Best Known As: Fast-living star of the TV comedy Two and a Half Men
Name at birth: Carlos Irwin Estevez
Charlie Sheen is the son of actor Martin Sheen, and a movie star in his own right thanks to big-budget, high-profile movies of the late 1980s. From notable young man roles in Red Dawn (1984, starring Patrick Swayze) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, starring Matthew Broderick), Sheen emerged as a leading man in the Oliver Stone films Platoon (1986, starring Willem Dafoe) and Wall Street (1987, starring Michael Douglas). Since stardom his appearances in the tabloids have rivalled his appearances on the big screen; as played out in the gossip columns, Sheen's life has been a wild ride that includes cocaine, high-priced prostitutes, an accidental shooting (in 1990 -- his then-girlfriend, Kelly Preston, was wounded) and a long, bitter divorce battle with actress Denise Richards. All the while, Sheen has kept working in hits and misses that include dramas such as Eight Men Out (1988, with David Strathairn) and The Arrival (1996), and lowbrow comedies such as Hot Shots (1991) and Scary Movie 3 (2003). After a string of so-so performances and a much-publicized drug problem, Sheen had a comeback of sorts by 2000, poking fun at himself in the film Being John Malkovich (1999, starring John Cusack) and replacing Michael J. Fox in the TV series Spin City. Sheen landed his own comedy series in 2003, the sitcom Two and a Half Men, a hit that brought him Emmy nominations in 2006 and 2007.
Sheen's siblings, Emilio, Ramon and Renée Estevez, are also actors... Sheen, unlike his siblings, takes his surname from his father's stage name (Martin Sheen was born Ramon Estevez)... Sheen married Denise Richards in 2002 and they have two daughters; Richards filed for divorce in 2005... In 1997 Sheen narrated Mission to Mars, a documentary about the possibility of life on Mars (he also earned a writing credit).
Happy 40th birthday to Charlie Sheen! Born Carlos Estevez, the actor is known to TV viewers for his roles on Spin City and Two and a Half Men. His first major role was in the war drama, Platoon (1986). That was closely followed by his critically acclaimed turn in Wall Street (1987) in which he starred alongside his father, Martin Sheen. Charlie's three siblings, Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez Jr., and Renee Estevez, are all actors, as well.
First Major Screen Credit: Silence of the Heart (1984)
Biography
A leading man who has displayed a knack for action, comedy, and dramatic roles, Charlie Sheen is nearly as well known for his offscreen exploits as for his acting, though after suffering through scandals that would have ended many performers' careers, he overcame bad press and bad habits to enjoy a major comeback on television in the late '90s. Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estevez to actor Martin Sheen (born Ramon Estevez) and his wife, Janet Templeton, in 1965. By all accounts, young Charlie wasn't an especially distinguished student; though he was a star on Santa Monica High School's baseball team, he was expelled due to poor attendance and bad grades only a few weeks before his class graduated. During his school days, Sheen developed an interest in filmmaking, making amateur Super-8 films starring his school friends (who included Rob Lowe and Sean Penn), and after leaving school, Sheen decided to take a stab at an acting career, like his father (and his older brother, Emilio Estevez). While Sheen played a bit part in one of his father's films, The Execution of Private Slovik, when he was nine, he began his screen career in earnest in 1984, playing Matt Eckhart in the Cold War thriller Red Dawn. (Earlier that same year, Sheen played a small role in a sequel to the horror film Grizzly which didn't see release until 1987; Grizzly 2: The Predator also featured a then-unknown George Clooney.) After good-sized roles in several made-for-TV movies and smaller roles in better-known feature films (including Lucas and Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Sheen got his big break in 1986 when he was cast as Chris, a soldier with conscience in Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning Vietnam drama Platoon. In 1987, Sheen starred in Stone's next project, Wall Street, and after establishing himself as a solid dramatic actor, Sheen proved he also had a flair for comedy in the 1989 hit Major League. The role also gave Sheen a chance to show off his pitching arm; a year earlier, Sheen got to play real-life center fielder Hap Felsch in John Sayles' drama about the 1919 "Chicago Black Sox" scandal, Eight Men Out. Sheen's next major success was also a comedy, the 1991 military-film satire Hot Shots, and while box-office blockbusters tended to elude him, Sheen worked steadily over the next several years, and racked up a respectable number of box-office successes.
