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Broad Street, Birmingham

Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot centre in Central Birmingham, England. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into the new Westside district of the city centre due to its position within the A4540 road.

Broad Street is also the centre of Birmingham's banking and financial centre. It can boast region head offices of Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and many other banking organisations. More than 15,000 people are employed in this sector, in this area of Birmingham.

Early history
In the 1500s, the area which is now known as Broad Street was made up of several schools and guilds such as The Biddles/Free School, Colmore, Shillon/Smallbrooke Guild/School, Billwiggler Croft and Byngas Hall which was later to become a home for the Lloyds Bank family and subsequently Bingley Hall and then Symphony Hall/ICC after Bingley Hall burned down.

In the 1750s, Broad Street was an unnamed country path that ran across Easy Hill from Bewdley Street (now Victoria Square) and Swinford Street (now the top end of New Street) to Five Ways and on to Stourbridge and Bewdley.

However, in the following years, Easy Hill began to develop with the construction of a house by John Baskerville, a local printer and type-face designer. This led to the widening of the street which passed in front of his house. The path was soon removed and an established street was added that ran to the border of Edgbaston and, as a result of its widening, it was named Broad Street.

St Martin's Church owned land on the southern end of Broad Street, at what is now Five Ways, and began to develop the land in 1773 after the passing of an Act of Parliament. The 22 acre site was developed into an estate known as the 'Six Closes' or the 'Islington Estate' (named after Islington Row which bounded the south of the site). The Crown Inn was built in 1781, and survives in modified form. By 1795, several streets had been created according to Pye's map. One of the streets that remain from the development is Tennant Street, named after William Tennant who had the advowson of St Martin's Church. Development slowed as a result of overseas wars, but rapidly increased after the Battle of Waterloo.

Land along the street also developed and became a well established neighbourhood as a result of the connections with industry and Edgbaston, an upmarket area. In the 19th century, well established industries were established along the canals at the northern end of the street and residential properties were built at the southern end. Churches of various denominations were also built along the stretch of Broad Street, such as the Unitarian Church of the Messiah, the Roman Catholic St Peter's Church, and the Anglican Immanuel Church.

Transformation
In the 1970s and 1980s, Broad Street was still very much a suburban high street. However, one prescient early manifestation of the street's future purpose as a fashionable partying district was the Rum Runner nightclub, which from the late 1970s restyled itself after New York City's Studio 54 and later London's Blitz club. The club was best known as the original home base of major 1980s band Duran Duran. It was situated on the South side at the East end of the road from 1964 to 1987 when it was demolished.

During the 1990s, Broad Street was transformed into a dynamic convention, entertainment and nightlife quarter, centred on the International Convention Centre, which opened in 1991.

The Broad Street area is home to numerous bars and restaurants, the Brindleyplace development and cultural attractions such as the Ikon Gallery.

Three major radio stations - Free Radio, Capital Birmingham and 100.7 Heart FM - have their studios on the street. From 1969 to 1999 the area was a major national television production facility. The junction with Paradise Circus was home to the studios of former ITV companies ATV and Central; the studios (on the land between the Alpha Tower and the former Birmingham Municipal Bank) have since been demolished.

Traffic and transport

There is long standing concern over traffic congestion in the evenings when car drivers attracted by the nightlife are cruising the area. There was a proposal to ban cars during Friday and Saturday evenings and in 1998 there was a plan to ban cars every evening after 8.00 pm.

Broad Street is served by several National Express West Midlands bus routes. The road's only night bus service ceased in 2008.

The West Midlands Metro was extended along Broad Street to Five Ways between 2015 and 2019 with stops at Birmingham Library, Brindleyplace and Five Ways. The proposed SPRINT bus rapid transit route between Birmingham and Quinton would also serve Broad Street.

Buildings and other structures
At its northern end is:

 * Centenary Square, with
 * Baskerville House
 * Hall of Memory
 * Library of Birmingham
 * The old Masonic Hall, later Central Television - (demolished 2008)
 * The Birmingham Municipal Bank, the first municipal bank in the country, later Lloyds TSB, then bought by the council for redevelopment
 * The Boulton, Watt and Murdoch statue, recently re-gilded
 * The Birmingham Repertory Theatre
 * The International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall
 * The Crown Inn
 * A tunnel (with a grade II listed Martin & Chamberlain building built on it) over the BCN Main Line canal leading to Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace.
 * Hyatt Regency Birmingham Hotel.
 * Quayside Tower
 * Jury's Inn hotel

Walk of Stars
A 'Walk of Stars', similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, runs along the pavement on Broad Street. Ozzy Osbourne, of the Aston area of Birmingham, became the first person to be honoured when he had his brass star installed on 6 July 2007. Since then comedian Jasper Carrott, glam rocker Noddy Holder, motor racing commentator Murray Walker, the cast and crew of BBC Radio 4's The Archers, long serving Archers cast member Norman Painting and founding member of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi have all been honoured on the street with a star. Other famous local people nominated to do the same include Frank Skinner, Cat Deeley and Duran Duran  a group that at the start of the 1980s based themselves in the Rum Runner nightclub situated in Broad Street but which has subsequently been knocked down to make way for the Hyatt Hotel.

Future buildings
Developments planned for the street include Broad Street Tower, Regal Tower, V Building and a redevelopment of Five Ways Shopping Centre.

title: Broad Street, Birmingham


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Henry Bird (chess player)

Henry Edward Bird (14 July 1829 – 11 April 1908) was an English chess player, author and accountant. He wrote the books Chess History and Reminiscences and An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom.

Although Bird was a practising accountant, not a professional chess player, it has been said that he "lived for chess, and would play anybody anywhere, any time, under any conditions."

Tournament play
At age 21, Bird was invited to the first international tournament, London 1851. He also participated in tournaments held in Vienna and New York City. In 1858 he lost a match to Paul Morphy at age 28, yet he played high-level chess for another 50 years. In the New York tournament of 1876, Bird received the first ever awarded, for his game against James Mason.

Legacy
In 1874 Bird proposed a new chess variant, which played on an 8×10 board and contained two new pieces: guard (combining the moves of the rook and knight) and equerry (combining the bishop and knight). Bird's chess inspired José Raúl Capablanca to create another chess variant, Capablanca Chess, which would ultimately differ from Bird's chess only by the starting position.

It was Bird who popularised the chess opening now called Bird's Opening (1.f4), as well as Bird's Defence to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4). Bird's Opening is considered sound, though not the best try for an opening advantage. Bird's Defence is regarded as slightly inferior, but "".

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Henry Bird (chess player)


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Alec Baldwin

Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama, and has received numerous accolades including three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and Tony Award.

Baldwin first gained recognition by appearing on the sixth and seventh seasons of primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1984–1985). In the early part of his film career he played both leading and supporting roles in Beetlejuice (1988), Working Girl (1988), Married to the Mob (1988) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). He played Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990). He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Cooler (2003) and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for It's Complicated (2010). He has acted in the films The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Along Came Polly (2004), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), To Rome with Love (2012), Blue Jasmine (2013), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). He voiced the titular role in The Boss Baby film franchise.

From 2006 to 2013, Baldwin received critical acclaim starring alongside Tina Fey as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actor in a comedy series, making him the male performer with the most SAG Awards in history. Baldwin has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Donald Trump on the NBC sketch series Saturday Night Live, a role that won him his third Primetime Emmy in 2017. He was nominated again in 2018 and 2021.

Baldwin made his Broadway debut in Loot (1986). He portrayed Stanley Kowalski in the 1992 production of A Streetcar Named Desire for which he earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He returned to Broadway in Twentieth Century (2004) and Orphans (2013). He hosted the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. He is also a columnist for The Huffington Post. He was the host of Match Game from 2016 until 2021.

On October 22, 2021, while on the Rust film set, Baldwin discharged a revolver used as a prop, unaware that it had been improperly loaded with live ammunition, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Santa Fe County, New Mexico in January 2023, but the charges were dropped in April 2023 pending further investigation. He was indicted again for the charge on January 19, 2024. His trial began on July 9, 2024. The case was dismissed with prejudice three days later after it had been determined that the prosecutor's office withheld evidence.

Early life and education
Alexander Rae Baldwin III was born on April 3, 1958, in Amityville, New York, and raised in the Nassau Shores neighborhood of nearby Massapequa, the eldest son of Carol Newcomb (née Martineau; December 15, 1929 – May 26, 2022) from Syracuse, New York and Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr. (October 26, 1927 – April 15, 1983), a high school history/social studies teacher and football coach from Brooklyn. He has three younger brothers, Daniel (b. 1960), William (b. 1963), and Stephen (b. 1966), who also became actors. He also has two sisters, Elizabeth "Beth" Baldwin Keuchler (b. 1955) and Jane Ann Baldwin Sasso (b. 1965).

Alec and his siblings were raised as Roman Catholics. They are of Irish, French, and English ancestry. Through his father, Baldwin is descended from Mayflower passenger John Howland, and through this line, is the 13th generation of his family born in North America and the 14th generation to live in North America.

Baldwin attended Alfred G. Berner High School in Massapequa and played football there under Coach Bob Reifsnyder. In New York City, Baldwin worked as a busboy at the famed discotheque, Studio 54. From 1976 to 1979, he attended George Washington University. In 1979, he lost the election for student body president and received a personal letter from former U.S. president Richard Nixon (with whom he had a common friend) encouraging him to use the loss as a learning experience.

Afterward, he transferred to the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University (NYU) where he studied with, among others, Geoffrey Horne and Mira Rostova at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Later, he was accepted as a member of the Actors Studio. In 1994, he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at NYU.

