This Day In History: August 19

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The actors Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin marry in East Hampton, New York on August 19, 1993. The Hollywood power couple reportedly became involved on the set of the romantic comedy The Marrying Man (1991), in which they played lovers. The film was a box-office flop, as was a second film the pair made together, The Getaway (1994). Individually, both Basinger and Baldwin’s careers continued to thrive, but their marriage did not. The couple separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Their angry parting, and particularly their bitter, protracted custody battle over their daughter Ireland, who was born in 1995, continued to make headlines for years.

Kimila Ann Basinger was born December 8, 1953, in Athens, Georgia, and began her career as a model. After working as a magazine cover girl and appearing in numerous ads, including a stint as the Breck Shampoo girl, she appeared in such movies as Never Say Never Again (1983), The Natural (1984) and Batman (1989). In 1998, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a high-class call girl styled to look like the movie star Veronica Lake, in L.A. Confidential. Other film credits include I Dreamed of Africa (2000), The Door in the Floor (2002), 8 Mile (2002), in which she played the rapper Eminem’s mother, and The Sentinel (2006). In 1993, Basinger made headlines off-screen when the producers of the film Boxing Helena sued her for breach of contract and won an $8 million judgment. The actress also garnered media attention in 1989 when she bought the small town of Braselton, Georgia, which she sold in 1993.

Alexander Baldwin was born April 3, 1958, in Massapequa, New York. His three younger brothers, Daniel, Billy and Stephen, have also had acting careers in film and television. Alec Baldwin broke into acting with roles on the daytime drama The Doctors (1980-1982) and the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing (1984-1986). His early film credits include Beetlejuice (1988), Married to the Mob (1988), Working Girl (1988) and The Hunt for Red October (1990), which made him a movie star. After a well-reviewed turn in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Baldwin’s career faltered in the late 1990s with a series of film flops. He later emerged as a successful character actor, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a casino boss in The Cooler (2003). He also worked steadily in theater and television, including numerous appearances as the host of Saturday Night Live. In 2006, he emerged as the breakout star of the critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock, which ran until 2013. He's continued to appear regularly in TV shows and movies since then.