Academy Awards with Steve Martin in 2010.[9] He has hosted Saturday Night Live 15 times as of May 15, 2010, currently sharing the title of most frequent host with Martin.[10]
[edit]Film


Baldwin with Kim Basinger at the 1994 César Awards ceremony in Paris.
Baldwin made his film debut with a minor role in the 1987 film Forever, Lulu. Also in 1988, he appeared in Beetlejuice and Working Girl. He gained further recognition as a leading man with his role as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Baldwin met his future wife Kim Basinger when they played lovers in the 1991 film The Marrying Man. He appeared with Basinger again in The Getaway, a 1994 remake of the 1972 Steve McQueen film of the same name. Next, in a brief role, Baldwin played a ferocious sales executive in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), a part added to the film version of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play. Later that year, he starred in Prelude to a Kiss with Meg Ryan, which was based on the Broadway play. The film received a lukewarm reception by critics and grossed only $22 million worldwide.[11]
In 1994, Baldwin made a foray into pulp fiction-based movies with the role of the title character in The Shadow. The film made $48 million. In 1996 and 1997, Baldwin continued to work in several thrillers including The Edge, The Juror and Heaven's Prisoners.
Baldwin shifted towards character acting, beginning with Pearl Harbor in 2001. He played Lt. Col. James Doolittle in the film, which, with a worldwide box office of $449,220,945, remains the highest grossing film Baldwin has appeared in his acting career.[12] Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in the 2003 gambling drama The Cooler.[1] He appeared in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006).[1] In 2006, he starred in the film Mini's First Time, alongside Nikki Reed and Luke Wilson. Baldwin performed opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in the 2007 romantic comedy, Suburban Girl. In 2009, he co-starred in the hit romantic comedy It's Complicated with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin.
Baldwin directed and starred in an all-star version of The Devil and Daniel Webster with Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dan Aykroyd in 2001.[13] The then-unreleased film became an asset in a federal bank fraud trial when investor Jed Barron was convicted of bank fraud while the movie was in production. The film eventually was acquired by The Yari Group without Baldwin's involvement.[14] In 2007, the Yari Film Group announced it would give the film, now titled Shortcut to Happiness, a theatrical release in the spring and cable film network Starz! announced they had acquired pay TV rights for the film. Shortcut to Happiness was finally released in 2008. Baldwin, displeased with the way the film had been cut in post-production, demanded that his directorial credit be changed to the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick".[15]
Baldwin has also worked as voice actor in films such as The Royal Tenenbaums, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.As of March 2011 Baldwin has signed on to star alongside Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Hough, and Mary J. Blige in the film adaptaion of the jukebox hit musical Rock of Ages. Baldwin will play Dennis Dupree, the aging owner of a Sunset Strip rock club, when production begins in May 2011.
[edit]Radio
On January 12, 2009, Baldwin became the host of The New York Philharmonic This Week, the nationally broadcast radio series of the New York Philharmonic.[16] He has recorded two nationally distributed public service radio announcements on behalf of the Save the Manatee Club.[17]
[edit]Personal life

In 1990, he met his future wife, actress Kim Basinger, when they played lovers in the film The Marrying Man. They married in 1993 and had a daughter, Ireland, in October 1995. In January 2001, they filed for divorce, which was finalized in February 2002.[18]"
Baldwin and his family are Catholic. [19] [20] Baldwin is a life-long fan of the New York Yankees.
[edit]A Promise to Ourselves