1980–1992: Rise to prominence
Baldwin's first acting role was as Billy Aldrich in the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors from August 20, 1980, to 1982. In the fall of 1983, he starred in the short-lived television series Cutter to Houston. The actor made his TV movie debut playing the titular Sheriff Ed Cassaday in The Sheriff and the Astronaut (1984). He went on to appear as the brother of Valene Ewing and son of Lilimae Clements (played by Joan Van Ark and Julie Harris, respectively) in Knots Landing from 1984 to 1985. In 1986, Baldwin starred in Dress Gray, a four-hour made-for-television miniseries, as an honest cadet sergeant who tries to solve the mystery of a murdered gay classmate. Baldwin made his Broadway debut in 1986 in a revival of Joe Orton's Loot alongside Zoë Wanamaker, Željko Ivanek, Joseph Maher, and Charles Keating. This production closed after three months.

Baldwin made his feature film debut with a minor role in the 1987 comedy-mystery Forever, Lulu. In 1988, he rose to prominence acting in five major films. He starred in Tim Burton fantasy horror comedy Beetlejuice (1988) opposite Michael Keaton and Geena Davis. He had supporting roles in the Mike Nichols romantic comedy Working Girl and Jonathan Demme's crime comedy Married to the Mob. He also co-starred in Oliver Stone's drama Talk Radio opposite Eric Bogosian and in the John Hughes romantic drama She's Having a Baby with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern.

He gained further recognition as a leading man with his role as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990). That same year, he also starred in the black comedy crime film Miami Blues alongside Jennifer Jason Leigh and Fred Ward. Baldwin met his future wife Kim Basinger when they played lovers in the 1991 film The Marrying Man. Next, Baldwin played a ferocious sales executive in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), a part added to the film version of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play (including the monologue "Coffee's for closers"). Later that same year, he starred in Prelude to a Kiss with Meg Ryan, which was based on the Broadway play. The film received a lukewarm reception by critics and grossed only $22 million worldwide.

1993–2005: Established actor
He appeared with Basinger again in The Getaway, a 1994 remake of the 1972 Steve McQueen film of the same name. Also, in 1994, Baldwin made a foray into pulp fiction-based movies with the role of the title character in The Shadow. The film made $48 million. In 1996 and 1997 he starred in several more thrillers, including The Edge, The Juror, and Ghosts of Mississippi. His other Broadway credits include Caryl Churchill's Serious Money with Kate Nelligan and a revival of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, for which his performance as Stanley Kowalski garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. Baldwin also received an Emmy nomination for the 1995 television version of the production, in which both he and Jessica Lange reprised their roles, alongside John Goodman and Diane Lane. In 1998, Baldwin played the title role in Macbeth at The Public Theater alongside Angela Bassett and Liev Schreiber in a production directed by George C. Wolfe. From 1998 to 2002, he became the third narrator and George Carlin's replacement for the fifth and sixth seasons of Thomas & Friends. Baldwin wrote an episode of Law & Order entitled "Tabloid", which aired in 1998. In 2000, he played Mr. Conductor in the Thomas & Friends film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In 2002, he acted in The Cat in the Hat.

In 2002, Baldwin appeared in two episodes of Friends as Phoebe's overly enthusiastic love interest, Parker. He also portrayed a recurring character in several seasons 7 and 8 episodes of Will & Grace, in which he played Malcolm, a "top secret agent" and the lover of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally). He also guest-starred in the first live episode of the series. He played Dr. Barrett Moore, a retired plastic surgeon, in the series Nip/Tuck. Baldwin shifted towards character acting, beginning with Pearl Harbor in 2001. He played Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle in the film. With a worldwide box office of $449,220,945, this film remains the highest-grossing film Baldwin has appeared in during his acting career. Baldwin directed and starred in The Devil and Daniel Webster with Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dan Aykroyd in 2001. The then-unreleased film became an asset in a federal bank fraud trial when investor Jed Barron was convicted of bank fraud while the movie was in production. The film was eventually acquired by The Yari Group without Baldwin's involvement.

Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 2003 gambling drama The Cooler. He received acclaim for the role with Roger Ebert writing, " This is one of Alec Baldwin's best performances, as a character who contains vast contradictions. He can be kind and brutal simultaneously; affection and cruelty are handmaidens". Baldwin collaborated with Martin Scorsese portraying Juan Trippe in the biographical drama The Aviator (2004) and Capt. George Ellerby in the crime drama The Departed (2006). In 2004, Baldwin starred in a revival of Broadway's Twentieth Century about a successful and egomaniacal Broadway director (Baldwin), who has transformed a chorus girl (Anne Heche) into a leading lady. Charles Isherwood of Variety gave the production a mixed review writing of Baldwin's performance, "Baldwin is an earthy actor with a natural contemporary style, and his hoity-toity faux-British accent sounds more off-key than it should".

On June 9, 2005, he appeared in a concert version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific at Carnegie Hall. He starred as Luther Billis, alongside Reba McEntire as Nellie and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile. The production was taped and telecast by PBS on April 26, 2006. In 2006, he starred in the film Mini's First Time. He performed opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in Suburban Girl (2007).

2006–2013: Career resurgence with 30 Rock
In 2006, Baldwin made theater news in Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway revival of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr. Sloane. In 2010, Baldwin starred opposite Sam Underwood in a critically acclaimed revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus, directed by Tony Walton at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York. In 2007, the Yari Film Group announced that it would give the film, now titled Shortcut to Happiness, a theatrical release in the spring, and cable film network Starz! announced that it had acquired pay TV rights for the film. Shortcut to Happiness was finally released in 2008. Baldwin, displeased with the way the film had been cut in post-production, demanded that his directorial credit be changed to the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick".

He starred as Jack Donaghy on NBC's 30 Rock, which first aired in October 2006. He met his future co-stars Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan while appearing on Saturday Night Live. Since season 3, Baldwin was credited as one of 30 Rock's producers. Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter praised Baldwin's character writing, "Donaghy is a perfect example of what's right with this show." Baldwin has won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, two Golden Globe awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role. He received his second Emmy nomination in 2008, marking his seventh Primetime Emmy nomination and first win. He won again in 2009.

Baldwin co-authored the book A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce with Mark Tabb in 2008. Baldwin joined TCM's The Essentials Robert Osborne as co-host beginning in March 2009. In 2008 he had a voice role as the main antagonist in the DreamWorks Animated film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. In 2009, he appeared in a series of commercials for Hulu that premiered during the Super Bowl broadcast. On January 12, 2009, Baldwin became the host of The New York Philharmonic This Week, the nationally syndicated radio series of the New York Philharmonic. He has recorded two nationally distributed public service radio announcements on behalf of the Save the Manatee Club. In 2010, he made a five-second cameo appearance with comedian Andy Samberg in a musical video titled "Great Day" featured on the bonus DVD as part of Lonely Island's album Turtleneck & Chain.

Baldwin co-starred in the hit romantic comedy It's Complicated (2009) with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin. Together Streep and Baldwin received positive reviews for their on-screen chemistry. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Baldwin does with Jake, who, with his shark smiles and thrusting gut, beautifully conveys male vanity in its twilight". Kirk Honeycut of The Associated Press wrote, "Baldwin has developed a second career in films and television by more or less spoofing his macho image". Baldwin went on to receive a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. That same year, Baldwin co-hosted the 82nd Academy Awards with Steve Martin in 2010. The Boston Globe television critic Matthew Gilbert lauded the hosts performance saying that "The delivery was expert and warmly conversational, like one of those old-school comedy teams."

He has hosted Saturday Night Live 17 times, and holds the record for most times hosting the show. On October 24, 2011, WNYC public radio released the first episode of Baldwin's podcast Here's the Thing, a series of interviews with public figures including artists, policy-makers, and performers. The first two episodes featured actor Michael Douglas and political consultant Ed Rollins. Between 2011 and 2020, Baldwin completed more than 150 interviews, with guests who included musician Wynton Marsalis, filmmaker Edward Norton, comedian David Letterman, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and pianist Lang Lang, among many others. Here's the Thing was developed for Baldwin by Lu Olkowski, Trey Kay, Kathy Russo, and Emily Botein. On February 4, 2012, he hosted the 2011 NFL Honors awards show. He later hosted the second show on February 2, 2013.

Baldwin returned to Broadway as Harold in Orphans. The show, which opened April 18, 2013, was also to have starred Shia LaBeouf as Treat, but LaBeouf left the production in rehearsals and was replaced by Ben Foster. Marilyn Stasio of Variety described Baldwin's performance as being "executed with humor and compassion". That same year Baldwin briefly hosted Up Late with Alec Baldwin on MSNBC. On November 26, 2013, the program was cancelled after only five episodes, due in part to a street tirade captured on video, in which he allegedly called the videographer a "cocksucking fag". Baldwin denied that he used the word "fag", and later cited this incident as a major turning point in his public life. Beginning in 2010, Baldwin appeared in a television campaign for Capital One as their spokesperson. Following the 2013 confrontation with a videographer, his contract was not renewed, and he was succeeded in the campaign by Jennifer Garner.

2014–present
Baldwin co-starred in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the fifth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, released on July 31, 2015, and reprised the role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, released on July 27, 2018. In 2016 Baldwin began hosting a reboot of the game show Match Game on ABC. That same year Baldwin gained acclaim and notoriety for his portrayal of Republican nominee Donald Trump during SNL coverage of the 2016 presidential election, to critical acclaim. In 2017, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Trump. Baldwin continued in the role until Trump's defeat in the 2020 election.

