Martin Sheen: Difference between revisions

| name =

| image = Sheen, Martin (2008).jpg

| caption = Sheen in 2008

| birth_name = Ramón Gerard Antonio Gerardo Estévez

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1940|8|3}}

| birth_place = [[Dayton, Ohio]], U.S.

| years_active = 1960–present

| party = Democratic

| citizenship = {{flatlist|

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|activist}}

| spouse = {{marriage|[[Janet Sheen|Janet Templeton]]|1961}}

| children = {{ubl|[[Emilio Estevez]]|[[Ramon Estevez]]|[[Charlie Sheen]]|[[Renée Estevez]]}}

| relations = [[Joe Estevez]] (brother)

| family = [[Estevez family|Estevez]]

| signature = Martin Sheen signature.svg

| module = {{Listenlisten |embed=yes |filename=Martin Sheen BBC Radio4 Desert Island Discs 3 April 2011 b00zzn2c.flac |title=Martin Sheen's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', April 3, 2011<ref name="BBC-b00zzn2c">{{cite episode |title=Martin Sheen |series=Desert Island Discs |series-link=Desert Island Discs |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zzn2c |access-date=January 18, 2014 |station=BBC Radio 4 |date=April 3, 2011 }}</ref>}}

'''Ramón AntonioGerard GerardoAntonio Estévez''' (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as '''Martin Sheen''', is an American actor. In a career spanning six decades he received numerous accolades including three [[Emmy Awards]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], and four [[Screen Actors Guild AwardAwards]].

Sheen rose to prominence in his breakthrough roles in [[Terrence Malick]]'s crime drama ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]'' (1973) and [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s [[Vietnam warWar]] drama ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' (1979). Sheen is also known for such notable films as ''[[The Subject Was Roses (film)|The Subject Was Roses]]'' (1968), ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'' (1970), ''[[The California Kid]]'' (1974), ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982), ''[[Wall Street (1987 film)|Wall Street]]'' (1987), ''[[Gettysburg (1993 film)|Gettysburg]]'' (1993), ''[[The American President]]'' (1995), ''[[Catch Me If You Can]]'' (2002), ''[[The Departed]]'' (2006), ''[[Bobby (2006 film)|Bobby]]'' (both 2006), ''[[Selma (film)|Selma]]'' (2014), and ''[[Judas and the Black Messiah]]'' (2021). He also portrayed [[Uncle Ben]] in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (2012).

He is also known for portraying [[Robert F. Kennedy]] in ''[[The Missiles of October]]'' (1974), [[Eddie Slovik]] in ''[[The Execution of Private Slovik]]'' (1974), [[John Dean]] in ''[[Blind Ambition (miniseries)|Blind Ambition]]'' (1979), and [[John F. Kennedy]] in ''[[Kennedy (1983 miniseries)|Kennedy]]'' (1983). He received the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series]] for his role in ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' (1994). He played President [[Jed Bartlet]] in ''[[The West Wing]]'', for which he received six Emmy nominations. He played Robert Hanson in the Netflix series ''[[Grace and Frankie]]'' (2015–2022).