By this time, Sheen had developed a reputation as a hard-living star who spoke his mind regardless of the consequences, but his fun-loving image began to take on a darker hue in the mid-'90s. In 1990, Sheen was engaged to marry actress Kelly Preston, but she left him shortly after an incident in which he accidentally shot her in the arm. In 1995, Sheen tied the knot with model Donna Peele, but the marriage ended in divorce only 14 months later. The same year he was wed, Sheen was called to testify in the trial of "Hollywood Madame" Heidi Fleiss, and admitted he was a frequent customer of Fleiss' call girl service, spending over 50,000 dollars on the services of prostitutes. In the wake of the Heidi Fleiss scandal, Sheen did himself no favors in terms of public relations by openly dating a pair of adult film actresses, Ginger Lynn Allen and Brittany Ashland; his relationship with Ashland came to an end when she filed assault charges against him. Sheen's bad-boy image turned especially grim in 1998, when he was hospitalized for drug and alcohol abuse; after a short-lived stay in rehab, Sheen gave sobriety another try, and by 1999 he was, by all accounts, clean and sober and ready to get his career back on track. In 1999, Sheen's brother, Emilio Estevez, cast him as real-life adult filmmaker Artie Mitchell in the made-for-cable feature Rated X -- a daring role, given Mitchell's drug abuse and sexual promiscuity -- and the following year, Sheen became Hollywood's comeback kid when he was cast in the leading role of the popular situation comedy Spin City after the departure of actor Michael J. Fox. In 2002, a clean, sober, and successful Sheen made headlines once again with his love life, though this time in a positive manner: He announced his engagement to actress Denise Richards; alas, a lengthy marriage was not to be, and the couple divoced after four years. Beginning in 2003, Sheen signed for an ongoing role opposite Jon Cryer and Melanie Lynskey on the popular situation comedy Two and a Half Men.
In addition to his career as an actor, Sheen has also dabbled in production; he produced two of his films, Comicitis and The Chase, before forming a production company with rock singer Bret Michaels. Sheen also wrote the screenplay for the company's first release, No Code of Conduct. In addition, Sheen published a book of his poetry, A Peace of My Mind. ~ All Movie Guide
Sheen started acting in 1974 at the age of nine, appearing in a small role alongside his father in the television movie The Execution of Private Slovik. Sheen's film career began in 1984 with a role in the Cold War teen drama Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. Sheen and Grey reunited in a small scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He also appeared in an episode of the anthology seriesAmazing Stories. In 1986 Sheen had his first major role, in the Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986). In 1987, he starred with his father in Wall Street. Both Wall Street and Platoon were directed by Oliver Stone; however, in 1988, Stone approached Sheen about starring in his new film Born on the Fourth of July (1989), only to later re-cast Tom Cruise in favor of Sheen. Sheen was never notified by Stone, and only found out when he heard the news from his brother Emilio. Sheen refused to work with Stone again.[4]
Sheen was the 2004 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day breast cancer fundraiser that raised millions of dollars for research and education regarding the disease. Sheen stated that a friend of his died from breast cancer and he wanted to try to help find a cure for the disease.
Sheen also launched a clothing line for kids, called Sheen Kidz, in 2006.[8]
September 11 attacks
On March 20, 2006, Sheen stated that he questions the US government's account of the September 11 attacks.[9] Sheen said during the interview that the collapse of the World Trade Center towers looked like a controlled demolition.[10] He urged critics not to attack him personally, but to challenge him on the facts.[11]
Charlie Sheen has since become a prominent advocate of the 9/11 Truth movement.[12] On September 8, 2009, Sheen appealed to US President Barack Obama to set up a new investigation into the attacks. Presenting his views as a transcript of a fictional encounter with Obama, he was characterized by the press as believing the 9/11 commission was a whitewash and that the administration of former US President George W. Bush may have been responsible for the attacks.[13][14][15]
Personal life
Sheen and his girlfriend Paula Profit had a daughter, Cassandra Jade Estevez (born December 12, 1984).[16] In 1990, Sheen accidentally shot his then-fiancee, Kelly Preston,[17] in the arm; a minor wound needing two stitches. The relationship ended shortly thereafter.[18] In 1995, Sheen married Donna Peele. The marriage lasted a little more than a year, from September 3, 1995 to November 19, 1996.[citation needed] In 1996, Sheen announced that he had become a born-again Christian.[citation needed] Sheen's long-term relationship with former pornographic actress Ginger Lynn in the late 1990s garnered much media attention.[17] He was also involved for a time with former pornographic actress Heather Hunter.[17]
On May 20, 1998, Sheen tried injecting cocaine, accidentally giving himself an overdose. He was hospitalized, but discharged from the hospital soon afterward. His father Martin Sheen issued a public appeal for fans to pray for him, and reported him for violation of parole. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and Charlie was sent to rehab.[19] In an Empire magazine interview, he stated that he took a bullet for the industry when he was called into court to "name names".[citation needed]
On June 15, 2002, he married actress Denise Richards after meeting her while filming Good Advice in 2001. They have two daughters, Sam J. Sheen-Estevez (born March 9, 2004)[20] and Lola Rose Sheen-Estevez (born June 1, 2005).[21] In March 2005, while she was still carrying their daughter Lola, Richards filed for divorce from Sheen.[22] Sheen and Richards' divorce was official on November 30, 2006.[23] Sheen and Richards were engaged in an acrimonious custody dispute over their two daughters,[24] but have since made peace with each other, with Sheen stating in April 2009 that "we had to do what’s best for the girls".[25]
A year and a half after Sheen and Richards' divorce, on May 30, 2008, Sheen married Brooke Mueller (also known as Brooke Allen), a real estate investor.[26] This was the third marriage for Sheen and the first for Mueller.[27] The couple's twins, Bob and Max were born on March 14, 2009.[28]
Usually in a battle sequence when a bomb is going off, you forget you're acting.