In 2017, he took over as sole host of TCM's The Essentials following the death of his co-host, Robert Osborne. In August 2017, Baldwin's production company, El Dorado Pictures, signed a first-look deal with ABC Studios. His 2017 memoir Nevertheless debuted at No. 5 on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. On March 3, 2018, following the broadcast of the 90th Academy Awards, ABC broadcast a preview episode of the talk show The Alec Baldwin Show, at the time called Sundays With Alec Baldwin, scheduled to formally debut with a nine-episode order that fall. On August 27, 2018, it was announced that Baldwin would join the cast for 'Joker', playing Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce Wayne. Later, on August 29, 2018, Baldwin withdrew from the role. That same year, Baldwin made cameo appearances in Spike Lee's historical drama BlacKkKlansman and Bradley Cooper's musical drama A Star Is Born as Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard and himself, respectively. That same year, he guest-starred as George Tenet in the Hulu miniseries The Looming Tower.

Baldwin was the subject of the 2019 edition of the Comedy Central Roast, which included among the roastees a surprise appearance by his daughter Ireland. In 2021, Baldwin starred opposite Jamie Dornan and Christian Slater in the miniseries Dr. Death on Peacock. He has a voice cameo as himself interviewing Lydia Tár played by Cate Blanchett in Tár (2022), directed by Todd Field.

Acting credits and accolades
Baldwin has also received a number of awards and nominations throughout his career for stage, television, and film roles. He has been nominated for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Tony Award and has received three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards.

On May 12, 2010, Baldwin gave a commencement address at New York University and was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts degree, honoris causa.

Baldwin was named Esteemed Faculty by Stony Brook University after teaching a master class in acting at Stony Brook Southampton.

Philanthropy
Baldwin, along with his mother Carol, created the Carol M. Baldwin Cancer Research Fund in 1996, and dedicated the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center at the Stony Brook University Hospital in her honor. During his 2010–2013 stint as a spokesperson for Capital One, Baldwin's contract was written to fund Baldwin's charity foundation. He was paid $15 million over nearly five years. After taxes and accounting fees, the remainder, $14.125 million, was given to charity.

In March 2011, Baldwin donated $1 million to the New York Philharmonic (on whose board he served), and $500,000 to the Roundabout Theatre Company, where he has performed plays in New York. In recent years, his foundation has donated bookstore gift certificates to Long Island libraries to support literacy programs.

Personal life
Baldwin was briefly engaged in 1983 to actress Janine Turner. He also dated Lori Loughlin, Lori Singer, Holly Gagnier and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Kim Basinger
In 1990, Baldwin met actress Kim Basinger when they played lovers in the film The Marrying Man. They married on August 19, 1993, and had a daughter, Ireland (b. October 23, 1995). They separated on December 5, 2000 and divorced on September 3, 2002. Baldwin has called the attorneys in the case "opportunists", and characterized Basinger's psychologists as part of the "divorce industry". In his memoir, he stated that he blamed them more than Basinger, writing that "She is a person, like many of us, doing the best she can with what she has."

In his memoir, Baldwin stated that these issues placed stress on his relationship with his daughter. Baldwin wrote that he had to spend over a million dollars, put time aside from his career, travel extensively, and find a house in California, having previously lived in New York, in order to stay in his daughter's life.

On April 11, 2007, he left a voicemail message in response to an unanswered arranged call, in which he called his 11-year-old daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig". The tape was sold to TMZ, which published the recording despite laws against publishing media related to a minor without the permission of both parents. Baldwin described the incident as a mistake that did not make him a bad parent. During an interview with Playboy in June 2009, he stated that he contemplated suicide after the voicemail leaked to the public, but sought professional help. He stated that he felt Basinger would have considered it "a victory" if he committed suicide and that it was her "avowed goal" to destroy him.

In late 2008, Baldwin toured in support of his book on fatherhood and divorce, speaking about his experiences related in it.

Hilaria Baldwin

By August 2011, Baldwin began dating Hilaria Thomas, a yoga instructor with Yoga Vida in Manhattan. Baldwin and Thomas moved from the Upper West Side to Greenwich Village that August. The couple became engaged in April 2012 and married on June 30, 2012, at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in New York City. They have seven children together. The Baldwin family have taped a reality show, "The Baldwins," set to air on TLC in 2025.

1995 photographer incident
On October 26, 1995, Baldwin allegedly assaulted a photographer for videotaping Basinger and their three-day-old daughter. The couple was returning from the hospital and was confronted by the photographer outside their Los Angeles home. Whoopi Goldberg praised Baldwin for his actions during her opening monologue while hosting the 68th Academy Awards.

2011 plane incident
In December 2011, Baldwin was on an American Airlines flight at Los Angeles International Airport, playing Words with Friends on his phone while waiting for takeoff. When instructed to put away the "electronic device" by the flight attendant, he reportedly became belligerent and was eventually removed from the plane. The incident was humorously referenced in the following months in TV commercials for Capital One credit cards and Best Buy electronics stores. Baldwin also spoofed the incident during a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update segment.

Health and dieting
Baldwin and his wife are pescatarians who eat a predominantly plant-based diet with fish and eggs. Baldwin gave up eating beef in 1991 and is a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In 2019, he authored an article for CNN supporting the EAT Lancet report and recommended a plant-based diet due to global environmental issues.

2021 shooting incident and subsequent trial
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was filming on the set of the upcoming film Rust, of which he was also a producer, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he discharged a gun being used as a prop, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. This was reported in the press as the Rust shooting incident. The Hutchins family filed a wrongful death suit against Baldwin for his part in the fatal shooting. On October 5, 2022, Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement with Hutchins' family in their wrongful death lawsuit.

On January 19, 2023, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that Baldwin would be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter by the end of the month. He was charged on January 31, 2023. The elevated second charge was eventually dropped after his lawyers argued that he was being incorrectly charged with a version of the law that was not passed until months after the shooting, meaning that if he was found guilty, he would have faced a maximum of 18 months in prison. On February 23, he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

In April 2023, lawyers for Baldwin announced that the criminal charges against him had been dropped by prosecutors. In a statement, Baldwin's attorneys said "We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident." On October 17, 2023, New Mexico special prosecutors would announce that their findings indicated that Baldwin may be guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Rust completed filming in May 2023 and is currently in post-production. In 2023, Baldwin has been associated with four other film projects including Supercell, 97 Minutes, Atrabilious and Billie's Magic World. He also appeared in a cameo on Saturday Night Live in October 2023, in an episode hosted by Timothée Chalamet, making it one of his first live appearances since the Rust incident and first appearance on the show since 2020.

In January 2024, a grand jury indicted Baldwin on an involuntary manslaughter charge. The indictment provides prosecutors with two options for pursuing this charge: one based on negligent use of a firearm, and the other for felony misconduct "with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others." On May 24, 2024, Sante Fe-based Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer denied a motion which was filed by Baldwin to dismiss his trial, thus clearing the way for the trial to begin. Baldwin's trial would begin in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 9, 2024, with 12 jurors and four alternative jurors being selected. Opening statements would then get underway on July 10.

On July 12, 2024, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin with prejudice, upholding a motion filed by the defense to dismiss the case following the revelation that the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense. Sommer found that "Santa Fe County Sheriff's officer made the decision — and apparently also with the prosecutor … that the evidence was of no evidentiary value and failed to connect the evidence to the case", such that the "willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate", displaying "signs of scorching prejudice".

Political views
Baldwin is a Democrat and endorsed Barack Obama in his two presidential campaigns. He serves on the board of People for the American Way. He is an animal rights activist and a staunch supporter of PETA, for which he has done work that includes narrating the video entitled Meet Your Meat. Baldwin lent his support to the Save the Manatee Club by donating his time to record several public service announcements for the group, which had contacted him following his role in "The Bonfire of the Manatees", an episode of The Simpsons in which he was the voice of a biologist working to save the endangered mammals. Baldwin also gave his support for Farm Sanctuary's Adopt A Turkey Project and stated, "At least 46 million turkeys suffer heartbreaking fear and pain before being killed each and every Thanksgiving..."

During his appearance on the comedy late night show Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 11, 1998, eight days before President Bill Clinton was to be impeached, Baldwin said, "If we were in another country ... we would stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families, for what they're doing to this country." Baldwin later apologized for the remarks, and the network explained that it was meant as a joke and promised not to re-run it.

Baldwin said in a 2006 interview with The New York Times that if he did become involved in electoral politics, he would prefer to run for Governor of New York. When asked if he was qualified for the office, Baldwin responded that he considered himself more qualified than California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. On December 21, 2011, Baldwin, addressing speculation, said he was abandoning plans to run for mayor of New York City and would instead continue in his role on 30 Rock. That April, he suggested he might change his mind, saying, "Let's see what things are like in 2014. I would love to do it."

In February 2009, Baldwin spoke out to encourage state leaders to renew New York's tax break for the film and television industry, stating that if the "tax breaks are not reinstated into the budget, film production in this town is going to collapse and television production is going to collapse and it's all going to go to California".

During the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2011, televised by Fox, Baldwin was slated to appear in a taped skit. However, the producers of the show cut a portion of the skit containing a reference to Rupert Murdoch and the News International phone hacking scandal. Baldwin subsequently boycotted the Emmy Awards and requested that his entire appearance be removed from the broadcast. Producers complied and he was replaced with Leonard Nimoy.

title: Alec Baldwin


text:
Daniel Baldwin

Daniel Leroy Baldwin (born October 5, 1960) is an American actor. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Baldwin played the role of Detective Beau Felton in the NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, and has also starred in Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life (1992), Mulholland Falls (1996), Vampires (1998), The Pandora Project (1998), Stealing Candy (2002), Paparazzi (2004), Cleaver (2007) and Grey Gardens (2009).

