Alec Baldwin mini-bio: Alexander Rae Baldwin III is an Oscar-nominated American actor. He is the eldest and most well-known of the "Baldwin brothers". While Baldwin's first major role was as Billy Aldrich on the daytime soap
The Doctors, he shot to stardom co-starring on
Knots Landing, and spent most of the 1980s appearing in television series, before turning to film in 1986, making his film debut with a minor role in
She's Having a Baby. In 1987, he had a role in
Beetlejuice and, in 1988,
Working Girl, both of which were box office successes and raised his profile. Baldwin starred as lead character Jack Ryan in
The Hunt for Red October (1990), and his role in the beginning of
Glengarry Glen Ross is considered by many to be the best performance of a great ensemble cast. Baldwin's late 1990s roles varied in terms of critical and box office reception. He has since appeared mostly in supporting roles, including his Academy Award nominated turn in 2003's
The Cooler. He is also a voice actor, working in the films
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.