Hollywood High
"I'm a diehard cokehead," actor Daniel Baldwin told ABC News.
March 24, 2008 — -- These days, it seems more and more celebrities are falling victim to the perils of addiction. Stars like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Mendez, Kirsten Dunst and countless others have entered rehab — some more than once. And then there are those who have died, from Heath Ledger's accidental prescripton drug overdose to former child star Brad Renfroe. On Friday, "20/20" will dedicate an hour to the scourge of drugs in Hollywood. Last year, actor Daniel Baldwin allowed ABC News to follow his progress through drug rehabilitation, for a report that aired in July 2007. "I'm a diehard cokehead," he said at the time, after completing his ninth stint in rehab. Friday on "20/20" we'll tell you how Baldwin is doing today. We'll also go behind the scenes with the Osbourne family to learn about their struggles, and examine the causes and consequences of Hollywood's drug epidemic. Watch "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET and read the original report about Baldwin from July 16, 2007, below:
For the four Baldwin brothers, Hollywood's white hot glare is just another a fact of life.
Actors Alec, Daniel, Billy and Stephen, all fixtures on the gossip pages and red carpet, may seem to live in a different world. But one issue has touched this famous family which also affects 25 percent of American families: addiction.
In a 2007 interview with "Primetime," Daniel said, "I'm a straight-up cocaine addict. I don't really drink very much, although I have abused alcohol in the past. And I don't use any other drugs. I don't take pills. I don't do anything. I'm a … diehard coke head."
Daniel let "Primetime" follow his progress through drug rehabilitation, to shine a light on the mind of an addict and to share the personal issues that may have landed the 46-year-old in rehab for the ninth time.
Daniel Leroy Baldwin was born on Oct. 6, 1960, in the middle class town of Massapequa, N.Y., on Long Island. He was the third child in a large Irish Catholic family. Beth was the oldest, then came Alec -- whom the family call Xander -- and then Daniel. Three years later, Billy was born, followed by Jane and, finally, Stephen. In 11 years, half a dozen Baldwin kids had entered the world.
Daniel said that Alec is the big star, Stephen is the born-again Christian and Billy is popular with the girls. When asked how he plans to stop being known as "the drug one," Daniel acknowledges "that's what some people would say." But he also said, "I think most people, when they know…Hollywood, would say, 'He's probably the best actor.'"
Today Carol Baldwin is a 77-year-old breast cancer survivor and the founder of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center of University Hospital and Medical Center at Stony Brook. When Daniel was a child, she was a teacher-turned-stay-at-home mom.
Daniel's father, Alexander Rae II, was a high school history teacher and the head football coach at Massapequa High School. He died of lung cancer in 1983 at the age of 55.
By all accounts, Daniel was the troublemaker of the family and often received attention from his strict disciplinarian father. Daniel's older sister Beth remembers their trips as kids to the beach in the family station wagon.
"My dad would smoke a pipe out the window with one hand and steer with the other hand, and Daniel would always be the one in the back seat of the car that did something," she said. "It was Billy and Jane that he was picking on. And the pipe would go into the pocket, and the boys would call it the claw, because the claw would come down and grab your kneecap, whoever was doing it. It was always Daniel."
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