Happy 49th birthday, Alec Baldwin! In your long-ish and mostly distinguished career — which, according to IMdB, began in 1980 on the sudser The Hospital — you’ve played a frontier hero (The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory), a televangelist (Great Balls of Fire), a CIA analyst (The Hunt for Red October), and a Boston cop (The Departed). But I think we can all agree that your absolute best performance was as the ruthless real-estate salesman in 1992’s Glengarry Glen Ross — seven mesmerizing minutes of predatory menace and alpha-male ruthlessness. (Clip not necessarily very funny… but awesome nonetheless!)
And, of course, you continue impress us with your comic brilliance on 30 Rock.
UPDATE: As commenters below have reminded us: a) Baldwin’s soap debut was actually called The Doctors, and b) the Glengarry clip, which is generously larded with vintage David Mamet profanities, is totally NSFW. Unless you work in an office like the one in the clip.
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Great clips, but would it hurt to put a parental advisory on the Glengarry clip? Most folks know Mamet couldn’t write a sentence back then without throwing a few choice words in, but for those poor saps who don’t know it, and then play the clip with little ears around… I’m just saying (and Happy Birthday Mr. Schweady Balls!)
You could just as easily used one of his scenes from The Departed, my favorite 2006 movie. Or any of six great sketches on SNL, also my favorite of last year.
Happy Birthday, Alec
I have to say;
Alec Baldwin is definitely one of the best actors around in a world where every other guy on the cover of Us Weekly can jump off the cover and get paid millions for a film.
I mean-how can you have “30 Rock” without him?
And SNL is always funnier when he’s in it.
And was it just me? Or was he in every single movie in ‘06?
Alec’s greatest role was that of boyfriend on Working Girl – HELLO! His best line, “that don’t mean d*ck, f*ck d*ck!” LOVED IT!
Alec could stand to lose a couple of poundages. Imagine if he were a famale in Hollywood and he gained all that weight? There wouldn’t be no camera tricks or wardrobe that hides the tummy, heck there wouldn’t be no role for a woman that big.
I thought it was ‘The Doctors.’ Oy, I just dated myself.
Loved him in “Working Girl”. I thought his best line was when he was in bed with Doreen and Tess walks in and he says “what, no class?”
He began his career on “The Doctors” not “The Hospital” as sexy Billy Aldrich. This is the same soap that launched Kathleen Turner’s career.
Here’s wishing Alex a nice set of steak knives for his B-Day! Or a meat machine!
Even though I watched “The Doctors” in the early 1980s, my first memories of Alec are from “Knots Landing” – he was a good bad-guy, and very pleasing to the eyes. So, Happy B-Day, Alec. May you Always.Be.Cobbling.
If he does not win Best Supp. Actor in a comedy this year, there is simply no justice in the world.
30 Rock has been renewed! Yay!
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Todays-News/Wanna-Rock-Nbc/800012178
Almost as good as Alec’s Glengarry Glen Ross spech was his (almost) word-for-word deadpan recital of it on a Saturday Night Live Christmas episode a couple years ago. He was an efficiency expert at Santa’s Workshop. ABC (Always Be Cobbling). Inspired.
I love the line, “You cut Pop’s balls off and left him in the street to die!” 30 Rock is one of the most underrated comedies on television.
He’s good in “Talk Radio,” directed by Oliver Stone. And leave his hot, hairy arse alone!
Baldwin is a loser psycopath. Anyone who can berate his own daughter the way he did should be in jail foe harrassment. He’s from L.I. so am I. I meet alot of jerks like him. A snot nosed punk who thinks he’s a tough guy with his mouth. But when confronted they run like the coward he is. This Liberal A-hole needs to have his butt kicked and then maybe he would respect others. He’s got no talent just a fat mouth. Typical Liberal schmuck.
Although inappropriate I am sure what Mr. Baldwin said to his daughter was out of frustration. Would someone tell me what kind of MOTHER Kim Bassinger is air this publicly as I am sure it was done for her court purposes. The way celebraties complain about the paparazzi that could be her only intention.
To Alex
sorry to hear about that’s tape, I’m know you wanted to speak with your daughter, but being so mean on the tape , won’t help you, your Daughter so Beauiful, don’t treat her liked that’s, we grew up with that’s Anger, that’s not you, I always liked you, and Kim, what a Shame, I felt bad with the Breakup, things will get better for you, I know you loved your Daughter, from Judy
Best of Luck!! stay Strong!!