Alec Baldwin may be a household name now, but that wasn't true in the 1980s when he was just starting his acting career. Baldwin's first TV gig was on the daytime soap opera "The Doctors," where he portrayed the role of Billy Aldrich, a bad boy character that caused problems for many of the other characters. The show was canceled in 1982, and Baldwin moved on to score a part on "Knots Landing," which he later admitted was one of the most important roles of his career. However, Baldwin is still proud of what he accomplished during his days on "The Doctors."
"When I began 'The Doctors,' the show was the lowest rated of them all. Magazines did not flock to my home to photograph me. Quickly I learned that 'The Doctors' would not make me famous, not even soap opera famous," Baldwin told Soap Opera Digest, adding that he was unhappy with the writing of the show. However, he now looks back at the experience as great training for his career.
"Today, I am aware that, on the simplest level, a soap is an excellent source of training for young actors," he added. "There are few situations in which an actor would be asked to work harder than one does on a soap. All of what can be learned is done outside the overwhelming limelight of other mediums, such as films."