He hosted The Daniel Baldwin Show on radio station WTLA in Syracuse from 2017 to 2019. He has also been an emcee for the television series truTV Presents: World's Dumbest. In February 2009, he appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, admitting to his struggle with cocaine addiction.

Early life
Baldwin was born in Massapequa, New York, the second son of Carol Newcomb (née Martineau), a breast cancer survivor who founded the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center of the University Hospital and Medical Center at Stony Brook, and Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr., a high school history/social studies teacher and football coach. Baldwin was raised in a Catholic family and has Irish and French ancestry. In addition to his three actor brothers, Alec (b. 1958), William (b. 1963), and Stephen (b. 1966), Baldwin has two sisters.

Acting
Baldwin's acting debut was in the television film Too Good to Be True in 1988, which he followed with roles in the films Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) and Hero (1992). He returned to television in 1990 for the short-lived sitcom Sydney, which starred Valerie Bertinelli.

In 1993, Baldwin was cast in the Baltimore-based cop show Homicide: Life on the Street. Although he received good reviews, he left in 1995 after three seasons, and his character was later killed off. He returned to TV movies such as Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Family of Cops, and Twisted Desire, as well as the 1996 feature films Mulholland Falls and Trees Lounge.

In 1998, Baldwin was set to film the romantic comedy It Had to Be You, but was replaced by Michael Rispoli after being arrested for cocaine possession. John Carpenter's Vampires was released during his subsequent stint in rehab.

Baldwin was cast as Menelaus in the BBC One show Kings and Pharaohs for Series 1, featuring Christopher Eccleston, Michael Rooker and John Hurt.

Baldwin returned to appearances in various TV series episodes, including The Sopranos; and TV and direct-to-video movies, including reprising his role as Beau Felton in Homicide: The Movie in 2000. Baldwin then starred in TV movies such as Anonymous Rex (2004) and Our Fathers (2005) and small-budget films including Sidekick (2005) and Moola (2006).

In 2008, Baldwin signed on to play Julius Krug in the Award Winning HBO film based on the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. That same year, he made appearances on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... as a frequent commentator. He also appeared as a supporting cast member in indie director Akihiro Kitamura's sophomore film, I'll Be There With You.

Baldwin was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docu-drama titled 1 a Minute in 2010. The documentary was made by actress Namrata Singh Gujral and featured breast cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Namrata Singh Gujral, Mumtaz and Jaclyn Smith, as well as Priya Dutt and Baldwin's brother William. The film also starred Bárbara Mori, Lisa Ray, Deepak Chopra and Morgan Brittany.

2014 saw Baldwin win Best Supporting Actor at the Madrid International Film Festival for his role in the award-winning feature film Helen Alone.

Reality television
In 2005, he was featured in VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, a reality show in which overweight celebrities compete to see who can shed the most weight. He was the team captain of the Eastsiders, which also featured rapper Biz Markie, plus-size model Mia Tyler, and actor Joe Gannascoli (later traded for Judge Mablean Ephriam from Divorce Court).

In 2008, Baldwin appeared on VH1's reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. In June 2009, he joined the cast of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!, with his brother Stephen; he was the second person voted off. He has made appearances in several seasons of truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...

In 2014, Baldwin appeared on the first episode of Celebrity Wife Swap. His girlfriend swapped with the wife of Jermaine Jackson.

On August 27, 2015, Baldwin entered the Celebrity Big Brother (also known as Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs USA) house as a contestant representing the USA. On September 4, he was the first housemate evicted; he had lasted nine days.

Relationships and family
Baldwin had a daughter, filmmaker Kahlea (b. 1984), with his first wife, Cheryl. Baldwin and second wife Elizabeth had a daughter named Alexandra (b. 1994). Following the couple's divorce, Baldwin was involved in a lengthy relationship with his Homicide: Life on the Street co-star, Isabella Hofmann. They have a son, Atticus, (b. 1996), who is named after the lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, and has autism. Baldwin next was married to Joanne Smith, a former British model, with whom he had daughter Avis Ann on January 17, 2008. The couple's second child, daughter Finley Rae Martineau Baldwin, was born August 7, 2009. In 2011, Baldwin and his wife announced that they had dropped their divorce filings and were attempting to reconcile. However, in 2012, Joanne filed for divorce again. In November 2014, Baldwin announced his engagement to Robin Sue Hertz Hempel, an entrepreneur. They called off their engagement in 2020. On December 31, 2022, Baldwin married D'Asia Bellamy. Their wedding ceremony took place in Iglesias, Sardinia, Italy. The couple's first child, son William "Bat" Baldwin, was born on June 1, 2023.

In June 2017, Baldwin relocated to Cleveland, New York, to be closer to extended family. He joined WTLA in Syracuse in September 2017 and left the station in April 2019, stating that he had accomplished what he wanted to do with the radio show.

Addiction and arrests
In 1998, Baldwin was found running naked through the halls of New York's Plaza Hotel shouting his own last name and was arrested for possession of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to three months in drug rehab. He later told People magazine that he had been battling cocaine addiction since 1989.

On April 22, 2006, Baldwin was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia in a Santa Monica hotel.

He was arrested again on July 19, 2006. According to the police, Baldwin ran a red light after weaving through the traffic in West L.A. just before 1 pm, then crashed his rented Ford Thunderbird into two parked cars while going 80 mph in a 35 mph zone. Jason Lee, a spokesman for the Los Angeles police, said: "The Thunderbird pushed one of the vehicles about 20 ft, and that was a Hummer." Police say Baldwin was driving with a suspended license at the time of the crash. He was transferred to UCLA Medical Center with back and neck injuries but did not appear to be seriously hurt.

On November 7, 2006, Baldwin was arrested in Santa Monica, California, after allegedly stealing a white GMC Yukon SUV. The actor was taken to jail and booked for investigation of grand theft auto; bail was set at $20,000. "The car belongs to an acquaintance of Mr. Baldwin, but he had no permission to take it", said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The charges were subsequently dropped.

On February 6, 2007, an arrest warrant was issued for Baldwin in Newport Beach, California, by the Orange County Superior Court for his failure to show up for an arraignment stemming from an auto-theft charge.

Baldwin starred on the VH1 reality television show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, filmed in 2007, but left the show after the fourth episode. His stated reasons for leaving included having a prior commitment to an acting job and the others' behavior interfering with his recovery. It was eventually reported that he left because of inappropriate text messages he had sent to Mary Carey, a fellow patient in his treatment group.

title: Daniel Baldwin


text:
Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer, director and activist. He has appeared in the films Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Posse (1993), 8 Seconds (1994), Threesome (1994), The Usual Suspects (1995), Bio-Dome (1996) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). Baldwin also starred in the television series The Young Riders (1989–1992) and as himself in the reality shows Celebrity Big Brother 7, which he placed 9th, in the United Kingdom and Celebrity Apprentice. In 2004, he directed Livin' It, a Christian-themed skateboarding DVD. He is the youngest of the four Baldwin brothers.

Early life
Baldwin was born in Massapequa, New York, the youngest son of Carol Newcomb (née Martineau), founder of The Baldwin Fund, and Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr., a high school social studies teacher and football coach. Baldwin's elder brothers are actors Alec, Daniel and William, collectively known as the "Baldwin brothers". He was raised in the Catholic faith. In high school, Baldwin participated on the varsity wrestling team, along with William. Baldwin has two elder sisters, Elizabeth Keuchler and Jane Sasso. Baldwin attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career
Baldwin began acting on television and made his film debut in The Beast. He starred in the western television series The Young Riders and in Threesome (1994). Baldwin landed a breakthrough role in The Usual Suspects (1995) and played Barney Rubble in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). He participated in Celebrity Mole Hawaii, the first celebrity edition of The Mole in 2002. ABC broadcast the program in early 2003. Later that year, he returned for Celebrity Mole Yucatán, which ABC aired in early 2004. In 2006, Baldwin played a villainous thug in the television film Jesse Stone: Night Passage. In August 2007, Baldwin returned to television, when CMT cast him in Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, one of nine celebrities cast. In the first episode, Baldwin was injured in a bad fall from a wooden pontoon, breaking his shoulder blade and cracking a rib. Under doctor's orders, he left the show in the second episode. From January to March 2008, Baldwin appeared on Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice on NBC. He finished fifth out of the 14 celebrity contestants. He and Trace Adkins became friends while competing on the show. In October 2008, Baldwin appeared in Adkins's music video, "Muddy Water". In March 2013, Baldwin returned to compete in All-Star Celebrity Apprentice. He was a contestant on the 2009 NBC reality show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!. Baldwin quit the show mid-season. On the second episode, he baptized The Hills actor Spencer Pratt. In 2019, Baldwin starred in a Filipino film, Kaibigan.

Personal life
Baldwin resides in the village of Nyack, New York, with his wife, the Brazilian graphic designer Kennya Baldwin (née Deodato), whom he met in 1987 and married in 1990. They have two daughters, Alaia and Hailey Bieber; both are models. His father-in-law is Brazilian composer Eumir Deodato, and Canadian singer Justin Bieber is his son-in-law through marriage to his daughter Hailey. Through his daughter, Alaia and son-in-law, Andrew Aronow, Baldwin has one granddaughter (b. 2020).

In 2006, Baldwin launched a campaign to prevent an adult bookstore from opening in Nyack. He has a tattoo on his left shoulder of the initials "HM" for Hannah Montana. He got the tattoo after making a pact with Miley Cyrus that he would be allowed to cameo on the show if he had the initials tattooed on him. He revealed the tattoo to Cyrus at a book signing in Nashville on November 10, 2008. He was never given the opportunity to appear on the show and has since said that he regrets getting the tattoo.

