The Baldwin brothers are an unusual story in show business. Comprised of brothers Alec, Daniel, Billy, and Stephen, the star siblings all took turns stealing the show in various film and television projects during the 1990s and 2000s. It’s rare enough to see that many family members make it in the biz, but now that they’re dads, even some of their kids are starting to make waves in Hollywood. Let’s take a look at the Baldwin family—and the birth of a modern celebrity dynasty.
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin isn’t just the guy who parodies Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. The eldest Baldwin brother has been making a name for himself since the 1980s, starring in classic films like Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988), Mike Nichols’ Working Girl (1988), and Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio (1988).
But the actor’s star rose in the 1990s, thanks to his roles in The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). After a slew of gigs with reputable directors at the time (Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese), Baldwin earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in 2003’s The Cooler.
Despite a filmography that reads like a phone book, Baldwin is perhaps best known for playing Jack Donaghy on NBC’s 30 Rock. His work on the show, which aired from 2006 to 2013, earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards. He also received three Golden Globe Awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards. This makes him the male performer who has won the most SAG Awards.
In 2013, Baldwin married wellness guru Hilaria Thomas. The couple shares five children: sons Eduardo, 2 months, Romeo Alejandro David, 2, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 4, and Rafael Thomas, 5, as well as daughter Carmen Gabriela, 7.
Ireland, his 25-year-old daughter with ex-wife Kim Basinger, is also his. The 6’1” blonde beauty has found success as a model who’s appeared on the pages of W, Vanity Fair, and Elle.
Daniel Baldwin
The third oldest brother in the clan, Daniel Baldwin got his start in Hollywood with various small parts on film and television. But his best role was playing Detective Beau Felton on three seasons of NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street.
Baldwin also capitalized on his family name to nab spots on a number of reality shows: VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Celebrity Wife Swap, and Celebrity Big Brother.
After several encounters with the law, his career ended in a rut. Between 1998 and 2007, Baldwin was arrested on charges that ranged from cocaine possession to auto-theft. The In 2007, the actor had been to rehab at least nine more times.
“I’m a straight-up cocaine addict,” Baldwin confessed in an interview with ABC’s Primetime. “I don’t really drink very much, although I have abused alcohol in the past. And I don’t use any other drugs. I don’t take pills. I don’t do anything. I’m a … diehard coke head.”
Baldwin has five children with four different women. Khalea Baldwin, his first daughter with his first ex-wife, Cheryl, is a filmmaker and producer of the Adult Swim series Dream Corp LLC.
He is also a father to daughter Alexandra, 26, with ex-wife Elizabeth Baldwin; son Atticus, 24, with ex-girlfriend (and Homicide: Life on the Street co-star) Isabella Hoffman; and daughters Avis, 12, and Finley, 11, with ex-wife Joanne Smith.
Billy Baldwin
With roles in films like Flatliners, Backdraft, and Sliver, Billy Baldwin—the third youngest of the Baldwin brothers—was a mega-star in the 90s. So it’s no surprise that he settled down with a woman who had the same star power in that era—in 1995, he married singer Chynna Philips of the popular musical trio Wilson Philips.
The The couple have three children, Jameson (20 years old), Brooke (15 years), and Vance (18.
Vance was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. The actor shared the news with his fans in 2019. “He kept it very quiet… we all did,” Baldwin wrote in an Instagram post. (After going through 28 rounds of chemo, his son—whom Baldwin describes as “a tough son of a bitch”—was declared free of the disease.)
These days Baldwin, a former Calvin Klein model, continues to appear on film and television—even guest-starring alongside his brother Alec on an episode of 30 Rock. His latest starring role was in the Netflix series Northern Rescue, which aired in 2019.
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin, the youngest of six siblings, is an actor who ditched the traditional Hollywood path for life as a born-again Christian.
He kept steady work in the 1990s, starring in popular films including The Usual Suspects (1995) and Bio-Dome (1996).
In the 2000s, Baldwin devoted his life to religion because of the “prophetic, supernatural, spiritual impact of 9/11,” he told The Guardian in 2010. Baldwin joined a popular Evangelical ministry and later established one of his own. However, his life was not without controversy. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, and claimed more than $2.3 million of debt. The Next year, he attempted to sue Kevin Costner for oil-separating technology used in solving the BP oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico. However, he failed. And in 2013, he pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion; the actor failed to file taxes for three consecutive years from 2008-2010.
Baldwin married Kennya Deodato in 1990 and has two daughters. Alaia Baldwin Aranow, 27, is a model, mother to a 3-month old daughter Iris, and—contrary to her father’s politics—an outspoken Democrat.
The couple’s younger daughter is a model and It girl Hailey Baldwin Bieber—yes, that Bieber. The 23-year-old married superstar Justin Bieber in 2018. Justin, 23, was married to Justin in 2018.
