Claim: Alec Baldwin played Jack Ryan.

Alexander Rae `` Alec '' Baldwin III -LRB- born April 3 , 1958 -RRB- is an American actor , writer , producer , and comedian . A member of the Baldwin family , he is the oldest of the four Baldwin brothers , all actors . Baldwin first gained recognition appearing on seasons 6 and 7 of the CBS television drama Knots Landing , in the role of Joshua Rush . He has since played both leading and supporting roles in films such as the horror comedy fantasy film Beetlejuice -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , as Jack Ryan in the action thriller The Hunt for Red October -LRB- 1990 -RRB- , the romantic comedy The Marrying Man -LRB- 1991 -RRB- , the superhero film The Shadow -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , and two films directed by Martin Scorsese : the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator -LRB- 2004 -RRB- and the neo-noir crime drama The Departed -LRB- 2006 -RRB- . His performance in the 2003 romantic drama The Cooler garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor .   From 2006 to 2013 , Baldwin starred as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock , winning two Emmy Awards , three Golden Globe Awards , and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on the show , making him the male performer with the most SAG Awards . Baldwin co-starred in Mission : Impossible -- Rogue Nation , the fifth installment of the Mission : Impossible series , released on July 31 , 2015 . He is also a columnist for The Huffington Post . Since 2016 , he has been the host of Match Game . He has received worldwide attention and acclaim for his portrayal of President Donald Trump on the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live , both during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and following the inauguration .