In June 2009, Baldwin's foreclosed $515,000, 1.4-acre home in Rockland County, New York was publicly auctioned after he and his wife defaulted on more than $824,000 in mortgage payments. In July, Baldwin filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection claiming more than $2.3 million in debt. Court papers showed he owed $1.2 million on two mortgages on a New York property valued at only $1.1 million, more than $1 million in taxes and credit card debt.

Baldwin was the first person to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on January 3, 2010. The theme for this series was "Hell", with a devil head on the front door. He frequently taunted the head by saying "you're a loser". During his stay in the house, he frequently read passages from the Bible to his fellow housemates. He failed to win many fans and was evicted on January 22, 2010, becoming the fourth housemate to be evicted. In a three-way vote—against Ivana Trump and Sisqó—he received 50% of the public vote. After his eviction, the website restorestephenbaldwin.org, unsolicited by him, began soliciting cash donations to improve Baldwin's career.

In December 2010, Baldwin filed a $3.8 million lawsuit against Kevin Costner over oil-separating technology that was used to help solve the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In June 2012, a jury sided with Costner and awarded Baldwin no damages. In March 2013, Baldwin pleaded guilty to failing to file income taxes for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010. He stated that he never intended to avoid paying taxes and that he had received bad advice from lawyers and accountants. Baldwin agreed to pay $300,000 within a year, or he would be sentenced to five years' probation and have five years to pay the money.

Religion
In September 2006, Baldwin released his book titled The Unusual Suspect, which details highlights from his personal life, career, days of drug abuse and his turn to becoming a born-again Evangelical after the September 11 attacks in 2001. In the same year, Baldwin, Mario D'Ortenzio, and Bobby Brewer founded Breakthrough Ministry, which was designed to use extreme sports as a ministry via arena tours, called AsSalt Tours. The tours featured extreme sports celebrities, including Christian Hosoi.

In late 2008, Baldwin formed a for-profit organization called Antioch Ministry, which exists "to facilitate the gifts and calling of Stephen Baldwin." In 2009, Baldwin launched a third ministry called Now More Than Ever, designed to reach enlisted men and women in the U.S. armed services around the world. In 2008, Baldwin teamed up with conservative talk-radio host Kevin McCullough to put together a Saturday radio show called Baldwin/McCullough Radio. As of April 18, 2009, the show aired on 213 stations and in more than 400 cities across the US and worldwide on Sirius 161 and XM 227. Baldwin appears weekly on the show from the broadcast studios in New York City and from various locations around the country when he is traveling for other business purposes.

Politics
In 2007, Baldwin endorsed Sam Brownback for U.S. president. After Brownback ended his campaign, Baldwin switched his support to Mike Huckabee. Baldwin was an outspoken advocate of the John McCain–Sarah Palin presidential ticket after Huckabee dropped out of the 2008 presidential election.

In 2011, Baldwin mentioned the possibility of entering New York City's 2013 mayoral election as an opponent of his brother Alec, who had suggested that he might run himself.

Baldwin was among the first Hollywood celebrities to endorse Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

title: Stephen Baldwin


text:
William Baldwin

William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963) is an American actor. A member of the Baldwin family, he is the second-youngest Baldwin of the four Baldwin brothers. He has starred in the films Flatliners (1990), Backdraft (1991), Sliver (1993), Virus (1999), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he portrayed himself, and the Netflix show Northern Rescue (2019). Baldwin is married to singer Chynna Phillips.

Early life
Baldwin was born in Massapequa, New York, the son of Carol Newcomb (née Martineau), founder of The Baldwin Fund and Alexander Rae Baldwin Jr. His father was a high school history/social studies teacher and football coach. He is the brother of actors Alec, Daniel, and Stephen, sometimes collectively known as the Baldwin brothers, and of sisters Beth and Jane, all together known as the Baldwin family. Baldwin was raised in a Catholic family, and has Irish and French ancestry. A graduate of Alfred G. Berner High School (in which one of his classmates was Rex Heuermann) and Binghamton University, where he was a varsity wrestler. He has a degree in political science.

1980s
Before starting his acting career, Baldwin was a fashion model for Calvin Klein. His first starring role was in a TV movie as Robert Chambers, alongside Danny Aiello and Lara Flynn Boyle in The Preppie Murder, which aired on ABC in 1989. Baldwin also appeared in the 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise, where he had a minor role as a U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War. His brothers Daniel and Stephen also had minor parts in the film.

1990s
Baldwin's first featured film was Internal Affairs, in which he starred alongside Richard Gere and Andy García. He then starred in big-budget films such as Flatliners with stars such as Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon. He portrayed Chicago firefighter Brian McCaffrey in Backdraft with Kurt Russell and also with an ensemble cast including Donald Sutherland, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, and Robert De Niro. His role in 1993 film Sliver along with Sharon Stone earned him the MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male.

In 1995, among other diverse characters he has played in his career, Baldwin was on Joel Schumacher's shortlist for Batman Forever to play the title character; Schumacher's four diverse choices were Daniel Day-Lewis, Ralph Fiennes, Val Kilmer and Baldwin. The role went to Val Kilmer. Baldwin starred alongside Cindy Crawford in Fair Game. Then in 1996, he starred in a low-budget film by Miramax Films titled Curdled and was paid US$150,000 for his performance, compared to the $1.7 million he received for his role in Sliver; his performance in the film was slightly acclaimed by critics. In 1998, he appeared in Warren Beatty's film Bulworth as Constance Bulworth's lover. In 1999, Baldwin teamed up with Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Sutherland for the science fiction thriller Virus and played alongside Peter Gallagher in the Showtime original movie, Brotherhood of Murder.

2000s
In 2001, Baldwin played a leading role in the television film Double Bang which aired on HBO. Since then, Baldwin has played in other projects such as Red Rover in 2003, Park, Feel and Lenexa, 1 Mile in 2006, and Adrift in Manhattan, A Plumm Summer, Noise, and Humble Pie in 2007. His 2004 film Art Heist received much attention when it was released on DVD. Baldwin has continued to act in films and on television, but has not taken many leading roles. He was well received in a supporting role in the 2005 film The Squid and the Whale alongside Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels, for which he earned the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast. He also co-starred in ABC's Dirty Sexy Money as Donald Sutherland's oldest son, Patrick Darling IV, for the duration of the show until April 2009. In 2008, he appeared in the comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which stars Jason Segel and Kristen Bell, as Detective Hunter Rush.

2010s
In February 2010, Baldwin played Batman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a loose adaptation of Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth 2 story. Baldwin portrayed Dr. Willam van der Woodsen, father of Serena and Eric van der Woodsen, on the third and fourth seasons of Gossip Girl. Baldwin was also featured with his brother Daniel in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docudrama, 1 a Minute. The documentary was made by Namrata Singh Gujral, and features breast cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Namrata Singh Gujral, Mumtaz, Jaclyn Smith, Daniel Baldwin and Priya Dutt. Baldwin was cast in the second season of Parenthood, which aired Fall 2010. He played Gordon Flint: a charismatic bachelor, the boss of Adam Braverman (Peter Krause) and a love-interest for Adam's sister, Sarah (Lauren Graham). In 2011, Baldwin starred in the Lifetime Original Movie, The Craigslist Killer which aired January 3, 2011. He played the lead detective on the case of the killer, Philip Markoff, who connected with victims through Craigslist ads placed in Boston, Massachusetts.

On June 1, 2011, Baldwin starred in the indie film Sexy Evil Genius, alongside Seth Green, Harold Perrineau Jr., Katee Sackhoff and Michelle Trachtenberg. The film was directed by Shawn Piller. In July 2011, Baldwin joined the CBS drama Hawaii Five-0 for a multi-episode arc. On March 22, 2012, Baldwin guest starred on the NBC show 30 Rock. Baldwin plays Lance Drake Mandrell, an actor who plays Jack Donaghy – the role played in the series by Baldwin's real-life brother Alec – in a made-for-TV movie within the show. Baldwin is currently a model for Sacoor Brothers. Baldwin appeared in the fourth and final season of Wilfred, replacing Dwight Yoakam in the role of Bruce. In 2015, he narrated for the documentary A Wing and a Prayer, a film about American fighter pilots who assisted in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the founding of the Israeli Air Force.

In 2016, Baldwin signed on and currently has a recurring role on the 2016 reboot of the television series MacGyver as Elwood Davis, Riley's estranged father on CBS Television Studios. On November 21, 2017, Baldwin joined the main cast on a television series along with Miles Teller in Too Old To Die Young which was released in the summer of 2019 on Amazon Video. Currently, Baldwin stars and executive produces Northern Rescue, a Canadian drama television series produced by CBC Television distributed internationally on Netflix. The first season of 10 episodes debuted on March 1, 2019.

2020s
In 2021, Baldwin starred in War of the Worlds: Annihilation. Baldwin appeared in the horror film Candyland

Personal life
In 1995, Baldwin married singer Chynna Phillips of the music group Wilson Phillips, daughter of musician John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam. Together, they have three children, daughters Jameson (b. 2000) and Brooke (b. 2004) and son Vance (b. 2001).

In October 2019, Baldwin revealed that his son Vance had been diagnosed with cancer the year prior and was now in remission.

Baldwin splits his time between an estate in Santa Barbara, California, and another in Bedford Corners, New York, which is 30 minutes away from his brother Stephen's estate in Nyack, New York.

Along with his brother Alec, Baldwin supports left-leaning issues which has strained relations with the conservative views of his brother Stephen.

title: William Baldwin


text:
West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 mi and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 mi. The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.

It is one of the busiest freight routes in Europe, carrying 40% of all UK rail freight traffic. The line is the principal rail freight corridor linking the European mainland (via the Channel Tunnel) through London and South East England to the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland. The line has been declared a strategic European route and designated a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route. A number of railway writers refer to it as "The Premier line".

