Alec Baldwin's life and career highlights: 3 things you may not know about the controversial actor

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Alec Baldwin arrested in NYC over parking space fight

Actor was arrested after a fight over a parking spot turned physical.

From dissing President Trump on “Saturday Night Live” to being arrested in New York after allegedly punching a man in the face over a parking spot dispute, actor Alec Baldwin is no stranger to controversy.

In light of his recent arrest in New York City, here are 3 fast facts to know about Baldwin.

A soap opera helped launch his acting career

In the early 1980s, Baldwin played the character Billy Aldrich on a soap opera series called "The Doctors." The now 60-year-old reportedly landed the role after he was referred to the casting director, Biography.com reported. He played Aldrich for two and a half years, telling Interview magazine in 2012 the show "got [him] for peanuts because [he] was a nobody."

"Soaps are the best. They really are. If you can do a soap, well, you can do anything," he added.

He once aspired to be president 

Baldwin, who attended college at George Washington University for three years in the 1970s, also told Interview magazine he once wanted to be the president — until he found a passion for acting. The Long Island native said he planned to attend law school after graduating from college but "was in no hurry to get right into that."

"I wanted to be president of the United States. I really did. The older I get, the less preposterous the idea seems. But I have always wanted to try acting. I had acted in high school a couple of times," he told the magazine, going on to explain a friend introduced him to people at New York University's drama department.

While he has yet to make a presidential run, Baldwin's younger brother, Billy, once suggested Baldwin was considering running for mayor of New York. 

He worked at the famed New York City nightclub Studio 54

The "30 Rock" star worked as a "waiter" at Studio 54, a former New York City club that once attracted names such as Andy Warhol, Cher, Liza Minnelli, and Sylvester Stallone, among others.

Baldwin, who worked at the club for two months, told Interview magazine the club's attendees would often ask him to "fetch them" a pack of cigarettes.

"Cigarettes at Studio 54 were probably like eight dollars. And they’d say, 'Well, keep the change.' I was a very popular  'cigarette snatcher' in the balcony," he said, adding he later went on to work other jobs that included driving a limo and waiting tables.