Sheen was born in [[Dayton, Ohio]], on August 3, 1940, to Mary-Ann (née Phelan; May 22, 1903 - August 1, 1951) and Francisco Estévez Martínez (July 2, 1898 - October 26, 1974).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Monitor |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=August 9, 2013 |issue=1271 |page=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.genealogy.com/famousfolks/charlies/index.html |title=Ancestry of Charlie Sheen |date=March 7, 2002 |website=[[Genealogy.com]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926164850/http://genealogy.com/famousfolks/charlies/index.html |archive-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref> During birth, Sheen's left arm was crushed by [[forceps]], giving him limited lateral movement of that arm ([[Erb's palsy]]) and resulting in the arm being {{convert|3|in|cm|spell=in}} shorter than his right.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/martin-sheen-the-elder-statesman |title=Martin Sheen: The Elder Statesman |first=David |last=Thomson |date=March 17, 2008 |work=More Intelligent Life |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720054219/http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/martin-sheen-the-elder-statesman |archive-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> Both of Sheen's parents were immigrants; his mother was Irish, from [[Borrisokane]], [[County Tipperary]], and his father, who was Spanish, was born in [[Salceda de Caselas]], [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Zagursky |first=Erin |title=Pilgrimage brings together Hollywood stars, academics |url=http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2011/pilgrimage-brings-together-hollywood-stars,-academics-123.php |publisher=[[College of William and Mary]] |date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=March 19, 2011}}</ref><ref name="actors"/> After moving to Dayton in the 1930s, his father was a factory worker/machinery inspector at the [[National Cash Register Company]].<ref name="g">{{cite news |last=Moorhead |first=Joanna |title=Martin Sheen: Being a dad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/25/martin-sheen-emilio-estevez-charlie-sheen |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=March 25, 2011 |access-date=March 26, 2011}}</ref> Sheen grew up on Brown Street in the [[South Park Historic District (Dayton, Ohio)|South Park]] neighborhood, the seventh of ten children (nine boys and a girl).<ref name="actors"/> Due to his father's work, the family lived on the island of [[Bermuda]] on St. John's Road, [[Pembroke Parish]], where five of his brothers were born. Martin was the first child to be born in Dayton, Ohio, after the family returned from Bermuda.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Martin-Sheen/biography/ |title=Martin Sheen Biography |website=Monsters and Critics |access-date=May 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105095713/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Martin-Sheen/biography/ |archive-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> {{Citation needed|reason=Source claims to cite Wikipedia |date=April 2018}} Sheen contracted [[polio]] as a child and had to remain bedridden for a year. His doctor's treatment using [[Elizabeth Kenny#Polio treatment|Sister Kenny]]'s method helped him regain use of his legs.<ref name="actors"/>

When he was eleven years old, Sheen's mother died, and the children faced the possibility of living in an [[orphanage]] or [[fosterFoster care|foster homes]]. The family was able to remain together with the assistance of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dayton.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/news/local/activism-is-what-i-do-to-stay-alive/nmCxd/?icmp=daytondaily_internallink_textlink_apr2013_daytondailystubtomydaytondaily_launch#16bce8e4.3970211.735729 |title=Arch interviews Martin Sheen: 'Activism is what I do to stay alive' |last1last=Archdeacon |first1first=Tom |newspaper=[[Dayton Daily News]] |date=May 9, 2015 |access-date=May 13, 2015 }}</ref> Raised as a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], he graduated from [[Chaminade-Julienne High School|Chaminade High School]] (now Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School).<ref name="actors"/><ref name=lat>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-chamaco-20100825,0,2597362.story |title='Chamaco' a one-two punch of boxing, bilingualism |date=August 25, 2010 |first=Reed |last=Johnson |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=September 9, 2010 |quote=The actor born Ramón Antonio Gerard Estévez is a devout Roman Catholic}}</ref> At fourteen years old he organized a strike of golf caddies while working at a private golf club in Dayton, Ohio. He complained about the golfers, saying: "They often used obscene language in front of us... we were little boys and they were abusive... anti-Semitic.... And they, for the most part, were upstanding members of the community."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freshdialogues.com/2008/11/25/martin-sheen-the-activist-and-actor/ |title=Martin Sheen, the Activist and Actor |first=Alison |last=van Diggelen |date=November 25, 2008 |website=Fresh Dialogues |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

Sheen was drawn to acting at a young age, but his father disapproved of his interest in the field. Despite his father's opposition, Sheen borrowed money from a Catholic priest and moved to [[New York City]] in his early twenties, hoping to make it as an actor.<ref name="g"/> He spent two years in the [[Living Theatre]] company. It was in New York that he met Catholic activist [[Dorothy Day]]. Working with her [[Catholic Worker Movement]], he began his commitment to [[social justice]],<ref name="actors"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2007/09/29/ |title=A Prairie Home Companion |date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704143620/http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2007/09/29/ |archive-date=July 4, 2008}}</ref> and would one day go on to play [[Peter Maurin]], cofounder of the [[Catholic Worker Movement]], in ''[[Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story]]''. Sheen deliberately failed the entrance examination for the [[University of Dayton]] so that he could pursue his acting career.<ref name="U"/>

