How the Baldwin Brothers Survived 30 Years of Hollywood

For a period of time in the ’80s and ’90s, a Baldwin was on every screen — and in every tabloid. Alec, William, Daniel and Stephen Baldwin had taken Hollywood by storm.

And for more than 30 years, the four brothers have remained hardworking actors, continuing to put hours in front of the camera despite many high-profile troubles, including drug abuse, divorce and anger management issues. And Alec’s more recent involvement in the “Rust” film shooting incident brought this family back into the spotlight.

But if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the Baldwin brothers and the rest of their clan, here’s a look at a variety of biographical tidbits spanning the entire Baldwin family.

The Baldwins grew up at 32 West Iroquois Street in Massapequa, N.Y. Between the four boys and two daughters, the home was understandably rowdy, and the brothers frequently impersonated the townsfolk in acting skits, according to their neighbor Corey Kilgannon. Their father was a former Marine and high school social studies teacher. Their mother was a homemaker, and between six children, money was tight.

But their father was willing to sacrifice: In a reflective piece for “Huffington Post,” Alec wrote that when he and Daniel wanted to play tennis, but knew there wasn’t enough money, his father surprised them both with rackets. “The man who would not resole his shoes had given us the rackets. That was my dad,” he said.

The Baldwin brothers each took to acting as young men. The two sisters, Jane Baldwin-Sasso and Elizabeth Baldwin Keuchler, have mainly stayed out of the limelight.

After high school, Alec (the second oldest Baldwin) briefly attended George Washington University where he studied political science, before he decided to switch majors and schools, enrolling in New York University to study drama. He landed his first acting gig on an NBC daytime soap opera called “The Doctors” in 1980.

The television and movie star has had starring roles in movies like “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Departed,” but he is perhaps best known for his recent role on “30 Rock” and his recurring gig as Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”

Stephen is the youngest Baldwin. Right after high school, he decided to follow in his big brother’s footsteps and attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, looking to get into Hollywood.  

And it worked: He got his big break by landing a role in the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects.” However, he may be best remembered for the 1996 slapstick comedy “Bio-Dome,” in which he co-starred alongside Pauly Shore. He can be seen on bit roles in films and television, and has appeared on reality shows such as Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” and the U.K.’s “Big Brother.” Stephen is a diehard born-again Christian; during his tenure on “Big Brother” he was convinced that he saw demons in two of his housemates, he told The Guardian.

William Baldwin, one of the family’s middle children, graduated with a degree in political science from Binghamton University. After a brief internship on Capitol Hill for a democratic congressman, he went on to model for Calvin Klein and Nike. William nabbed his first acting gig on the television movie called “The Preppie Murders,” in which he played a strangler. However, his breakout role is arguably Joe Hurley in the 1990 thriller “Flatliners,” followed by a starring role in the 1991 big-budget hit “Backdraft” alongside Kurt Russell.

William is still a hardworking actor and can be seen in television shows like “Gossip Girl” and “Too Old to Die Young.” He’s set to reprise his role as Brian McCaffrey in “Backdraft II.”