# Daniel Baldwin
**Daniel Baldwin** (Daniel Leroy Baldwin) is an American actor, producer, and director, born in 1960 in [Massapequa, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/massapequa-new-york), best known as one of the four acting Baldwin brothers and for his role as Detective Beau Felton on the NBC police procedural *Homicide: Life on the Street*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/bio/) • [2](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-baldwin-acting-for-christ-a-personal-journey/id1672413758?i=1000683969970) His brothers Alec, William, and Stephen are also actors, and his career has run from a 1988 television debut through more than 100 film and television roles, alongside publicly documented struggles with substance abuse and later advocacy for addiction recovery.[2](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-baldwin-acting-for-christ-a-personal-journey/id1672413758?i=1000683969970) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Daniel Leroy Baldwin, born 1960 in Massapequa, Long Island, New York[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/bio/) |
| Signature role | Detective Beau Felton on *Homicide: Life on the Street* (NBC), a regular cast role from 1993 to 1995[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=2708) |
| Notable films | *Born on the Fourth of July* (1989), *Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man* (1991), *Mulholland Falls* (1996), *Trees Lounge* (1996), *John Carpenter's Vampires* (1998)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [5](https://www.fandango.com/people/daniel-baldwin-33759/film-credits) |
| Television work | Paul Delano on *Hawaii Five-0* (2013–2015, 2 episodes), Moe Kitchener on *Cold Case* (2009–2010, 7 episodes), Julius 'Cap' Krug in the HBO film *Grey Gardens* (2009)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/) |
| Directing | *The Wisdom to Know the Difference* (2014), *My Promise to PJ* (2020), one episode of *The Daniel Baldwin Show* (2023)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/) |
| Reality television | *Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew*, *Celebrity Fit Club*, *Celebrity Big Brother*, and *Celebrity Wife Swap*[7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/daniel-baldwin/) |
| Family | One of six children of Alexander Baldwin Jr., a high school teacher and football coach, and Carol M. Baldwin; brothers Alec, William, and Stephen, sisters Beth and Jane[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [8](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Daniel_Baldwin) |
## Early life and family
Baldwin was born Daniel Leroy Baldwin, the third of six children of Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr., a social studies teacher and football coach at Massapequa High School, and Carol Baldwin, a homemaker.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000285/bio) His siblings are actors Alec (born 1958), William (born 1963), and Stephen (born 1966), and sisters Beth Baldwin Keuchler (born 1955) and Jane Baldwin Sasso (born 1965).[8](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Daniel_Baldwin) He was a standout football and basketball player in high school and graduated from Berner High School in Massapequa in 1979.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/) • [11](https://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/daniel_baldwin/profile.html) He later graduated from [Ball State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/ball-state-university) with a degree in [Psychology](https://www.edgepedia.org/psychology), which he has said helped him create the different personas he portrays in films.[12](https://www.rochesterwomanonline.com/index.php/2021/01/25/daniel-baldwin-why-not/)
## Career
**Late start and breakthrough.** Baldwin entered acting later than his brothers, making his debut with a small role in the NBC made-for-TV thriller *Too Good to Be True* in 1988, the last of the Baldwin brothers to begin acting.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) After minor film roles in *Born on the Fourth of July* (1989), *Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man* (1991), and *Hero* (1992), he won the title role in the CBS Western *Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life* (1992) and then broke out as Detective Beau Felton, a regular cast role on *Homicide: Life on the Street* from 1993 to 1995.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=2708) He reprised the role in *Homicide: The Movie* (2000).[8](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Daniel_Baldwin)
**Film work.** Promising parts followed in *[Mulholland Falls](https://www.edgepedia.org/mulholland-falls)* (1996), *Trees Lounge* (1996), and *John Carpenter's Vampires* (1998), in which he played Montoya.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [5](https://www.fandango.com/people/daniel-baldwin-33759/film-credits) His filmography since has been dominated by independent and direct-to-video titles, including *King of the Ants* (2003), *Paparazzi* (2004), *Sidekick* (2005), *Grey Gardens* (2009), and more recent genre films such as *Devil's Knight* (2024), *Jurassic Reborn* (2025), and several 2026 releases in which he plays President Terry Carlson.[5](https://www.fandango.com/people/daniel-baldwin-33759/film-credits) • [13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_baldwin) On Rotten Tomatoes his highest-rated film is *Sidekick* (2005) at 100 percent and his lowest is *Car 54, Where Are You?