Celebrities vs. Photographers: Baldwin in Good Company

"30 Rock" star joins the top ranks of those whose tempers were tested by photographers.

Alec Baldwin's tussle with a photographer outside of Manhattan's Marriage Bureau is his second and earns him a place near the top of the celeb vs. photographers fight list.

New York Daily News photographer Marcus Santos said Baldwin, 54, approached and punched him while he was taking photographs of Baldwin and his fiance Hilaria Thomas, 28. Baldwin's representative said it was a photographer who was aggressive and Baldwin acted in self-defense.

Baldwin also got into it with photographers in his apartment lobby in 2010.

Who else has had it with the long lenses?

Sean Penn

The patriarch of paparazzo punching, Penn has had a long history of scuffles with photographers dating back to his marriage to Madonna. Perhaps the most famous altercation occurred in China while Penn was shooting "Shanghai Surprise" alongside his then-wife in 1986. When the actor returned to his room one evening to find a photographer waiting for him, Penn grabbed the snapper and proceeded to dangle him from the ninth floor balcony by his ankles. Although Penn left the country before prosecution, he was later pardoned.

β€œI still think photographers should be lashed out at," Penn has said regarding the media intrusion. "They should be put in a cage where you can poke them with a stick for a quarter. But not in a hostile way, just for giggles. They really are on the attack against mankind; it’s a disease.”

Halle Berry

When the "X-Men" actress discovered independent photographer Andrew Deetz taking pictures outside of her daughter Nahla's school in May, she exploded and served Deetz a verbal helping of expletives. "You get a life," Berry yells in the video of the incident as she strides right up to the driver side window of Deetz's car. "I'm not harassing people! You get an honarable life! You're a piece of ****!"

In a strange twist of fate, Deetz may be called upon to take the stand in Berry's custody case against baby daddy Gabriel Aubrey. Deetz may be questioned by the Oscar winner’s lawyers in family court to help prove Berry’s case that she should be allowed to relocate with her daughter to Paris, a move Aubrey opposes.

Britney Spears

The "Hit Me Baby One More Time" star famously blamed the paparazzi for her very public meltdown in 2007/2008 which included the singer being hospitalized, temporarily losing custody of her two sons, shaving her head and attacking a photographer's car with an umbrella. That latter incident was famously captured by other paparazzi present and resulted in front page news coverage around the globe. The image of a shorn, enraged Spears wielding the umbrella is something that will follow the star throughout her life.

"I used to be a cool chick. But I feel like the paparazzi has taken that away from me - like, the way I used to live my life," she told MTV later in 2008. "I used to be a cool chick but I'm not anymore." Spear's is  currently on the comeback trail with her much publicized stint as a judge on the upcoming season of "The X-Factor."

Justin Bieber

The tween sensation shocked fans in May when he allegedly scuffled with a paparazzo as he and girlfriend Selena Gomez were leaving an upscale California shopping center. The photographer alleges the "Boyfriend" singer hit him. Bieber faces possible misdemeanor battery charges. The snapper said he was having chest pains after the alleged pummelling by Bieber.

While the incident is not that violent, it's the surprise involvement of Bieber that elevates it to a noteworthy scuffle between a celebrity and photographer. Skeptics may say the timing is perfect as Bieber attempts to transition his career from teen sensation to full-fledged adult star.

Kanye West

The rapper's notorious temper got the better of him in 2008, resulting in West being arrested for allegedly helping smash a paparazzo's camera on the floor at Los Angeles international airport. Police arrested West and his manager, Don Crowley, following the incident. Clips of the event show West and Crowley grabbing the camera from a photographer, who is yelling "Police! Police!" After they get the camera it appears Crowley smashes it to the ground.

The charges were eventually dropped against both West and Crawley after their lawyer proved that the duo performed community service with the Red Cross, as ordered.

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