The WCML was not originally conceived as a single route, but was built as a patchwork of local lines which were linked together, built by various companies, the largest of which amalgamated in 1846 to create the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), which then gradually absorbed most of the others; the exceptions were the Caledonian Railway in Scotland, and the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) which both remained independent until 1923. The core route was mostly built between the 1830s and 1850s, but several cut-off routes and branches were built in later decades. In 1923, the entire route came under the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) when the railway companies were grouped under the Railways Act 1921. The LMS itself was nationalised in 1947 to form part of British Railways (BR).

As the WCML is the most important long-distance railway trunk route in the UK, BR carried out an extensive programme of modernisation of it between the late 1950s and early 1970s, which included full overhead electrification of the route, and the introduction of modern intercity passenger services at speeds of up to 110 mph. Further abortive modernisation schemes were proposed, including the introduction of the Advanced Passenger Train (APT) in the 1980s; an ill-fated high speed train which used tilting technology, which was required to allow faster speeds on the curving route, and the abortive InterCity 250 project in the early-1990s. Further modernisation of the route finally occurred during the 2000s in the period of privatisation, which saw speeds raised further to 125 mph and the introduction of tilting Class 390 Pendolino trains.

As much of the line has a maximum speed of 125 mph, it meets the European Union's definition of an upgraded high-speed line, although only Class 390 Pendolinos and Class 221 Super Voyagers with tilting mechanisms operated by Avanti West Coast travel at that speed. Non-tilting trains are limited to 110 mph.

Geography
The spine between London Euston and Glasgow Central is 399 mi long, with principal InterCity stations at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith and Carlisle.

The spine has bypasses serving the major towns and cities of Northampton, Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Spurs serve Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester, Runcorn and Liverpool. There is also a branch to Edinburgh, at Carstairs in Scotland which is not the most direct route between London and Edinburgh. It provides a direct connection between the WCML and the East Coast Main Line.

Originally, the lines between Rugby, Birmingham and Stafford were part of the main spine, until the Trent Valley Line was built in 1847. This line formed a direct connection between Rugby and Stafford becoming the a part of the spine. South of Rugby, there is a bypass loop that serves Northampton. There is a spur at Weaver Junction north of Crewe to Liverpool. Weaver Junction on this branch is the oldest flyover-type junction in Britain. A spur branches off from Crewe to serve Manchester. There is also a spur between Colwich Junction in the Trent Valley, south of Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent, with another spur north of Stafford, also to Stoke-on-Trent.

The geography of the route was determined by avoiding large estates and hilly areas, such as the Chilterns (Tring Cutting); the Watford Gap and Northampton uplands, followed by the Trent Valley; the mountains of Cumbria, with a summit at Shap; and Beattock Summit in South Lanarkshire. This legacy means the WCML has limitations as a long-distance main line, with lower maximum speeds than the East Coast Main Line (ECML) route, the other main line between London and Scotland. The principal solution has been the adoption of tilting trains, initially with British Rail's APT and latterly the Pendolino trains constructed by Alstom and introduced by Virgin Trains in 2003. A 'conventional' attempt to raise line speeds as part of the InterCity 250 upgrade in the 1990s would have relaxed maximum cant levels on curves and seen some track realignments; this scheme faltered for lack of funding in the economic climate of the time.

Pre-grouping, 1837–1923
The early history of the WCML is complex, as it was not originally conceived as a single trunk route, but was built as a patchwork of separate lines by different companies, mostly during the 1830s and 1840s, but some parts were opened as late as the 1880s. After the completion of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, schemes were mooted to build more inter-city lines. The business practice of the early railway era was for companies to promote individual lines between two destinations, rather than to plan grand networks of lines, as it was considered easier to obtain backing from investors.

The first stretch of what is now the WCML was the Grand Junction Railway connecting the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham, via Warrington, Crewe, Stafford and Wolverhampton, opening in 1837. The following year the London and Birmingham Railway was completed, connecting to the capital via Coventry, Rugby and the Watford Gap. The Grand Junction and London and Birmingham railways shared a Birmingham terminus at Curzon Street station, so that it was now possible to travel by train between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. These lines, together with the Trent Valley Railway (between Rugby and Stafford, avoiding Birmingham) and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (Crewe–Manchester), amalgamated operations in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Three other companies, the North Union Railway (Parkside–Wigan–Preston), the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, completed a through route to Carlisle by the end of 1846, these were later absorbed by the LNWR.

North of Carlisle, the Caledonian Railway remained independent, and opened its main line from Carlisle to Beattock on 10 September 1847, connecting to Edinburgh in February 1848, and to Glasgow in November 1849.

Another important section, the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR), which opened its route in 1848 from Macclesfield (connecting with the LNWR from Manchester) to Stafford and Colwich Junction via Stoke-on-Trent, also remained independent. The NSR provided a useful alternative route to Manchester, however poor relations between the LNWR and the NSR meant that through trains did not run until 1867.

The route to Scotland was marketed by the LNWR as 'The Premier Line'. Because the cross-border trains ran over the LNWR and Caledonian Railway, through trains consisted of jointly owned "West Coast Joint Stock" to simplify operations. The first direct London to Glasgow trains in the 1850s took 12.5hours to complete the 400 mi journey.

The final sections of what is now the WCML were put in place over the following decades. A direct branch to Liverpool, bypassing the earlier Liverpool and Manchester line, was opened in 1869, from Weaver Junction north of Crewe to Ditton Junction via the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the River Mersey.

At the northern end, the Caledonian replaced its original Southside terminus in Glasgow, with the much larger and better located Glasgow Central in 1879.

To expand capacity, the line between London and Rugby was widened to four tracks in the 1870s. As part of this work, a new line, the Northampton Loop, was built, opening in 1881, connecting Northampton before rejoining the main line at Rugby.

The worst-ever rail accident in UK history, the Quintinshill rail disaster, occurred on the WCML during World War I, on 22 May 1915, between Glasgow Central and Carlisle, in which 227 were killed and 246 injured.

LMS, 1923–1948
The entire route came under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923 when the railway companies were grouped, under the Railways Act 1921.

The LMS competed fiercely with the rival LNER's East Coast Main Line for London to Scotland traffic (see Race to the North). Attempts were made to minimise end-to-end journey times for a small number of powerful lightweight trains that could be marketed as glamorous premium crack expresses, especially between London and Glasgow, such as the 1937–39 Coronation Scot, hauled by streamlined Princess Coronation Class locomotives, which made the journey in 6hours 30minutes, making it competitive with the rival East Coast Flying Scotsman (British Railways in the 1950s could not match this, but did achieve a London-Glasgow timing of 7hours 15minutes in the 1959–60 timetable by strictly limiting the number of coaches to eight and not stopping between London and Carlisle. )

British Rail, 1948–1997
In 1948, following nationalisation, the line came under the control of British Railways' London Midland and Scottish Regions, when the term "West Coast Main Line" came into use officially, although it had been used informally since at least 1912.

Modernisation by British Rail
As part of the 1955 modernisation plan, British Rail carried out a large programme of modernisation of the WCML in stages between 1959 and 1974; the modernisation involved upgrading the track and signaling to allow higher speeds, rebuilding a number of stations, and electrification of the route with overhead line equipment. The first stretch to be upgraded and electrified was Crewe to Manchester, completed on 12 September 1960. This was followed by Crewe to Liverpool, completed on 1 January 1962. Electrification was then extended south to London. The first electric trains from London ran on 12 November 1965, with a full public service to Manchester and Liverpool launched on 18 April 1966. Electrification of both the Birmingham branch, and the routes to Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent was completed on 6 March 1967, allowing electric services to commence to those destinations. In March 1970 the government approved electrification of the northern half of the WCML, between Weaver Junction (where the branch to Liverpool diverges) and Glasgow, and this was completed on 6 May 1974. The announcement, after five years of uncertainty, was made 48hours before the writ was issued for a by-election in South Ayrshire. The Observer commented that, if the £25 million decision was politically rather than financially motivated, it would have the makings of a major political scandal.

A new set of high-speed long-distance services was introduced in 1966, launching British Rail's highly successful "Inter-City" brand (the hyphen was later dropped) and offering journey times as London to Birmingham in 1 hour 35 minutes, and London to Manchester or Liverpool in 2hours 40minutes (and even 2hours 30minutes for the twice-daily Manchester Pullman). This represented a big improvement on the 3hours 30minutes to Manchester and Liverpool of the fastest steam service. A new feature was that these fast trains were offered on a regular-interval service throughout the day: initially hourly to Birmingham, two-hourly to Manchester, and so on. The service proved to be so popular that in 1972 these InterCity service frequencies were doubled to deal with increased demand. With the completion of the northern electrification in 1974, London to Glasgow journey times were reduced from 6hours to 5. Along with electrification came modern coaches such as the Mark 2 and from 1974 the fully integral, air-conditioned Mark 3 design. These remained the mainstay of express services until the early 2000s. Line speeds were raised to a maximum 110 mph, and these trains, hauled by and  electric locomotives, came to be seen as BR's flagship passenger service. Passenger traffic on the WCML doubled between 1962 and 1975.

The modernisation also saw the demolition and redevelopment of several of the key stations on the line: BR was keen to symbolise the coming of the "electric age" by replacing the Victorian-era buildings with new structures built from glass and concrete. Notable examples were Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Stafford, Coventry and London Euston. To enable the latter, the famous Doric Arch portal into the original Philip Hardwick-designed terminus was demolished in 1962 amid much public outcry.

