SAN FRANCISCO — Alec Baldwin blamed the bitter custody battle between him and ex-wife Kim Basinger in part for the anger and frustration he was feeling when he berated his daughter in a phone message leaked to the media last year.

In the message, Mr. Baldwin called the 11-year-old a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” He was apparently upset that she had missed his phone call.

“I’m disappointed, I’m ashamed to say this: You get angry,” the 50-year-old actor told a crowd of about 120 people yesterday at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, where he was promoting his new book, “A Promise to Ourselves.”

“I wanted to see my daughter,” he said.

In the book, Mr. Baldwin rails against the family court system in Los Angeles, offers advice based on his own experience with divorce litigation and talks about how one parent can turn a child against another parent.

Mr. Baldwin said he has apologized to his daughter, Ireland, for the phone message, which he said was wrong and had “horrified” him. But he said it never should have been released without his permission.

Mr. Baldwin has blamed Ms. Basinger, 54, for leaking the tape. She has denied the claim.

Mr. Baldwin won an Emmy on Sunday for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for his role as TV executive Jack Donaghy in NBC’s “30 Rock.” He snagged a Golden Globe for the same role last year.