The youngest of the acting Baldwin brothers, Stephen Baldwin was the last to enter show business. After working in a Manhattan pizza parlor and as a Calvin Klein model, the fair-haired player began landing small roles in films (e.g., "Homeboy" 1988, "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and "Born on the Fourth of July" both 1989). Baldwin earned a degree of stardom playing the young 'Buffalo Bill' Cody on the Western TV saga of the Pony Express, "The Young Riders" (ABC, 1989-92). Based on his small screen popularity, he began landing more substantial roles, generally cast as a doofy, irresponsible guy, in 90s films like "Posse" (1993), as an irreverent Caucasian gang member, "8 Seconds" (1994), as Luke Perry's best friend and stiffest competition on the rodeo circuit, and "Threesome" (also 1994), which offered the actor his first lead as a party-loving college student in a co-ed suite. Few of his subsequent films, however, have fully capitalized on his abilities. The primary and notable exception was Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects" (1995) which cast him as a hot-headed thief. But efforts like the lame comedy "Bio-Dome" (1996), teaming Baldwin with Pauly Shore, hurt his career. He was poised to break out of his rut, however, with leading roles in two 1998 projects: "Dean Koontz's 'Mr. Murder'", an ABC TV-movie, cast him as a mystery writer whose life is nearly destroyed by a madman while "One Tough Cop" was a biopic of maverick policeman Bo Dietl adapted from Dietl's memoir.
- Born:
May 12, 1966 in Massapequa, New York, United States
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Job Titles:
Actor, Model, Producer, Restaurateur
Family
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Brother: Alec Baldwin. Born in 1958; was previously married to actress Kim Basinger; best known for starring in Beetlejuice (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Cooler (2003) and the TV show, 30 Rock (NBC)
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Brother: Daniel Baldwin. Born in 1960; best known for playing Det. Beau Felton on NBC s Homicide: Life on the street
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Brother: William Baldwin. Born in 1963; married to singer-actress Chynna Phillips; best known for starring in Backdraft (1991), Sliver (1993) and ABC s Dirty Sexy Money
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Daughter: Alia Baldwin. born in February 1993; mother, Kennya Baldwin
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Daughter: Hailey Rhode Baldwin. born on November 22, 1996; mother, Kennya Baldwin
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Father: Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr. taught history in high school and coached football; died of lung cancer in 1983
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Mother: Carol Baldwin. born in 1930; breast cancer survivor
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Sister: Elizabeth Baldwin. born c. 1956; non-acting mother of six and head of Stephen Baldwin s fan club; married to landscaper Charles Keuchler
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Sister: Jane Baldwin. born c. 1965; married to car dealership manager Randy Sasso
Education
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Massapequa High School, Massapequa, New York
Milestones
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1987 Played the role of Gutter Pup in American Playhouse s TV presentation of The Prodigious Hickey and its sequel, The Return of Hickey
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1988 Feature debut in Homeboy
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1994 First film in a leading role, Threesome
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1995 Appeared in the ensemble of The Usual Suspects
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1996 Teamed with Pauly Shore for Bio-Dome
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1998 Had lead role in the feature One Tough Cop
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1998 Starred in the ABC TV-movie Dean Koontz s Mr. Murder
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Appeared in Calvin Klein ad
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Played a teen-aged Buffalo Bill Cody on the ABC Western series, The Young Riders
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Spotted by an agent when he was working in a Manhattan pizza parlor