He adopted his [[stage name]], Martin Sheen, from a combination of the [[CBS]] casting director, Robert Dale Martin, who gave him his first big break, and Catholic archbishop and broadcaster, [[Fulton J. Sheen]].<ref name="LM">{{cite web |url=http://www.latina.com/entertainment/buzz/true-identity-charlie-sheen-tracing-roots-estevez-family |title=The True Identity of Charlie Sheen: Tracing The Roots of The Estevez Family |first=Erika |last=Ramirez |date=28 February 2011 |work=[[Latina (magazine)|Latina]] |access-date=28 February 2011 }}</ref> In a 2003 ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'' interview, Sheen explained, <blockquote>Whenever I would call for an appointment, whether it was a job or an apartment, and I would give my name, there was always that hesitation and when I'd get there, it was always gone. So I thought, I got enough problems trying to get an acting job, so I invented Martin Sheen. It's still Estevez officially. I never changed it officially. I never will. It's on my driver's license and passport and everything. I started using Sheen, I thought I'd give it a try, and before I knew it, I started making a living with it and then it was too late. In fact, one of my great regrets is that I didn't keep my name as it was given to me. I knew it bothered my dad.<ref name="actors">Stated in interview on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', May 18, 2003.</ref><ref name="g"/><ref name="LM"/><ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_oMkQY2ico | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902200930/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_oMkQY2ico&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2013-09-02 | url-status=dead|title=Martin Sheen on Why He Changed His Name & Emilio Estevez on Why He Didn't Change His Name |author=[[Hudson Union Society]] |date=June 4, 2012 |website=YouTube |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>

Sheen was greatly influenced by the actor [[James Dean]].<ref name="actors"/> Speaking of the impact Dean had on him, Sheen stated, “All"All of his movies had a profound effect on my life, in my work and all of my generation. He transcended cinema acting. It was no longer acting, it was human behavior.”"<ref>{{cite web |title=Friends of James Dean remember iconic star |url=https://www.today.com/today/amp/wbna6937414 |website=today.com|date=February 9, 2005 |language=en}}</ref> Sheen developed a theatre company with other actors in hopes that a production would earn him recognition. In 1963, he made an appearance in "[[Nightmare (1963 The Outer Limits)|Nightmare]]", an episode of the television science fiction series ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]''. In 1964, he co-starred in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play ''[[The Subject Was Roses]]''; he later reprised his role in the 1968 [[The Subject Was Roses (film)|film]] of the same name, and was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1969/all#category-1892 |title=Winners & Nominees 1969 |website=[[Golden Globe Award]]s |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=January 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106165147/https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1969/all#category-1892 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sheen also starred in the television production ''Ten Blocks on the Camino Real'' (1966), an adaptation of [[Tennessee Williams]]' play ''[[Camino Real (play)|Camino Real]]'' directed by [[Jack Landau (director)|Jack Landau]] and presented by [[National Educational Television|NET]], a PBS predecessor. In 1968, he played the titular role in ''[[Hamlet]]'', directed by [[Joseph Papp]] at [[The Public Theater]], with dialogue mostly in English and some in Spanish as Hamlet's alter- ego.<ref>{{cite book |last1last=Della Gatta |first1first=Carla |title=Latinx Shakespeares: Staging US Intracultural Theater |date=2023 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor, MI |isbn=978-0-472-05577-7 |page=27 |url=https://www.press.umich.edu/12253912/latinx_shakespeares}}</ref>

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Sheen appeared as a guest star onin many popular television series, including ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]'' (1960s-1980s1960s–1980s), ''[[My Three Sons]]'' (1964), ''[[Flipper (1964 TV series)|Flipper]]'' (1967), ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'' (1968), ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' (1969), ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' (1970), ''[[Dan August]]'' (1971), ''[[The Rookies]]'' (1973), ''[[Columbo]]'' (1973), and ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'' (all 1973). He also had a recurring role as "Danny Morgan" onin ''[[Mod Squad]]'' (1970–1971).<ref name=TVGuide>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/martin-sheen/credits/164917/ |title=Martin Sheen |website=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=November 4, 2018}}</ref> By the early 1970s, Sheen was increasingly focusing on [[television film]]s and motion pictures. SheenHe portrayed Dobbs in [[Catch-22 (film)|the 1970 film adaptation]] of ''[[Catch-22]]''. He then co-starred in the controversial [[Emmy Award]]-winning 1972 [[television film]] ''[[That Certain Summer]]'', said to be the first television movie in America to portray homosexuality in a sympathetic light.

