Sean Penn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sean Penn
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Penn in 2023
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Sean Justin Penn
August 17, 1960 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1974–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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Leila George
(m. 2020; div. 2022) |
| Children | Dylan Penn Hopper Penn |
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| Awards | Full list |
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is famous for playing strong and serious characters in movies. Throughout his career, he has won many important awards. These include two Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was also nominated for three BAFTA Film Awards. In 2015, he received an Honorary César award.
Penn first appeared in a movie called Taps in 1981. He then acted in popular films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Bad Boys (1983). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice. First, for playing a sad father in Mystic River (2003). Second, for playing Harvey Milk in Milk (2008). He was also nominated for Oscars for his roles in Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001).
Besides acting, Sean Penn has also directed several films. His first movie as a director was the crime drama The Indian Runner (1991). He also directed The Crossing Guard (1995), The Pledge (2001), and Into the Wild (2007). On stage, he performed in Broadway plays. He also acted in TV shows like The First (2018) and Gaslight (2022).
Sean Penn is also known for his work in politics and helping people. He has spoken out about important issues. He helped people after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He also supports Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Russian-Ukrainian War.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Sean Penn was born in Santa Monica, California, on August 17, 1960. His father, Leo Penn, was an actor and director. His mother, Eileen Ryan, was an actress. Sean has an older brother, Michael Penn, who is a musician. His younger brother, Chris Penn, who was also an actor, passed away in 2006.
Sean grew up in Malibu, California. He went to Malibu Park Junior High School and Santa Monica High School. When he was young, he started making short films with his friends. Some of these friends later became famous actors, like Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles and First Big Hits (1974–1989)
Sean Penn first appeared on TV in 1974. It was an episode of Little House on the Prairie. His father, Leo, directed some episodes of that show.
Penn started his movie career with the action-drama Taps in 1981. He played a military high school student. That same year, he acted in his first Broadway play, Heartland. A year later, he was in the comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He played a surfer named Jeff Spicoli. This character helped make the word "dude" very popular.
Next, Penn played a troubled young man named Mick O'Brien in Bad Boys (1983). Critics liked his performance, and it helped him become known as a serious actor. He returned to Broadway in the play Slab Boys that same year.
In 1985, Penn played Andrew Daulton Lee in The Falcon and the Snowman. This movie was based on a real-life spy case. Penn later hired Lee as his assistant. He believed in helping people get back on their feet after prison. Penn also starred in the drama At Close Range (1986), which was highly praised. He took a break from acting in the early 1990s to focus on directing.
Becoming a Leading Actor (1990–1999)
In 1990, Sean Penn played Detective Terry Noonan in the film State of Grace. The next year, he directed his first movie, The Indian Runner (1991). It was a crime drama inspired by a Bruce Springsteen song. Critics noted his unique and powerful directing style. He also directed music videos for artists like Shania Twain.
After his break, he returned to acting in the crime drama Carlito's Way (1993) with Al Pacino. A film critic from Variety said Penn's performance reminded viewers of his great talent. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this role.
He also directed the thriller The Crossing Guard (1995), starring Jack Nicholson. Critics praised his strong and heartfelt directing. That same year, he acted in Dead Man Walking (1995). He played a man on death row. Critic Roger Ebert called Penn "the most powerful actor of his generation." For this role, he was nominated for an Academy Award.
In 1997, he acted in She's So Lovely with his then-wife Robin Wright Penn. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for this film. He also appeared in U Turn and The Game.
In 1997, he starred in the drama Hurlyburly. A critic from The Guardian said Penn "dominates the film, sweating anxiety and rage from every pore." He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival. He also had a main role in the World War II epic The Thin Red Line (1998). The next year, he played a jazz guitarist in Sweet and Lowdown (1999). Roger Ebert called his performances "master classes in the art of character development." He received his second Academy Award nomination for this role.
Becoming a Recognized Star (2000–2011)
In 2000, Sean Penn acted in the drama Before Night Falls and the thriller The Weight of Water. The next year, he appeared on the TV show Friends as a guest star. He played Eric, who was engaged to Phoebe Buffay's sister. That same year, he played a father with a mental disability in the drama I am Sam (2001). This role earned him his third Academy Award nomination.
In 2003, he starred in the crime drama Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood. He played a father searching for his daughter. Critics praised his performance. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. He also won a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Golden Globe Award. That same year, he acted in the psychological thriller 21 Grams. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his work in this film.
In 2004, Penn played Samuel Bicke in The Assassination of Richard Nixon. This character was based on a real person who tried to assassinate President Richard Nixon. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that year. He also directed the mystery film The Pledge (2001).
Penn received praise for directing the biographical drama Into the Wild (2007). A critic from Entertainment Weekly said Penn directed with "magnificent precision and imaginative grace." He was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for his directing.
In 2008, Penn earned great reviews for playing the real-life politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the film Milk. A critic from The Hollywood Reporter said Penn was "in complete control of his entire instrument" and could "transmigrate into another person’s body and mind." He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award for this role.
