See a young Alec Baldwin in his ‘70s high school yearbook photos and get to know the ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ actor better.
Full Name: Alexander Rae Baldwin III
Birthdate: April 3, 1958 (age 67)
High School: Alfred G. Berner High School, Massapequa, New York
Yearbooks: 1976
Who is Alec Baldwin?
Who could forget Alec Baldwin’s legendary role as cerebral CIA analyst and former Marine Jack Ryan in ‘The Hunt for Red October,’ or his memorable performance in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ as Blake, a ruthless sales executive known for his ‘Always Be Closing’ speech?
Alexander Rae Baldwin III is a legendary actor known for his versatility, appearing in both dramatic and comedic roles. Baldwin’s career began in the 1980s with a string of television roles before landing his first major film role in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988).
Tim Burton Productions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
He became known as a leading man in Hollywood with his role as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990), but later pivoted to a career centered around character acting, most notably playing the role of network executive Jack Donaghy in the sitcom 30 Rock (2006-2013). Baldwin’s film and television roles, both comedic and dramatic, never fail to take moviegoers back to the special moments in their lives when they first had the privilege of witnessing Baldwin’s expertise.
Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What to Know About Alec Baldwin?
- Massapequa Roots: A proud native of Long Island, Alec was a football player at Alfred G. Berner High School before attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. To support himself during his early years in New York City, he famously worked as a busboy at Studio 54.
- Leading Man to Character Actor: After skyrocketing to fame as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990), Alec successfully transitioned from a traditional leading man to one of Hollywood’s most respected character actors, earning an Oscar nomination for The Cooler (2003).
- “30 Rock” Renaissance: Alec redefined his career with the role of network executive Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock(2006–2013). The role earned him two Emmys, three Golden Globes, and a record-breaking seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for a male actor in a comedy series.
- The Baldwin Household: Alec and his second wife, Hilaria, share a busy household with seven children: daughters Carmen, María Lucía, and Ilaria, and sons Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo, and Eduardo. He also has an adult daughter, Ireland, with ex-wife Kim Basinger.
Where Did Alec Baldwin Go to School?
Elementary & Middle School Education
Alec Baldwin attended Unqua Elementary School and Berner Middle School, both in Massapequa, New York.
High School Education
Baldwin subsequently attended Alfred G. Berner High School, also in Massapequa, where he played football under Coach Bob Reifsnyder.
College Education
Baldwin attended college at George Washington University from 1976 to 1979 before transferring to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. While living in New York, Baldwin worked as a busboy at the famous Studio 54 nightclub. Baldwin left NYU to pursue acting professionally, but later returned and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1994.
Alec Baldwin: Then vs. Now
Alec Baldwin has always captured attention with his suave appearance and natural charisma. From the ‘70s to today, here’s how he looked from his teenage years vs. now.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Along Came Alec
Early Career
Baldwin began his career on television, acting in the soap opera The Doctors from 1980 to 1982, and subsequently starring in the medical drama Cutter to Houston (1983). Baldwin gained early recognition for his role as Joshua Rush in the soap opera Knots Landing, which he starred in from 1984 to 1985. He made his Broadway debut in 1986 in a revival of Joe Orton’s Loot.
Baldwin landed his first major film role in 1988 in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, which also featured Michael Keaton and Geena Davis. This led to a series of supporting roles throughout the late ‘80s, including in the romantic comedy Working Girl (1988), and the Jonathan Demme crime comedy Married to the Mob (1988).
Leading Man
Baldwin established himself as a leading man in Hollywood with his role as CIA intelligence analyst Jack Ryan in the spy thriller The Hunt for Red October (1990). He remained relevant throughout the ‘90s, appearing in a number of notable supporting roles, including in the 1992 film adaptation of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross, where he plays a brutal fixer sent to improve performance at a real estate sales office. Baldwin’s role was written specifically for the film version, and is not included in the play.
Other notable roles for Baldwin throughout the ‘90s include Doc McCoy in The Getaway (1994), starring alongside then wife Kim Basinger, Stanley Kowalski in a Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor, and the narrator for the fifth and sixth seasons of the animated children’s series Thomas & Friends.
Continued Success
Baldwin had a number of TV cameos throughout the early 2000s, including as Parker in Friends, and as Malcolm in Will & Grace. He began to see major success as a character actor, most notably as casino boss Shelly Kaplow in the crime drama The Cooler (2003), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Baldwin collaborated with legendary director Martin Scorsese in two separate films, portraying Pan-Am founder Juan Trippe in The Aviator (2004) and Captain George Ellerby in The Departed (2006).
