Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez (born
August 3,
1940), better known as
Martin Sheen, is an
American actor, best known for his roles in the film
Apocalypse Now, and most recently as President
Josiah Bartlet on the television drama
The West Wing.
Sheen was born in
Dayton, Ohio. He lived on Brown Street in the South Park neighborhood, and was one of 10 siblings (9 boys and one girl). He attended Chaminade High School. He is a devout
Roman Catholic, born to a
Spanish-born father, Francisco Estévez (who was born in
Parderrubias,
Galiza,
Spain near the border of
Portugal), and an
Irish mother, Mary Anne Phelan. Phelan, from
County Tipperary, fled Ireland during the
Irish War of Independence due to her family's Old
IRA connections. Sheen adopted his stage name in honor of
Catholic archbishop and theologian
Fulton J. Sheen.
Sheen had wanted to act since he was very young, but his father disapproved. He claims he deliberately flunked the entrance exam for the
University of Dayton so that he could pursue his goal. (He has, however, credited the
Marianists at that university as a major influence on his public activism.) Sheen borrowed money from a priest and headed to New York City while enduring the struggling actor route. He developed a theater company with other actors in hopes that a production would earn him notice. His first major role was on
Broadway, in
The Subject Was Roses, which he recreated in the
1968 film of the same name. He did not receive another important part until 1973, when he starred with
Sissy Spacek in the crime drama
Badlands.
In 1974, Sheen received an
Emmy Award nomination for Best Actor in a television drama for his portrayal of
Pvt. Eddie Slovik in the made-for-television film,
The Execution of Private Slovik. The film told the
World War II story of the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the
American civil war. It was his performance in this film that ultimately led to
Francis Ford Coppola choosing him for a starring role in 1979's
Apocalypse Now which gained him wide recognition. On the set of
Apocalypse Now, Sheen admitted that he wasn't in the greatest shape and was drinking heavily. On location Sheen had a heart attack and crawled out to a road for help.
Sheen married art student Janet Templeton in 1961, and they have four children, 3 boys and a girl, all of whom act:
*
Charlie Sheen*
Emilio Estevez*
Ramón Luis Estevez*
Renée EstevezSheen has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1500 Vine Street.
He has said that he was greatly influenced by the actor
James Dean.
Sheen recently announced his plans to return to education. "My plan is to read
English literature,
philosophy and
theology in
Galway, Ireland, where my late mother came from and where I'm also a citizen", he said. [
1] Speaking after an honorary arts doctorate was conferred on him by the National University of Ireland, Sheen joked that he will be the "oldest undergraduate" at the
National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway when he starts his full time studies there in the Autumn of 2006. Despite expressing the concern that he might be a "distraction" to other students at NUIG, he will be attending lectures like everyone else. Speaking the week after filming his last episode of the West Wing he said "I'm very serious about it." He once said "I never went to college when I was young and am looking forward to giving it a try." and went on to say "at age 65!".[
2]
Martin Sheen has also said in many interviews that his best film is
Badlands.
Sheen received six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on "The West Wing," for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in TV-Drama, as well as two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and was part of the cast that received two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Sheen has also done voice overs as the narrator for the Eyewitness Movie series.
Martin Sheen is no stranger to politics, both professionally and in real life. He has played
U.S. President John F. Kennedy (in the miniseries
Kennedy â€" The Presidential Years),
White House Chief of Staff A.J. McInnerney in
The American President, and fictional Democratic president
Josiah Bartlet in the acclaimed
television drama
The West Wing. Sheen is known for his robust support of
liberal political causes, and has been arrested 63 times for protesting against issues such as United States military actions. Sheen has resisted calls to stand for office, saying
"There's no way that I could be the president. You can't have a pacifist in the White House … I'm an actor. This is what I do for a living." [
3]
He has also supported causes for
PETA. He is also a proponent of the
Consistent Life ethic, which advocates against
abortion,
capital punishment and war.[
4]
In 2004, along with fellow actor
Rob Reiner, Sheen campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate
Howard Dean. He later campaigned for
John Kerry.