In Fair Game (2010), Penn played Joseph C. Wilson. The movie was based on a true story about Wilson's wife, a CIA agent. Penn also reunited with director Terrence Malick for the drama The Tree of Life (2011). This film won the top prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. That same year, he starred in This Must Be the Place (2011), playing a former rock star.
Recent Work and Directing Focus (2012–Present)
In 2015, Sean Penn starred in The Gunman, an action thriller. He played a sniper who kills a minister in the Congo. During this time, Penn also directed the drama film The Last Face (2016) and the crime/drama film Flag Day (2021). His daughter, Dylan Penn, also starred in Flag Day.
In 2018, Penn took his first main role in a TV series called The First. He played Tom Hagerty, an astronaut chosen to be one of the first people to visit Mars. Critics noted that Penn showed both his serious and playful sides in the role. The series was canceled after one season. In 2020, Penn made a small appearance as himself in the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In 2021, Penn played an actor named Jack Holden in the comedy-drama Licorice Pizza. He returned to TV in the political thriller series Gaslit (2022). He played John N. Mitchell, a real-life political figure. This role required him to wear special makeup to change his appearance. Critics praised his performance, saying he brought the character to life.
In 2023, Penn directed his first documentary film, Superpower. It is about the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The film shows Penn traveling to Ukraine to meet Zelenskyy and see the Russo-Ukrainian War firsthand. Penn also starred as a cab driver in the film Daddio (2023). A film critic from Deadline Hollywood said Sean Penn was "at his absolute best" in this role.
Personal Life and Relationships
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Sean Penn was engaged to actress Elizabeth McGovern in the 1980s. He also dated actresses Demi Moore and Susan Sarandon.
In 1985, Penn met singer Madonna. They married on August 16, 1985. Madonna even dedicated her album True Blue to him, calling him "the coolest guy in the universe." Their marriage ended in 1989.
In 1989, Penn began dating actress Robin Wright. Their daughter, Dylan Penn, was born in 1991. Their son, Hopper Penn, was born in 1993. Penn and Wright married in 1996. They separated and reconciled a few times before their divorce was finalized in 2010.
From 2013 to 2015, Penn dated South African actress Charlize Theron. They filmed a movie together, The Last Face (2016), while they were still a couple.
In 2016, Penn started a relationship with Australian actress Leila George. They married in 2020. George filed for divorce in 2021, and their divorce was finalized in 2022. In 2023, Penn began a relationship with Olga Korotyayeva from Ukraine.
Activism and Causes
Speaking Out for Change
Sean Penn has always been very open about his support for different political and social causes. In 2002, he visited Iraq to speak out against the Bush Administration's plans for war. In 2005, he visited Iran as a journalist.
In 2006, Penn received an award for his commitment to free speech. He also met with leaders like Raúl Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. He supported Venezuela's government during the 2011–2012 Syrian uprising.
In 2020, Penn tweeted in support of Armenia during the Nagorno-Karabakh war. He also criticized Turkey's involvement and supported Joe Biden for president.
Helping After Disasters
In September 2005, Penn went to New Orleans, Louisiana, to help people after Hurricane Katrina. He helped rescue people himself. Director Spike Lee interviewed Penn for his documentary about Hurricane Katrina.
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Penn started the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. This group helped manage a large camp for 55,000 people. He had never been to Haiti before and didn't speak the local languages. Because of his strong efforts, the president of Haiti named him an Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti in 2012. This was the first time a non-Haitian citizen received this honor. In 2012, he also received the Peace Summit Award.
Other Humanitarian Work
In March 2012, Penn visited Pakistan to help flood victims. He went to villages and gave out blankets and other supplies. He also met with famous Pakistani humanitarian workers, Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife, Bilquis Edhi.
Penn is also believed to have helped an American businessman, Jacob Ostreicher, get released from a prison in Bolivia in 2013.
Penn founded a nonprofit organization called Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE). This group has provided aid in Haiti after the earthquake and Hurricane Matthew. They also helped with free COVID-19 tests during the pandemic in the U.S.
Awards and Recognition
Sean Penn has acted in over 50 films and won many awards for his work as an actor and director. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor. These were for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008. He was also nominated three other times for Best Actor. These nominations were for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001).
He also received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for directing Into the Wild (2007). In 2015, Sean Penn received the Honorary César award, which is a special award for his lifetime achievements in film.
Published Books
- Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff (Atria Books, 2018)
- Bob Honey Sings Jimmy Crack Corn (Rare Bird Books, 2019)
Images for kids
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Penn in 2023
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Sean Penn at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
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Sean Penn in 2008
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Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk during filming of Milk in March 2008
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Sean Penn with then-wife Robin Wright in September 2006. They were married from 1996 to 2010.
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Sean Penn at an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. on January 27, 2007
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Sean Penn, playing Harvey Milk, filming Milk in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Sean Penn para niños
