Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy, '30 Rock')

April 3, 1958 in Massapequa, New York

Alec Baldwin was married to actress Kim Basinger from 1993-2002. They have a daughter, Ireland, over whom they’ve waged a lengthy custody battle.

Alec Baldwin got his start on the daytime TV soap opera The Doctors, on which he appeared from 1980-1982. He then appeared as a regular on CBS’ nighttime soap Knots Landing from 1984-1986, in a star-making role that allowed Baldwin to transition from TV to feature films. He also debuted on Broadway in 1986 in Loot, and continued to fit stage roles in between his other commitments. All four of Baldwin’s younger brothers (Daniel, William and Stephen) eventually followed him into acting.

After Knots Landing, Baldwin went on to prominent roles in successful films Beetlejuice, Married to the Mob, Working Girl and The Hunt for Red October, establishing himself as a major movie star. He met his future wife Kim Basinger on the set of the movie The Marrying Man in 1991, and they were married in 1993. Baldwin’s relatively small role in the 1992 David Mamet adaptation Glengarry Glen Ross has become iconic.

After the big-budget 1994 action-adventure movie The Shadow, starring Baldwin as the classic pulp fiction/radio hero, flopped, Baldwin’s movie career started to slide. Although he still had successes, he tended to take on more supporting roles than lead parts, and expanded his efforts to behind-the-scenes producing, as well as voice-over work. In 2004, he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the indie gambling drama The Cooler.

Over the years, Baldwin has hosted Saturday Night Live 14 times, and has made periodic guest appearances as well. In 2006, when former SNL head writer Tina Fey was putting together her NBC sitcom 30 Rock, about the goings-on behind the scenes at an SNL-like sketch show, she recruited Baldwin to co-star as network executive Jack Donaghy. Baldwin’s role as Donaghy has brought him renewed success and acclaim, including several Golden Globe and Emmy awards. He’s continued to play roles in successful films while working on 30 Rock, and in 2010 co-hosted the Academy Awards with Steve Martin.

It’s Complicated (2009)
The Departed (2006)
30 Rock (2006-present)
The Aviator (2004)
The Cooler (2003)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
State and Main (2000)
The Edge (1997)
The Shadow (1994)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Working Girl (1988)
Married to the Mob (1988)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Knots Landing (1984-1986)