Electrification of the Edinburgh branch was carried out in the late 1980s as part of the East Coast Main Line electrification project in order to allow InterCity 225 sets to access Glasgow via Carstairs Junction.

Modernisation brought great improvements in speed and frequency. However some locations and lines were no longer served by through trains or through coaches from London, such as: Windermere; Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and Workington; Huddersfield, Bradford Interchange, Leeds and Halifax (via Stockport); Blackpool South; Colne (via Stockport); Morecambe and Heysham; Southport (via Edge Hill); Blackburn and Stranraer Harbour. Notable also is the loss of through services between Liverpool and Scotland; however these were restored by TransPennine Express in 2019.

British Rail introduced the Advanced Passenger Train APT project, which proved that London–Glasgow WCML journey times of less than 4hours were achievable and paved the way for the later tilting Virgin Pendolino trains.

In the late 1980s, British Rail put forward a track realignment scheme to raise speeds on the WCML; a proposed project called InterCity 250, which entailed realigning parts of the line in order to increase curve radii and smooth gradients in order to facilitate higher-speed running. The scheme, which would have seen the introduction of new rolling stock derived from that developed for the East Coast electrification, was scrapped in 1992.

Privatisation, 1997–present
As part of the privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, the infrastructure was taken over in 1994 by the private company Railtrack, which later collapsed in 2002, and was replaced by the not-for-profit company Network Rail. WCML's InterCity services became part of the InterCity West Coast franchise, which was won by Virgin Trains who took over in 1997. In 2019, Avanti West Coast won the new West Coast Partnership franchise, taking over from Virgin Trains.

Modernisation by Railtrack and Network Rail

By the dawn of the 1990s, it was clear that further modernisation was required. Initially this took the form of the InterCity 250 project.

The modernisation plan unveiled by Virgin and the new infrastructure owner Railtrack involved the upgrade and renewal of the line to allow the use of tilting Pendolino trains with a maximum line speed of 140 mph, in place of the previous maximum of 110 mph. Railtrack estimated that this upgrade would cost £2 billion, be ready by 2005, and cut journey times to 1 hour for London to Birmingham and 1 hr 45 mins for London to Manchester.

However, these plans proved too ambitious and were subsequently scaled back. The upgrade was described as "a classic example of disastrous project management". Central to the implementation of the plan was the adoption of moving block signalling, which had never been proven on anything more than simple metro lines and light rail systems – not on a complex high-speed heavy-rail network such as the WCML. Despite this, Railtrack made what would prove to be the fatal mistake of not properly assessing the technical viability and cost of implementing moving block prior to promising the speed increase to Virgin and the government. By 1999, with little headway on the modernisation project made, it became apparent to engineers that the technology was not mature enough to be used on the line. The bankruptcy of Railtrack in 2001 and its replacement by Network Rail following the Hatfield crash brought a reappraisal of the plans, while the cost of the upgrade soared. Following fears that cost overruns on the project would push the final price tag to £13 billion, the plans were scaled down, bringing the cost down to between £8 billion and £10 billion, to be ready by 2008, with a maximum speed for tilting trains of a more modest 125 mph – equalling the speeds available on the East Coast route, but some way short of the original target, and even further behind BR's original vision of 155 mph speeds planned and achieved with the APT.

The first phase of the upgrade, south of Manchester, opened on 27 September 2004 with journey times of 1hour 21minutes for London to Birmingham and 2hours 6minutes for London to Manchester. The final phase, introducing 125 mph running along most of the line, was announced as opening on 12 December 2005, bringing the fastest journey between London and Glasgow to 4hours 25mins (down from 5hours 10minutes). However, considerable work remained, such as the quadrupling of the track in the Trent Valley, upgrading the slow lines, the second phase of remodelling Nuneaton, and the remodelling of Stafford, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Coventry stations, and these were completed in late 2008. The upgrading of the Crewe–Manchester line via Wilmslow was completed in summer 2006.

In September 2006, a new speed record was set on the WCML – a Pendolino train completed the 401 mi Glasgow Central – London Euston run in a record 3hours 55minutes, beating the APT's record of 4hours 15minutes, although the APT still holds the overall record on the northbound run. The decade-long modernisation project was finally completed in December 2008. This allowed Virgin's VHF (very high frequency) timetable to be progressively introduced through early 2009, the highlights of which are a three-trains-per-hour service to both Birmingham and Manchester during off-peak periods, and nearly all London-Scottish timings brought under the 4hours 30minutes barrier – with one service (calling only at Preston) achieving a London–Glasgow time of 4hours 8minutes.

Some projects that were removed from the modernisation as a result of the de-scoping, such as a flyover at Norton Bridge station, were later restarted. A £250million project to grade-separate the tracks at Norton Bridge that allowed for increased service frequency as well as improved line-speeds was completed in spring 2016. Other projects such as the replacement of a weak bridge in Watford allowed line-speeds to be increased from 90 mph to 125 mph, decreasing journey times.

Track
The main spine of the WCML is quadruple track almost all of the route from London to south of Winsford. At Hanslope Junction (near Milton Keynes), the line divides with one pair going direct to Rugby and the other pair diverting via Northampton to rejoin at Rugby. The spine continues north in quadruple track until Brinklow, where it reduces to triple track. The line between Brinklow and Nuneaton has three tracks, with one northbound track and fast and slow southbound tracks. The line then reverts to quadruple track at Nuneaton. North of Rugeley, there is a short double track stretch through the 777 yd Shugborough Tunnel. The line is then quadruple track most of the way to Acton Bridge railway station, except for a double track section between Winsford and Hartford. The line is double track from Acton Bridge railway station to Weaver Junction (where a double track spur to Liverpool branches off). The line is double track from Weaver Junction to Warrington Bank Quay, but the line is quadruple track between Warrington Bank Quay to Wigan North Western. At Newton-le-Willows, the slow tracks join the Liverpool to Manchester line to pass through the centre of the town, while the fast tracks take the direct route via the Golborne cut-off. There are two more stretches of quadruple track, otherwise the line is double track to Scotland. The first is from Euxton Balshaw Lane to Preston, and the second is a busy section around Glasgow.

The WCML is noted for the diversity of branches served from the spine, notably those to/from the West Midlands and North Wales, Greater Manchester, and Liverpool. These are detailed in the route diagram.

The complete route has been cleared for W10 loading gauge freight traffic, allowing use of higher 9 ft hi-cube shipping containers. The route passes through Nuneaton and the Midlands and this area has been called the "Golden Triangle of Logistics".

Electrification
Nearly all of the WCML is electrified with overhead line equipment at 25 kV AC. Several of the formerly unelectrified branches of the WCML in the North West have recently been electrified such as the Preston to Blackpool North Line on which electric service commenced in May 2018 along with the Preston – Manchester Piccadilly line which saw electric service commence in February 2019. Wigan to Liverpool via St Helens Shaw Street and St Helens Junction were also electrified in the 2010-2017 timeframe.

The Wigan North Western to Lostock Parkway branch is also in the process of being electrified.

Rolling stock
The majority of stock used on the West Coast Main Line is new-build, part of Virgin's initial franchise agreement having been a commitment to introduce a brand-new fleet of tilting Class 390 "Pendolino" trains for long-distance high-speed WCML services. The 53-strong Pendolino fleet, plus three tilting SuperVoyager diesel sets, were bought for use on these InterCity services. One Pendolino was written off in 2007 following the Grayrigg derailment. After the 2007 franchise "shake-up" in the Midlands, more SuperVoyagers were transferred to Virgin West Coast, instead of going to the new CrossCountry franchise. The SuperVoyagers are used on London–Chester and Holyhead services because the Chester/North Wales line is not electrified, so they run "under the wires" between London and Crewe. SuperVoyagers were also used on Virgin's London-Scotland via Birmingham services, even though this route is entirely electrified – this situation is, however, changing since the expansion of the Pendolino fleet; from 2013 onward Class 390 sets have been routinely deployed on Edinburgh/Glasgow–Birmingham services.

By 2012, the WCML Pendolino fleet was strengthened by the addition of two coaches to 31 of the 52 existing sets, thus turning them into 11-car trains. Four brand new 11-car sets are also part of this order, one of which replaced the set lost in the Grayrigg derailment. Although the new stock was supplied in Virgin livery, it was not expected to enter traffic before 31 March 2012, when the InterCity West Coast franchise was due to be re-let, though the date for the new franchise was later put back to December 2012, and any effect of this on the timetable for introducing the new coaches remains unclear.

Previous franchisees Central Trains and Silverlink (operating local and regional services partly over sections of the WCML) were given 30 new "Desiro" Class 350s, originally ordered for services in the south-east. Following Govia's successful bid for the West Midlands franchise in 2007, another 37 Class 350 units were ordered to replace its older fleet of s.

The older BR-vintage locomotive-hauled passenger rolling stock still has a limited role on the WCML, with the overnight Caledonian Sleeper services between London Euston and Scotland using Mark 3 and Mark 2 coaches until their replacement with Mark 5 stock in October 2019. Virgin also retained and refurbished one of the original Mark 3 rakes with a Driving Van Trailer and a locomotive as a standby set to cover for Pendolino breakdowns. This set was retired from service on 25 October with a rail tour the following day. In November 2014, the "Pretendolino" was transferred to Norwich Crown Point depot to enter service with Abellio Greater Anglia having come to the end of its agreed lease to Virgin Trains.

In September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, locomotive hauled services returned briefly to the WCML once more when incumbent operator Avanti West Coast employed a rake of Mark 3 coaches (hauled by a Class 90 locomotive) to provide additional services to Euston for those wishing to travel to London for the Queen's lying-in-state and subsequent funeral.