In 2008 Alec Baldwin and Mark Tabb published A Promise to Ourselves, which chronicles Baldwin's seven-year battle to remain a part of his daughter's life.[21][22]
Baldwin contends that after their separation in December 2000, his former wife, Kim Basinger, endeavored to deny him access to his daughter by refusing to discuss parenting,[23] blocking visitation,[24] not providing telephone access,[25] not following court orders,[26] not dropping their daughter off for reasons of it being inconvenient,[27] and directly lobbying the child.[28] He contends she spent over $1.5 million in the effort.[29]
Baldwin called this parental alienation syndrome.[30] Baldwin has called the attorneys in the case "opportunists" and has characterized Basinger's psychologists as part of the "divorce industry". He has faulted them more than Basinger, and writes, "In fact, I blame my ex-wife least of all for what has transpired. She is a person, like many of us, doing the best she can with what she has. She is a litigant, and therefore, one who walks into a courtroom and is never offered anything other than what is served there. Nothing off the menu, ever."[31]
Baldwin wrote that he has spent over a million dollars,[32] has had to put time aside from his career,[33] has had to travel extensively,[34] and needed to find a house in California (he lived in New York),[35] so he could stay in his daughter's life.[21]
Baldwin contended that after seven years of these issues, he hit a breaking point, and left an angry voicemail message in response to another unanswered arranged call in which Baldwin called his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig." [36] He contends that the tape was sold to TMZ, which released the recording despite laws against publishing media related to a minor without the permission of both parents.[37] Baldwin admitted he made a mistake, but asked not to be judged as a parent based on a bad moment.[38] He later admitted to Playboy in June 2009 that he contemplated suicide over the voice mail that leaked to the public. Of the incident, he said "I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me. If I committed suicide, [ex-wife Kim Basinger's side] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal."[39]
During the autumn of 2008, Baldwin toured in support of the book, speaking about his experiences related in it.[40][41][42][43]
[edit]Political views



Baldwin in 2008 with Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA.
Baldwin serves on the board of People for the American Way. He is a vegetarian, animal rights activist and a strong supporter of PETA,[44][45] for which he has done work that includes narrating the video entitled Meet your Meat.[46]
During his appearance on the comedy late night show Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 12, 1998, eight days before President Bill Clinton was to be impeached, Baldwin said, "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, for what they're doing to this country."[47] Baldwin later apologized for the remarks, and the network explained it was meant as a joke and promised not to rerun it.[48]
Regarding the possibility of getting involved in electoral politics, Baldwin said in a 2006 interview with the New York Times that if he did, his preferred office would be the Governor of New York. When asked if he was qualified for the office, Baldwin responded that he considered himself far more qualified than then California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[49] In June 2011, TheDaily.com reported that Baldwin was mulling a 2013 run for Mayor of New York City, in the wake of a potential early race shakeup after candidate Congressman Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal. [50]
In February 2009, Baldwin spoke out to encourage state leaders to renew New York's tax break for the film and television industry, stating that if the "...tax breaks are not reinstated into the budget, film production in this town is going to collapse and television production is going to collapse and it's all going to go to California."[51]
[edit]Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Forever, Lulu Buck
1988 She's Having a Baby Davis McDonald
1988 Beetlejuice Adam Maitland
1988 Married to the Mob Frank de Marco
1988 Working Girl Mick Dugan
1988 Talk Radio Dan
1989 Great Balls of Fire! Jimmy Swaggart
1989 Tong Tana Narrator Documentary
1990 The Hunt for Red October Jack Ryan
1990 Miami Blues Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
1990 Alice Ed
1991 The Marrying Man Charley Pearl
1992 Prelude to a Kiss Peter Hoskins
1992 Glengarry Glen Ross Blake
1993 Malice Dr. Jed Hill
1994 The Getaway Carter 'Doc' McCoy
1994 The Shadow Lamont Cranston/The Shadow
1995 Two Bits Narrator
1996 Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick Narrator Documentary
1996 The Juror Teacher
1996 Heaven's Prisoners Dave Robicheaux Also Executive Producer
1996 Looking for Richard Clarence Documentary
1996 Ghosts of Mississippi Bobby DeLaughter
1997 The Edge Robert Green
1998 Thick as Thieves Mackin, The Thief
1998 Mercury Rising Lt. Col. Nicholas Kudrow
1999 The Confession Roy Bleakie Also Producer
1999 Notting Hill Jeff King
1999 Outside Providence Old Man Dunphy Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
1999 Scout's Honor Todd Fitter Short film
2000 The Acting Class Himself
2000 Thomas and the Magic Railroad Mr. Conductor
2000 State and Main Bob Barrenger Also Executive Producer
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2000 Clerks: The Animated Series Leonardo Leonardo
2001 Pearl Harbor Lt. Col. James Doolittle
2001 Cats & Dogs Butch Voice
2001 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Capt. Gray Edwards Voice
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums Narrator Voice
2002 The Adventures of Pluto Nash M.Z.M.
