CALGARY — Actor Alec Baldwin has donated his appearance fee to a charity event he’s to speak at later this month over fear a recent assault charge against him could cause a backlash against the organization.
Baldwin is to appear at the Owen Hart Foundation’s annual fundraiser in Calgary on Nov. 30. The community organization provides opportunities and second chances to people who have limited resources.
Baldwin was charged with assault and harassment last week in New York following a dispute over a parking spot. A 49-year-old man alleges Baldwin punched him in the jaw. The man was taken to a hospital to be treated.
Baldwin has denied the accusations.
“Alec Baldwin understands that the recent incident in New York City may have caused some negative backlash … As such, Mr. Baldwin has generously donated his performance fee back to The Owen Hart Foundation,” said Martha Hart, who founded the charity in memory of her husband, who died in a wrestling accident in 1999.
“Alec is confident he will be fully released from any potential charges resulting from this incident in New York City and he wants what is best for the charity. He has therefore made this donation to show his support of the work The Owen Hart Foundation does.”
Baldwin has had a successful film and television career that has spanned almost four decades. He has won two Emmys, three Golden Globes and seven Screen Actors Guild awards for his work on “30 Rock” and gained widespread attention for his portrayal of U.S. President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”
Owen Hart was the youngest of 12 children in the Calgary wrestling dynasty headed by Stu and Helen Hart. Known as the Blue Angel and the Blue Blazer, among other names, he won several championships during his professional career.
He died at the age of 34 in a fall after an equipment malfunction.
