Alec Baldwin is known as one of the all time greatest contemporary Broadway actors of our time.

Baldwin's first major role was as Billy Aldrich on the daytime soap "The Doctors" from 1981 to its cancellation a year later. He shot to stardom co-starring on Knots Landing, and spent most of the 1980's appearing in television roles, before turning to film in 1988, making his debut with a minor role in She's Having a Baby.

Also in 1988, he had major roles in Beetlejuice and Working Girl, both of which were box office successes and raised his profile. After appearing in several other supporting roles, he starred as lead character Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, which grossed over $100m after it's release in March of 1990.

He subsequently had several notable roles in early 1990's films, including opposite ex-wife Kim Basinger in 1991's The Marrying Man, as one of an ensemble cast in Glengarry Glen Ross, and as the title character in 1994's superhero film, The Shadow. He appeared opposite Basinger again in The Getaway, a 1994 remake of the same-name 1972 film.

In the 1990's, Baldwin appeared in movies such as The Edge, The Juror (opposite Demi Moore) and Heaven's Prisoners. He has since appeared mostly in supporting roles, including his Academy Award nominated turn in 2003's The Cooler, and several voiceover roles, including work in the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Baldwin, a liberal Democrat, has always had an active interest in politics and is frequently rumored to be a candidate for public office. He recently revealed in a British magazine interview that he plans to leave acting in a few years to pursue a career in politics.