Alexander Baldwin is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer who gained wide recognition for his role as Joshua Rush on the drama series Knots Landing (1984 - `85). He has since then appeared on several television shows and won multiple awards including three Golden Globe Awards, two Emmy Awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance as Jack Donaghy on the sitcom 30 Rock. Some of his notable roles have come with the movies include Beetlejuice (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Marrying Man (1991), The Shadow (1994), and The Aviator (2004), and The Departed (2006).

Baldwin was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie The Cooler (2003). He is also a columnist for Huffington Post and has hosted the American panel game show Match Game. In 2016, he received acclaim for his portrayal of the President of the USA, Donald Trump, on the sketch series Saturday Night Live.

Early Life
Baldwin was born to Carol Newcomb and Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr. in Amityville, New York, USA. He is the eldest among his siblings: three brothers - Daniel Baldwin, William Baldwin, and Stephen Baldwin, who are also actors, and two sisters Beth and Jane. Baldwin studied at the Alfred G. Berner High School in Massapequa and later attended the George Washington University from 1976 to 1979. Following which he transferred to the New York University`s Tisch School of the Arts and later studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

Personal Life
Baldwin and Kim Basinger first met on the sets of the movie The Marrying Man in 1990 and the couple got married in 1993. Their daughter, Ireland, was born in 2005. However, after seven years of marriage Baldwin separated from Basinger in 2000 and their divorce was finalized in 2002.

In August 2011, Baldwin started dating a yoga instructor, Hilaria Thomas who worked with Yoga Vida in Manhattan. The following year, in April 2012, the couple got engaged and later got married on June 30, 2012. Their first child, daughter Carmen, was born on August 23, 2013. The couple also has two sons - Rafael (born June 17, 2015) and Leonardo Angel Charles (born September 2016).

Theatre Career
Making his Broadway debut in 1986 with the play Loot, Baldwin later went on to appear in Serious Money and the revival of Tennessee Williams` A Streetcar Named Desire in which he essayed the character of Stanley Kowalski. His performance in the play earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. Later, in 1995, he would go on to reprise his role in the TV adaptation of the play. He also played the lead role in Macbeth alongside Liev Schreiber and Angela Bassett.

In 2005, he starred alongside Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the concert version of the musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Five years later he appeared the revival of Equus by Peter Shaffer`s. The play directed by Tony Walton received critical appreciation. In 2013, Baldwin returned to Broadway with the play Orphans alongside Ben Foster.

Television Career
Baldwin made his TV debut with The Doctors, essaying the role of Billy Allison Aldrich from 1980 to 1982. In the following year, he appeared on nine episodes of the TV show Cutter to Hudson (1983). However, it was the role of Joshua Rush in the TV series Knots Landing (1984 - `86) that gained him recognition in the industry. He followed this up with a role in the television miniseries Dress Gray (1986) wherein he essayed the role of an honest cadet sergeant who tries to find the murderer of his gay classmate.

In 1998, he replaced George Carlin as the narrator on the show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Baldwin was associated with the show for 73 episodes only to quit in 2002 after he was cast as Lawrence Quinn in the movie The Cat in the Hat (2003). In the same year, he starred in two episodes of the popular sitcom Friends essaying the role of Phoebe Buffay`s love interest. He was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Miniseries or a Movie for his performance in the TV film Path to War.

In 2005, he starred in Will & Grace as Malcolm, a top-secret agent: his performance earned him the nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor - Comedy Series. One of his most prominent and successful roles on television came with 30 Rock. Baldwin portrayed the character of Jack Donaghy for 138 episodes and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Comedy Series in 2008 and 2009. The actor also received several other nominations for his role and was associated with the show till 2013. In 2010, he hosted the 82nd Academy Awards.

In 2016, he played the role of the President of the USA Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live and won the Critics` Choice Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.

Movie Career

As an Actor
Baldwin made his feature film debut in 1987 in a minor role in the movie Forever, Lulu directed by Amos Kollek. In the next few years, he appeared in several movies but none of his roles made an impact on his career. It was in 1990 that he gained recognition for his lead role in the movie The Hunt for Red October. The following year, Baldwin met his future wife, Kim Basinger, on the sets of the movie The Marrying Man (1991). His role as Blake, a ferocious sales executive, in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) was much appreciated by the audience. In the same year, he was also seen opposite Meg Ryan in the romantic fantasy Prelude to a Kiss based on the 1988 play with the same title.

In 1994, he starred alongside Basinger yet again in the movie The Getaway, which was a remake of the 1972 movie of the same title directed by Steve McQueen. In the next few years, he appeared in movies such as Heaven`s Prisoner (1996), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Edge (1997) and Thick as Thieves, which was released in 1998. In the same year, he appeared in the movie Mercury Rising (1998) along with Bruce Willis. The movie directed by Harold Becker went was panned by the critics and was a box-office failure.

In 2000, Baldwin essayed the role of Bob Barrenger in David Mamet`s comedy movie State and Main. The movie received favourable reviews and was nominated for several awards winning Florida Film Critics Circle Best Ensemble Cast Award. Post-2000, Baldwin has seen in several character roles: the first one being Lt. Col. James Doolittle in Michael Bay`s historical war film Pearl Harbor (2001). The film though was unanimously panned by the critics was a box office success. One of the most prominent roles of Baldwin came with Wayne Kramer`s romantic drama film The Cooler (2003). Portraying the role of Sheldon "Shelly" Kaplow, a casino owner, Baldwin received critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: he won the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In subsequent years, the actor starred in movies such as The Aviator (2004), Mini`s First Time (2006), and The Departed (2006). In 2006, he was also seen in Robert De Niro`s The Good Shepherd essaying the role of Samuel Murach. His next prominent role came with the movie It`s Complicated directed by Nancy Meyers. Starring alongside Meryl Streep, Baldwin received praise for his performance and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also played one of the main characters, Dennis Dupree, in the musical comedy-drama film Rock of Ages (2012). Some of his other movie credits include Still Alice (2014), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), and Paris Can Wait (2016). His 2017 release includes the animated movie The Boss Baby wherein he voices the character of The Boss Baby Templeton. In 2019, Baldwin starred in a crime drama film Motherless Brooklyn.

As a Director
In 2001, Alec Baldwin directed a movie titled The Devil and Daniel Webster starring Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Dan Aykroyd. However, the film remained unreleased for the next seven years as it became an asset after the investor Jed Barron was convicted of bank fraud during the production of the movie. The movie was released in 2008, renamed as Shortcut to Happiness. However, Baldwin, being unhappy with the editing of the movie demanded that his credit name be changed to the pseudonym `Harry Kirkpatrick`.

As a Producer
As a producer, few of Baldwin`s credits include the movies Heaven`s Prisoner (1996, Executive Producer), The Confession (1999), State and Main (2000, Executive Producer), Lymelife (2008), and Seduced and Abandoned (2013). His 2017 release includes the movie Blind.