The following table lists the rolling stock which forms the core passenger service pattern on the WCML serving its principal termini; it is not exhaustive as many other types use small sections of the WCML as part of other routes.

Avanti West Coast
The current principal train operating company on the West Coast Main Line is Avanti West Coast, which runs the majority of long-distance services under the West Coast Partnership rail franchise. In November 2016, the government announced that the (then named) InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by a new franchise called 'West Coast Partnership', which includes operating the planned High Speed 2 (HS2) service as well as the existing West Coast Main Line express services. In August 2019, the DfT announced that First Trenitalia West Coast Rail (trading as Avanti West Coast) was the successful bidder. Avanti West Coast commenced operating the franchise on 8 December 2019.

Avanti operates nine trains per hour on the WCML from London Euston, with three trains per hour to Manchester Piccadilly, two trains per hour to Birmingham New Street, one train per hour to each of Chester, Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central via the Trent Valley (one Birmingham New Street train per hour continues to Scotland via Wolverhampton alternating between Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central), five trains on a weekday to Holyhead and three trains on a weekday to Bangor. There is also one weekday train in to/from Wrexham General. Additional peak terminating services run between London Euston and Preston, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Birmingham International, Lancaster and Carlisle. Additional trains during the early morning, late evening, rush hour and night that terminate or start at Birmingham. There are also three daily (Monday to Friday) services between London Euston and Blackpool North.

West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains provides commuter and long-distance services on the route, which terminate at London Euston. They are all operated under the London Northwestern Railway brand. There are two trains an hour from London to Birmingham; one calling at the majority of stations en route and one calling only at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Hampton-in-Arden, Birmingham International and Marston Green. There are two return trains per hour from Birmingham New Street to London Euston. These London–Birmingham stopping services are roughly one hour slower, end to end, than the Avanti West Coast fast service. There is also an hourly service from London Euston to Northampton calling at Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central and Wolverton.

West Midlands Trains also operates an hourly service between London Euston and Crewe, serving Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton (peak times and Sundays only), Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth (once a day on Mondays to Saturdays), Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford and Crewe. Some services also call at Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley. Trains also call at Long Buckby (Sundays only). This service was introduced in 2008 to coincide with the withdrawal of the similar Virgin Trains service. Under 'Project 110' this service was reconfigured in December 2012 and to operate 10 mph faster using enhanced British Rail Class 350/1 units.

A service to Tring is provided half-hourly from Euston; one calling at Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted and one calling at Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamstead. An hourly service operates to Milton Keynes Central calling at Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamstead, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley.

West Midlands Trains also operates an hourly stopping train on the Marston Vale Line from Bletchley to Bedford as well as a 45-minute service on the Abbey Line to St Albans Abbey. These are both local branches off the WCML and classified as part of it.

After the Central Trains franchise was revised, London Midland took over services running on the WCML between Birmingham and Liverpool. In August 2017, London Midland lost the West Midlands franchise; West Midlands Trains took over in December 2017. Services on the WCML are all branded London Northwestern Railway services, and all local services around Birmingham are branded West Midlands Railway services.

TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express provides services along the WCML between Manchester Airport or Liverpool Lime Street, and Glasgow or Edinburgh (alternating serving each every 2hours).

Southern
Southern provides an hourly service between East Croydon and Watford Junction, which calls at all stations on the West London Line, then Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction. Three trains per day extend to Hemel Hempstead.

London North Eastern Railway
London North Eastern Railway operates one train per day between Glasgow Central and London King's Cross via Edinburgh Waverley, operating over the West Coast Main Line route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

CrossCountry
CrossCountry operates services from Plymouth, Bournemouth and Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly; these trains run along the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Manchester Piccadilly. Some trains from Manchester Piccadilly to Bristol Temple Meads are extended to Paignton and Plymouth, and on summer weekends to Penzance and Newquay. CrossCountry services between Reading and Newcastle also use a small portion of the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Birmingham New Street.

CrossCountry also operates occasional services to/from Glasgow Central, which operate to either Penzance, Plymouth, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bristol Temple Meads or Birmingham New Street. On summer weekends trains from Glasgow Central also operate to Paignton, Penzance and Newquay. These services use the West Coast Main Line from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central.

ScotRail
ScotRail operates services on sections of the West Coast Main Line for example near Glasgow with Argyle Line trains running on the section from Cambuslang to Carluke before veering off on the short branch to Lanark or heading along till Carstairs. The North Berwick Line runs from Glasgow Central High Level via Motherwell to Carstairs and onto Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick.

At Carlisle the Glasgow South Western Line runs for several miles before heading west towards Dumfries, Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer.

Caledonian Sleeper
Caledonian Sleeper operates services down the length of the West Coast Main Line, providing an overnight services each way between London and Scotland.

Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme
A number of items of work are under way or proposed to accommodate additional freight traffic between the Haven ports and the Midlands including track dualling. The 'Nuneaton North Chord' was completed and opened on 15 November 2012. The chord will ease access for some trains between the Birmingham to Peterborough Line and the WCML. The Ipswich chord was opened at the end of March 2014 allowing trains to run without reversing from Felixstowe towards the Midlands.

Stafford Area Improvements Programme
Planned flying junction and 2.5 mi track diversion in the Stafford – Norton Bridge area. This replaced the previous level junction where the Stafford to Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent line diverges from the trunk route at Norton Bridge, avoiding conflicting train movements to enhance capacity and reduce journey times, additional freight capacity was also provided around Stafford station. This allowed two extra off-peak trains per hour from Euston to the North West, one extra train per hour from Manchester to Birmingham and one additional freight train per hour. The resignalling work associated with this project was due to be completed in summer 2015 and the Norton Bridge work was complete in December 2016, followed by a new timetable introduced in December 2017.

Weaver Junction to Liverpool signalling
Re-signalling work the WCML spur track from Liverpool to Weaver Junction was underway in 2016. Signal control moved to the Manchester Rail Operating Centre removing five local signal boxes. The signal improvements will improve journey times on this section of track.

Increased line speed
Virgin Trains put forward plans in 2007 to increase the line speed in places on the WCML – particularly along sections of the Trent Valley Line between Stafford and Rugby from 125 to 135 mph (200 to 217 km/h) after the quadrupling of track had been completed. This would permit faster services and possibly allow additional train paths. 135 mi/h was claimed to be achievable by Pendolino trains while using existing lineside signalling without the need for cab signalling via the use of the TASS system (Tilt Authorisation and Speed Supervision) to prevent overspeeding. In practice, regulations introduced by the HMRI (now ORR) at the time of the ECML high-speed test runs in 1991 are still in force prohibiting this. Network Rail was aware of Virgin Train's aspirations; however, in November 2009 Chris Mole MP (then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport) announced that there were no plans for this to happen and thus for the foreseeable future the maximum speed will remain at 125 mi/h.

In promoting this proposal, Virgin Trains reported that passenger numbers on Virgin West Coast increased from 13.6 million in 1997/98 to 18.7 million in 2005/6, while numbers on CrossCountry grew from 12.6 million to 20.4 million over the same period.

Crossrail extension
In the London & South East Rail Utilisation Strategy (RUS) document published by Network Rail in 2011, a proposal was put forward to extend the Crossrail lines, currently under construction in central London, along the West Coast Main Line as far as Tring and Milton Keynes Central. The scheme would involve the construction of a tunnel in the vicinity of the proposed new station at Old Oak Common in West London connecting the Crossrail route to the WCML slow lines with a potential for interchange with the planned High Speed 2 line. Under current plans, a proportion of westbound Crossrail trains will terminate at Paddington due to capacity limitations; the RUS recommends the WCML extension as it will enable these services to continue beyond Paddington, maximising the use of the central London tunnels. The RUS also notes that diversion of WCML regional rail services via Crossrail into central London would alleviate congestion at Euston station, and consequently reduce the need for infrastructure work on the London Underground network which would be required to accommodate HS2 passengers arriving at Euston. The Crossrail extension proposal has not been officially confirmed or funded. In August 2014, the government launched a study into the Crossrail extension.

Route

In June 2019 Network Rail formed five 'regions' for helping to support Britain's railways. In August and September 2019, 14 'routes' responsible for the operation, maintenance and renewal of infrastructure were assigned across these regions. The West Coast Main Line runs through two of these regions ("Scotland's Railway" and "North West and Central") and is a part of 3 routes ("Scotland", "North West" and "West Coast Mainline South").

The cities and towns served by the WCML are listed in the tables below. Stations on loops and branches are marked **. Those stations in italics are not served by inter-city services run by Avanti West Coast but only by local trains. Between Euston and Watford Junction the WCML is largely but not exactly paralleled by the operationally independent Watford DC Line, a local stopping service now part of London Overground, with 17 intermediate stations, including three with additional platforms on the WCML.

The final table retraces the route specifically to indicate the many loops, branches, junctions and interchange stations on the core of the WCML.

The North Wales Coast Line between Crewe and Holyhead is not electrified. Services between London, Chester and Holyhead are operated by Super Voyager tilting diesel trains. Formerly in the case of one of the Holyhead services, a Pendolino set was hauled from Crewe by a Class 57/3 diesel locomotive.

Branches and loops
The WCML is noted for the diversity of branches served between the London and Glasgow main line. The adjacent diagram deals with the very complex network of lines in the West Midlands that link the old route via Birmingham with the new WCML route via the Trent Valley (i.e. 1830s versus 1840s).

In the following tables, related to the WCML branches, only the Intercity stations are recorded:

Tunnels, viaducts and major bridges
Major civil engineering structures on the West Coast Main Line include the following. Many of the engineering features on the southern part of the route are original to the opening of the London and Birmingham Railway in the 1830s and are now listed buildings in recognition of their historic and engineering interest.

title: West Coast Main Line