2003 The Cooler Shelly Kaplow Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2003 Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003 The Cat in the Hat Lawrence "Larry" Quinn
2003 Walking with Cavemen Narrator Documentary
2003 "Brighter Days" Himself Short film
2003 Channel Chasers 30-year-old Timmy Turner Voice
2004 Along Came Polly Stan Indursky
2004 Double Dare Documentary
2004 The Last Shot Joe Devine
2004 The Aviator Juan Trippe Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast
2004 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Dennis (Plankton's hired hitman) Voice
2005 Elizabethtown Phil DeVoss
2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Jack McCallister
2006 Mini's First Time Martin
2006 The Departed Capt. George Ellerby National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast
2006 Running with Scissors Norman Burroughs
2006 The Good Shepherd Sam Murach
2007 Suburban Girl Archie Knox
2007 Brooklyn Rules Caesar Manganaro
2007 Shortcut to Happiness Jabez Stone Also Director
2008 My Best Friend's Girl Professor Turner
2008 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Makunga Voice
2008 Lymelife Mickey Bartlett Also Producer
2009 My Sister's Keeper Campbell Alexander
2009 It's Complicated Jacob Adler National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor
2012 Rise of the Guardians Santa Claus Filming
2012 The Bop Decameron pre production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1980–1982 The Doctors Billy Allison Aldrich
1983 Cutter to Houston Dr. Hal Wexler
1984 Sweet Revenge Major Alex Breen
1984–1986 Knots Landing Joshua Rush Cast Member Seasons 6 & 7: 40 Episodes
1985 Hotel Dennis Medford Episode: Distortions
1985 Love on the Run Sean Carpenter
1986 Dress Gray Rysam 'Ry' Slaight TV miniseries
1987 The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory Colonel William B. Travis
1990–2010 Saturday Night Live Host/various roles Tied with Steve Martin for most hosting appearances (15)
1995 A Streetcar Named Desire Stanley Kowalski Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Television Film
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1998 The Simpsons Himself Episode: "When You Dish Upon A Star"
1998–2003 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Himself Narrator
2000 Nuremberg Justice Robert H. Jackson TV miniseries
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
2000–2001 Clerks: The Animated Series Leonardo Leonardo 6 Episodes
2002 Friends Parker Episodes: "The One in Massapequa," "The One with the Tea Leaves"
2002 Path to War Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense TV movie
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Television Film
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2003 Walking with Cavemen Himself Episodes: "Blood Brothers," "First Ancestors," "Savage Family," "The Survivors"
2003 Second Nature Paul Kane
2003 Dreams & Giants Himself Host
2004 The Fairly OddParents in: Channel Chasers Adult Timmy Turner Voice role
2004 Nip/Tuck Dr. Barret Moore Episode: "Joan Rivers"
2004 Las Vegas Jack Keller Episodes: "Degas Away with It," "Hellraisers & Heartbreakers"
2005 The Simpsons Dr. Caleb Thorn Episode: "Bonfire of the Manatees"
2005 Will & Grace Malcolm Episodes: "The Hole Truth," "Seems Like Old Times," "The Old Man and the Sea," "Alive and Schticking," "Friends with Benefits," "Kiss and Tell"
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series (2005, 2006)
2006 Great Performances Luther Billis Episode: "'South Pacific' in Concert from Carnegie Hall"
2006–present 30 Rock Jack Donaghy Produced five episodes
Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Comedy Series (2008, 2009)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2006, 2008, 2009)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Comedy Series (2007, 2010, 2011)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2007, 2010)
2010 The Marriage Ref Guest Judge Episodes: "Pilot," "Episode 5"
[edit]Awards

List of awards
Year Award Category Title
1985 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding New Actor in a Prime Time Serial Knots Landing
1992 Valladolid International Film Festival Best Actor Glengarry Glen Ross (shared with cast)
2000 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival Maverick Tribute Award
2000 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Best Acting by an Ensemble State and Main (shared with cast)
2003 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Best Supporting Actor The Cooler
2006 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Best Ensemble The Departed (shared with cast)
2001 Gemini Award Best Dramatic Mini-Series Nuremberg
2001 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Ensemble Cast State and Main (shared with cast)
2001 Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Ensemble State and Main (shared with cast)
2004 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor The Cooler
2004 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role The Cooler
2004 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor The Cooler
2005 Hamptons International Film Festival Golden Starfish Award for Career Achievement
2007 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 30 Rock
2007 Television Critics Association Awards Individual Achievement in Comedy 30 Rock
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2008 Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2008 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 30 Rock
2009 Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2010 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 30 Rock
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2010 Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy 30 Rock
2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock
2011 Hollywood Walk of Fame Star No. 2,433

Reference from Wikipedia.com