* (1994) at 0 percent.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_baldwin)
**Television and directing.** Beyond *Homicide*, his television credits include guest roles on *The Sopranos* (1999), *Cold Case* (2009–2010), *The Closer* (2005), *Grimm* (2012), and *Hawaii Five-0* (2013–2015).[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/daniel-baldwin/) He has also worked behind the camera, directing *The Wisdom to Know the Difference* (2014), in which his brother William appeared, and *My Promise to PJ* (2020), and he has producer credits including *The Shadow* (2019).[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/) • [14](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/credits/3000383869/)
## Addiction and recovery
Baldwin's struggles with substance abuse have been public and recurring. In a 2008 ABC News interview he said he had battled an addiction to smoking cocaine for more than 18 years.[15](https://abcnews.com/amp/Health/staying-sober-daniel-baldwin/story?id=4543817) A widely reported drug overdose in a luxury New York City hotel, and a 1998 disorderly conduct charge after he was found running naked through the halls of the [Plaza Hotel](https://www.edgepedia.org/plaza-hotel), marked low points that at times threatened to overshadow his acting work.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/) He has appeared on reality shows centered on his recovery, including *[Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew](https://www.edgepedia.org/celebrity-rehab-with-dr-drew)* and *Celebrity Fit Club*, and he continues to work in entertainment while supporting recovery efforts.[2](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-baldwin-acting-for-christ-a-personal-journey/id1672413758?i=1000683969970) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/daniel-baldwin/) He met his wife Joanne Smith-Baldwin while she was working as a chef at the treatment center he was attending.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/)
## Personal life and advocacy
Baldwin has been married three times: to Cheryl Baldwin (divorced, one child), to Elizabeth Baldwin from April 1990 to 1996 (one child), and to Joanne Smith-Baldwin from July 2007 until their divorce on January 1, 2016 (two children). His children are Kahlea, Atticus, Avis, and Finley Baldwin.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/bio/) He and his siblings have raised money for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, named for their mother, a breast cancer survivor; he also participated in the breast cancer docu-drama *1 a Minute* in her honor.[12](https://www.rochesterwomanonline.com/index.php/2021/01/25/daniel-baldwin-why-not/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/)
Unlike his brothers Alec and Billy, who he describes as Democrats, Baldwin has voiced conservative views and has supported Donald Trump since 2016; he has said his political stance has hindered his career in Hollywood, where he has been less active in recent years.[16](https://www.aol.com/entertainment/daniel-baldwin-blames-jimmy-kimmel-110000161.html) He has described himself as a born-again Christian and has discussed his faith in interviews, saying that having "drunk from the well" it becomes a responsibility to replenish it for those who come after.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/) • [2](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-baldwin-acting-for-christ-a-personal-journey/id1672413758?i=1000683969970)
## References
1. [Daniel Baldwin – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/bio/)
2. [Daniel Baldwin: Acting for Christ, A Personal Journey – Brad Stine Has Issues! podcast, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-baldwin-acting-for-christ-a-personal-journey/id1672413758?i=1000683969970)
3. [Daniel Baldwin – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/daniel-baldwin/)
4. [Daniel Baldwin, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=2708)
5. [Daniel Baldwin Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/daniel-baldwin-33759/film-credits)
6. [Daniel Baldwin (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000838/)
7. [Daniel Baldwin, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/daniel-baldwin/)
8. [Daniel Baldwin, Reality TV World](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Daniel_Baldwin)
9. [Alec Baldwin – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000285/bio)
10. [Daniel Baldwin Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/3000383869/)
11. [Daniel Baldwin Profile, AceShowbiz](https://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/daniel_baldwin/profile.html)
12. [Daniel Baldwin: Why Not? – Rochester Woman Online](https://www.rochesterwomanonline.com/index.php/2021/01/25/daniel-baldwin-why-not/)
13. [Daniel Baldwin Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_baldwin)
14. [Daniel Baldwin List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/credits/3000383869/)
15. [Staying Sober With Daniel Baldwin, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/amp/Health/staying-sober-daniel-baldwin/story?id=4543817)
16. [Daniel Baldwin Blames Jimmy Kimmel for Fueling Donald Trump Hate, AOL](https://www.aol.com/entertainment/daniel-baldwin-blames-jimmy-kimmel-110000161.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames B to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license