Alec Baldwin is facing the challenge of his life with 'Rust' shooting charges - a look at his life so far

Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film 'Rust'.

Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he was told the gun was 'cold', meaning it had no live ammunition, and that he never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin may have listed his fight to share custody of his daughter, Ireland, as his biggest personal challenge to date - until events of the last two years occurred.

Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, responded to the news in a statement to The Independent, saying: "This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice." He also said they intend to 'fight' the charges, and 'win'.

It is the stuff of nightmares. A woman killed in her prime, heralded as a talented cinematographer, a much loved wife and mother to a young son. For anyone who knew Halyna, her family, husband and child, it has opened an endless chasm of pain. This is also true, in many respects, for Baldwin.

The actor may go to prison for up to 18 months and whether he is found guilty or not, the rest of his career and personal life, will have this tragedy at the centre of it.

Baldwin and his wife Hilaria welcomed their seventh child in 2022 - a baby girl. She was conceived mere months after Halyna's death.

He has often spoken of his yoga teaching wife, Hilaria, and her support. He has credited her with giving him the emotional help during difficult times.

"I love you. All….of you," Alec commented on an instagram photo of his children in 2022, adding "Who's luckier than us?"

Hilaria has told people to 'reach out' to support those being negatively portrayed based on what she called 'partial information'.

"We're driving people to the place where they want to commit suicide, where they're losing their mental health."

"If you see somebody getting attacked by the online mob, or any kind of cancel culture, instead of scrolling past, or worst, getting involved, reach out to them and just tell them that you support them as a human," she said.

Alec's increasingly large young family may be a reaction to his first marriage and experience of fatherhood. He fought hard to retain access to his first daughter, Ireland, with his first wife, Kim Basinger, when they went through a divorce between 2000-2002 . Baldwin wrote that he spent over a million dollars, has had to put time aside from his career, has had to travel extensively, and needed to find a house in California (he lived in New York), so that he could stay in his daughter's life.

Baldwin contended that after seven years of these issues, he hit a breaking point and, on April 11, 2007, left an angry voicemail message in response to another unanswered arranged call, in which Baldwin called his 11-year-old daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig".

He contends that the tape was sold to TMZ, which released the recording, despite laws against publishing media related to a minor without the permission of both parents.

Baldwin admitted that he made a mistake but asked not to be judged as a parent based on a bad moment. He is now close to his first daughter and they have often been photographed at red carpet events.

Other controversies have included Baldwin allegedly assaulted a photographer for videotaping Basinger and their three-day-old daughter in 1995.

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. He later publicly apologised to the passengers who were delayed.

In 2013, 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. TMZ claimed Baldwin's insult toward the videographer was 'c***sucking f**'. Baldwin, who denied that he used the word 'f**', later cited this incident as a major turning point in his public life.

He has been celebrated for his acting. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Working Girl, Married to the Mob, and Talk Radio. He gained attention for his performances as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990) and in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Baldwin has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Donald Trump on the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live, a role that won him his third Primetime Emmy in 2017.

He was being offered more movie roles since his comedy success playing Trump. Now the tide has turned and charges against him will spell more than a 'turning point' in his life. How Alec will handle events and whether he can come back from this remain to be seen.