Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American actor who achieved fame with roles in the films Badlands (1973) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Since then, Sheen's more well-known films include Wall Street (1987), Gettysburg (1993), The Departed (2006), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). He also starred on television as President Josiah Bartlet in The West Wing (1999--2006), and lent his voice as the Illusive Man in the Mass Effect video game trilogy. He is considered one of the best actors never to have been nominated for an Academy Award.[2] In film he has won the Best Actor award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his performance as Kit Carruthers in Badlands. His portrayal of Capt. Willard in Apocalypse Now earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Sheen has worked with a wide variety of film directors, such as Richard Attenborough, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, David Cronenberg, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Oliver Stone. He has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 1989. In television he has won both a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for playing the role of President Josiah Bartlet in The West Wing, and an Emmy for guest starring in the sitcom Murphy Brown. Born and raised in the United States from immigrant parents, he adopted the stage name Martin Sheen to help him gain acting parts.[3] He is the father of four children (Emilio, Ramon, Carlos (better known as Charlie Sheen), and Renée), all of whom are actors, as is his younger brother Joe Estevez. Although known as an actor, Sheen has also directed one film, Cadence (1990), appearing alongside sons Charlie and Ramon. He has also narrated, produced and directed in documentary television, earning two Daytime Emmy awards in the 1980s. In addition to film and television, Sheen has also been active in liberal politics. In 2010, Martin Sheen first spoke to 18,000 young student activists at Free The Children's We Day, explaining "While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive."[26] Although he did not attend college, Sheen credited the Marianists at University of Dayton as a major influence on his public activism, as well as Archbishop Desmond Tutu.[27] Sheen is known for his outspoken support of liberal political causes, such as opposition to United States military actions and a hazardous-waste incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio. Sheen has resisted calls to run 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."[28] Sheen is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum. He supported the 1965 farm worker movement with Cesar Chavez in Delano, California.[29] He is a proponent of the Consistent life ethic, which advocates against abortion, capital punishment and war.[30] He also supports the Democrats for Life of America's Pregnant Women Support Act.[31] In 2004 along with Rob Reiner, Sheen campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, and later campaigned for nominee John Kerry. On May 16, 1995, Martin Sheen and Paul Watson from the non-profit environmental organization Sea Shepherd, were confronted by a number of Canadian sealers in a hotel on Magdalen Islands over Sea Shepherd's history of attacks on sealing and whaling ships. Sheen negotiated with the sealers while Watson was escorted to the airport by police.[32] In 2000, Sheen got involved in support of gun control after the National Shooting Sports Foundation hired his politically conservative brother, actor Joe Estevez who sounds like Sheen, to do a voice over for a pro-gunmaker commercial earlier in the year.[33][34] In early 2003 Sheen signed the "Not in My Name" declaration opposing the invasion of Iraq (along with prominent figures such as Noam Chomsky and Susan Sarandon); the declaration appeared in the magazine The Nation. 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.[35] Cindy Sheehan had been demanding a second meeting[36] with the President, George W. Bush. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Sheen

• published: 08 Dec 2013
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