On
August 28,
2005, he visited anti-
Iraq War activist
Cindy Sheehan at
Camp Casey. He prayed with her and spoke to her supporters. He began his remarks by stating, "At least you've got the acting President of the United States", referring to his role as fictional President
Josiah Bartlet on
The West Wing. [
5] Cindy Sheehan had been demanding to speak with the actual President,
George W. Bush.
Mr. Sheen is also an honorary
trustee of the
Dayton International Peace MuseumOn
April 10,
2006, the
New York Times reported that members of the
Democratic Party in Ohio had contacted Sheen, attempting to persuade him to run for the
US Senate in Ohio. Sheen declined the offer, stating that "I'm just not qualified," he said. "You're mistaking celebrity for credibility."
Because of his activism, he was one of many political celebrities spoofed in
Team America: World Police.*
The Incident (1967)
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The Subject Was Roses (1968)
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Catch-22 (1970)
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No Drums, No Bugles (1972)
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Pickup on 101 (1972)
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Rage (1972)
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When the Line Goes Through (1973)
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Harry O: Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On (1973)
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Badlands (1973)
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The Execution of Private Slovik (1974)
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The Legend of Earl Durand (1974)
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The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
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Apocalypse Now (1979)
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Eagle's Wing (1979)
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The Final Countdown (1980)
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Loophole (1981)
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No Place to Hide (1982)
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In the King of Prussia (1982)
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Gandhi (1982)
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That Championship Season (1982)
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Enigma (1983)
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The Dead Zone (1983)
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Man, Woman and Child (1983)
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Firestarter (1984)
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A State of Emergency (1986)
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The Believers (1987)
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Siesta (1987)
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Wall Street (1987)
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Da (1988)
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Judgment in Berlin (1988)
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Cold Front (1989)
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Beverly Hills Brats (1989)
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Beyond the Stars (1989)
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Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990-92) (Voice of
Sly Sludge)
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Cadence (1990)
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Touch and Die (1991)
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The Maid (1991)
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Running Wild (1992)
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When the Bough Breaks (1993)
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The Killing Box (1993)
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Fortunes of War (1993)
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Hot Shots!: Part Deux (1993)
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Hear No Evil (1993)
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Gettysburg (1993)
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Alive: 20 Years Later (1993) (narrator)
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Trigger Fast (1994)
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Hits! (1994)
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Boca (1994)
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Sacred Cargo (1995)
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Dillinger and Capone (1995)
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Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys (1995)
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The Break (1995)
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Gospa (1995)
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The American President (1995)
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The Elevator (1996)
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The War at Home (1996)
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Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996)
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Project: Alf (1996)
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Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997)
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Spawn (1997)
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Stranger in the Kingdom (1998)
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Gunfighter (1998)
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Family Attraction (1998)
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Babylon 5: The River of Souls (1998)
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Snitch (1998)
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A Letter from Death Row (1998)
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Free Money (1998)
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No Code of Conduct (1998)
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Ninth Street (1999)
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Lost & Found (1999)
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Storm (1999)
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A Texas Funeral (1999)
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O (2001)
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We The People (2002)
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Catch Me If You Can (2002)
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The Commission (2003)
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The Departed (2006)
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The West Wing (1999-2006)
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Who Killed the Electric Car? (naration)(2006)
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MartinSheen.Net Everything about Martin Sheen! Photos include the "Actor's Gallery", with images from various film and television roles, and the "Martin Sheen Gallery" with portraits, lifestyle pics and a family album. "The Library" is an archive of interviews and articles.
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The Progressive magazine interview including Sheen's views on faith, civil disobedience, abortion and pacifism.
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Martin Sheen: Catholic President on Prime Time article at AmericanCatholic.org
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PBS interview with audio clips: Martin Sheen on Poverty, Faith and Social Activism
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2001 NPR Interview about his experiences filming
Apocalypse Now* Video and audio of
Sheen reading "My Country Awake" by Rabindranath Tagore*
QuickTime video of Sheen in the "confessional" on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, February 14th 2005
*
Photos from Wireimage*
World Can't Wait website