Baldwin was catapulted back into the television spotlight through his role as eccentric network executive Jack Donaghy on NBC’s 30 Rock, beginning in 2006. This role won him three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, two Golden Globe awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, and reinforced his ability as a comedic actor.
Later Career and Today
Baldwin has continued to star in film and television roles throughout the late 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, most notably as CIA director Alan Hunley in the fifth and sixth installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise, and as Jake Adler in the romantic comedy It’s Complicated (2009), starring alongside Meryl Streep and Steve Martin.
Baldwin holds the record for number of appearances as host of Saturday Night Live with 17. He has received widespread critical acclaim and recognition for his portrayal of U.S. President Donald Trump in a number of SNL sketches from 2016 to 2020. This role won him a Primetime Emmy in 2017. Baldwin returned to SNL in 2024, portraying Fox anchor Bret Maier and U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Baldwin starred in his own reality show, along with his wife, Hilaria, and their seven children, which premiered in February of 2025. The series was not well received by critics or the general public, and has been described as strange and inauthentic. Baldwin’s latest film role was as Proctor Carlisle in the comedy mystery thriller Atrabilious (2025), in which he stars opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Jeffrey Wright.
Who is Alec Baldwin’s Family?
Long Island Upbringing
Alec Baldwin was born in Amityville, New York and raised close by in Massapequa by his mother, Carol Newcomb Baldwin, and his father, Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr., a high school history teacher and football coach.
His grandfather on his mother’s side, Daniel Roy Martineau, played football at Syracuse University, and later professionally in the National Football League for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Rochester Jeffersons.
Baldwin has three younger brothers, Daniel, William, and Stephen, who are also actors, and two sisters, Elizabeth Keuchler and Jane Ann Sasso. Baldwin is a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland through his father.
Marriages and Children
Alec Baldwin met Kim Basinger in 1990 when they starred alongside each other in The Marrying Man. They got married in 1993, and later separated in 2000, and divorced in 2002. They have one daughter together, model and actress Ireland Baldwin, born in 1995.
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Baldwin started dating yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas in 2011, later marrying her in 2012 at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City. They have seven children together, daughters Carmen Gabriela, María Lucía Victoria, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, and sons Rafael Thomas, Leonardo Ángel Charles, Romeo Alejandro David and Eduardo “Edu” Pao Lucas.
Joella Marano, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Acting Legend
Alec Baldwin will always be remembered as an incredibly versatile actor who has proved himself both as a charismatic leading actor, and as sharp-witted comedic and character actor. From television to film to the stage, all eyes are on Baldwin as he closes out his legendary career, one that is looked back upon fondly by his many fans and admirers.
His legendary films include:
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- She’s Having a Baby (1988)
- Married to the Mob (1988)
- Working Girl (1988)
- The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- Miami Blues (1990)
- The Marrying Man (1991)
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
- Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
- The Getaway (1994)
- The Shadow (1994)
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
- The Edge (1997)
- Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)
- State and Main (2000)
- Pearl Harbor (2001)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
- The Cooler (2003)
- The Cat in the Hat (2003)
- Along Came Polly (2004)
- The Aviator (2004)
- The Departed (2006)
- Suburban Girl (2007)
- Shortcut to Happiness (2007)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
- It’s Complicated (2009)
- Blue Jasmine (2013)
- Still Alice (2014)
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- The Boss Baby (2017)
- BlacKkKlansman (2018)
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)
- Rust (2024)
- Atrabilious (2025)
His unforgettable television credits consist of:
- The Doctors (1980-1982)
- Cutter to Houston (1983)
- Knots Landing (1984-1985)
- Saturday Night Live (1990-2020, 2024)
- The Simpsons (1998, 2005)
- Thomas & Friends (1999-2003)
- Nuremberg (2000)
- Clerks: The Animated Series (2000-2001)
- Friends (2002)
- Will & Grace (2005, 2018-2019)
- 30 Rock (2006-2013, 2020)
- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012, 2018)
- Dr. Death (2021)
- The Adam Friedland Show (2025)
Find Yearbooks Featuring Your Favorite Celebrities
The Classmates® yearbook collection provides 480,000+ yearbooks from everyone’s favorite celebrities, including Alec Baldwin!
Classmates® also allows you to recover old photos of your close friends and family from elementary, middle, and high school. Sign up for Classmates® now!
Related Celeb Yearbook Blogs
- Matt Damon High School Yearbook Photo & Education
- Meg Ryan High School Yearbook Photo & Education
- Jon Hamm High School Yearbook Photo & Education
- Tina Fey High School Yearbook Photo & Education
- John Cusack High School Yearbook Photo & Education
- Rob Lowe High School Yearbook Photo & Education
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Baldwin
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baldwins
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Baldwin_filmography
All product names, logos, brands, trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
