Basinger's Dad Holds Secret of Split

NEW YORK (AP) â€” Kim Basinger's father said he's known for a while that his daughter planned to leave Alec Baldwin after seven years of marriage. <br><br>``I've known for a year and a half

Thursday, January 18th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) â€” Kim Basinger's father said he's known for a while that his daughter planned to leave Alec Baldwin after seven years of marriage.

``I've known for a year and a half that she was thinking about this,'' Don Basinger, a 77-year-old retired loan manager, said in the Jan. 29 issue of People magazine, on newsstands Friday.

Basinger, 47, filed for divorce from Baldwin, 42, in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month. The actress cited irreconcilable differences and asked for custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Ireland.

``I love Alec,'' Don Basinger said. ``He's the most kind and generous man I've ever known in my life, and he's overcome some very difficult things.''

But he added that Baldwin still has a problem controlling his temper.

``Alec has this kind of anger where he reaches down for something that hurts, something that may have happened a year or two ago, and then abuses Kim with it. This has happened publicly. But it's when it started happening in front of Ireland that Kim finally said, 'Well, I'm not going to put up with that.'''

Neither Baldwin nor Basinger has commented on the divorce.