Martin Sheen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Sheen
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Sheen at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2025
|
|
| Born |
Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez
August 3, 1940 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Years active | 1961–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Janet Templeton
(m. 1961) |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | Joe Estevez (brother) |
| Family | Estevez |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known to the world as Martin Sheen, is a famous American actor. He has appeared in movies and television shows for over 60 years. For his acting, he has won many awards, including three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Sheen became well-known for his roles in the crime movie Badlands (1973) and the war drama Apocalypse Now (1979). Some of his other famous films include Gandhi (1982), Wall Street (1987), The American President (1995), Catch Me If You Can (2002), and The Departed (2006). He also played Uncle Ben in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).
On television, Sheen is best known for playing President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet in the popular series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006. This role earned him a Golden Globe Award. More recently, he starred in the Netflix show Grace and Frankie (2015–2022).
Sheen was born in the United States to a Spanish father and an Irish mother. He chose the stage name Martin Sheen to help him get acting jobs. He is the father of four children, who are all actors. Besides acting, Sheen has been very active in supporting social justice and political causes he believes in.
Contents
Early Life and Path to Acting
Martin Sheen was born Ramón Estévez in Dayton, Ohio, on August 3, 1940. His mother, Mary-Ann, was from Ireland, and his father, Francisco, was from Spain. His father worked as a factory inspector for the National Cash Register Company. Sheen was the seventh of ten children in his family.
When he was born, a medical tool injured his left arm. This condition, called Erb's palsy, made his left arm slightly shorter and weaker than his right. As a child, he also had polio, a serious illness that kept him in bed for a year. Special treatments helped him to walk again.
Sheen's mother passed away when he was ten years old. The local Catholic church helped his family stay together. He went to Chaminade High School, a Catholic school in Dayton. He was interested in acting from a young age, but his father did not approve.
Despite his father's wishes, Sheen was determined to become an actor. He borrowed money from a priest and moved to New York City. There, he joined the Living Theatre company to learn and practice his craft.
Why He Changed His Name
In New York, he found that his birth name, Ramón Estévez, sometimes made it hard to get appointments for acting jobs. To make things easier, he created the stage name Martin Sheen. He took "Martin" from a CBS casting director who helped him, and "Sheen" from a Catholic bishop named Fulton J. Sheen.
He never legally changed his name. His passport and driver's license still say Ramón Estévez. He later said he regretted not keeping his original name for his career because he knew it bothered his father.
A Career on Stage and Screen
1963–1979: Becoming a Star
Sheen was inspired by the actor James Dean. In 1964, he acted in the Broadway play The Subject Was Roses. He later starred in the 1968 movie version and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he appeared in many TV shows like Mission: Impossible and Columbo.
His big movie break came in 1973 with Badlands, where he played a young criminal. This role and his part in Apocalypse Now are two of his personal favorites. In 1974, he received an Emmy Award nomination for playing Private Eddie Slovik in the TV movie The Execution of Private Slovik.
His role as Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now (1979) made him a major star. The filming in the jungles of the Philippines was very difficult. Sheen became very sick with a heart attack and had to take a break. His brother, Joe Estevez, filled in for him in some scenes until he could return.
1980–1998: An Established Actor
In the 1980s, Sheen starred in many successful films. These included Gandhi (1982) and Wall Street (1987), where he acted alongside his son, Charlie Sheen. He also played several famous political figures. He was President John F. Kennedy in the 1983 miniseries Kennedy.
He also played White House Chief of Staff A.J. McInnerney in the movie The American President (1995). In 1993, he was praised for his role as General Robert E. Lee in the film Gettysburg. Sheen also did voice-over work, including for the nature series Eyewitness and an episode of The Simpsons.
1999–2006: The West Wing
From 1999 to 2006, Sheen played his most famous television role: President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet on the NBC show The West Wing. His performance was highly praised, and he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 2000. He was nominated for an Emmy Award six times for this role.
During this time, he also appeared in major movies. He was in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006).
2007–Present: Recent Work
Sheen has continued to work in movies, TV, and even video games. He was the voice of the Illusive Man in the popular video games Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. In 2012, he played Uncle Ben in The Amazing Spider-Man.
He starred with his son, Emilio Estevez, in the 2010 film The Way, which Emilio also wrote and directed. The movie is about a father who walks the famous Camino de Santiago trail in Spain. From 2015 to 2022, Sheen co-starred in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie. In 2021, he appeared in the film Judas and the Black Messiah as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
Activism and Social Causes
Martin Sheen is well-known for his work as an activist. He supports many causes related to peace and social justice. He has often participated in nonviolent protests to bring attention to issues he cares about. He has been arrested many times for acts of civil disobedience (peacefully breaking a law to protest it).
He has supported farm workers' rights, environmental protection, and gun control. He has also spoken out against war. He once said, "While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive."
Sheen has supported many organizations, including Free the Children and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He has traveled to speak at events and help raise money for causes around the world. He believes in using his fame to help make the world a better place.
Personal and Family Life
Sheen married Janet Templeton in 1961. They have four children who are all actors: Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Renée Estevez. His son Carlos is known professionally as Charlie Sheen.
The family has often worked together. Sheen has played the father of his sons Emilio and Charlie in several movies and TV shows, including Wall Street and The Way.
In 2006, at the age of 65, Sheen decided to go to college. He enrolled at the National University of Ireland in Galway, the city where his mother's family was from. He studied English literature, philosophy, and oceanography.
Sheen is a devout Catholic and has said his faith is very important to him. It has guided both his personal life and his activism.
Awards and Honors
Throughout his long career, Martin Sheen has received many awards and honors for his acting.
- A Golden Globe Award for The West Wing.
- Two Screen Actors Guild Awards for The West Wing.
- An Emmy Award for a guest role on the show Murphy Brown.
- A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he received in 1989.
He has also been honored for his social activism. In 2008, the University of Notre Dame gave him the Laetare Medal, the highest honor for American Catholics. Several universities have given him honorary doctorates for his work on peace and social justice issues.
See also
In Spanish: Martin Sheen para niños
- List of peace activists