His next important feature film role was in 1973, when he starred with [[Sissy Spacek]] in the [[crime film|crime drama]] ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]'', playing an antisocial multiple murderer. Sheen has stated that his role in ''Badlands'' was one of his two favorites, the other being his role as a U.S. Army special operations officer in ''[[Apocalypse Now]]''.<ref name="actors"/><ref name="progressive"/> Also in 1973, Sheen appeared opposite [[David Janssen]] in "Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On", the first pilot for the television series ''[[Harry O]]''. In 1974, Sheen portrayed a [[hot rod]] driver in the [[television film]] ''[[The California Kid]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2011/03/the-california-kid |title=The California Kid |last=Hardin |first=Drew |website=[[SEMA (association)|SEMA]] (Specialty Equipment Market Association) |date=March 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2018 |archive-date=November 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105110755/https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2011/03/the-california-kid |url-status=dead }}</ref> and that same year received an [[Emmy Award]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/martin-sheen |title=Martin Sheen |work=Television Academy |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> nomination for Best Actor in a television drama for his portrayal of [[Eddie Slovik|Pvt. Eddie Slovik]] in the television film ''[[The Execution of Private Slovik]]''.<ref name="actors"/> Based on an incident that occurred during [[World War II]], the film told the story of the only U.S. soldier to be executed for desertion since the [[American Civil War]].

In the early 1980s he had roles in the science fiction war film ''[[The Final Countdown (film)|The Final Countdown]]'' (1980), the biographical epic ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982), the sports drama ''[[That Championship Season (1982 film)|That Championship Season]]'' (1982), and the drama film ''[[Wall Street (1987 film)|Wall Street]]'' (1987) starring [[Michael Douglas]], and his son [[Charlie Sheen]]. He played Captain Hollister in ''[[Firestarter (1984 film)|Firestarter]]'' (1984) opposite [[Drew Barrymore]] and [[David Keith (actor)|David Keith]].

Sheen played fictional Democratic president [[Josiah Bartlet|Josiah "Jed" Bartlet]] in the [[NBC]] television drama, ''[[The West Wing]]''.<ref name="actors"/> For his performance he earned a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama]] in 2000 and was nominated six times for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]] nominations.

During this time he played Roger Strong in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s crime film ''[[Catch Me If You Can]]'' (2002), Captain Oliver Queenan in [[Martin Scorsese]]'s crime film ''[[The Departed]]'' (2006), and Jack Stevens in the biographical film ''[[Bobby (2006 film)|Bobby]]'' (2006). He receivedwas nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series]] nomination for his role in ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' in 2005. He also appeared in the [[sitcom]] ''[[Spin City]]'' in 2002 and in ''[[Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip]]'' (2007).

Sheen has performed voice-over work as the narrator for the ''[[Eyewitness (1994 TV series)|Eyewitness]]'' series and as the "real" [[Seymour Skinner]] in the controversial ''[[The Simpsons|Simpsons]]'' episode "[[The Principal and the Pauper]]." In addition, he played the role of the [[Illusive Man]] in the video game ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', and the sequel, ''[[Mass Effect 3]]''. HeIn providedaddition, he voiced the voicerole of Emilio in the English language version of the 2011 animated film ''[[Arrugas]] ''(Wrinkles).

In 2009, Sheen travelled to [[Mexico City]] to star in ''[[Chamaco]]'' with [[Kirk Harris]], Alex Perea, [[Gustavo Sánchez Parra]] and [[Michael Madsen]]. Sheen appeared in [[Martin Scorsese's]] ''[[The Departed]]'' as Captain Oliver Queenan, a commanding officer who is watching an undercover cop ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]). Sheen and his son [[Ramon Estevez]] combined both their real and stage names to create the [[Warner Bros.]]-affiliated company, Estevez Sheen Productions. In November 2010, Sheen was cast as [[Uncle Ben]] in Sony's 2012 reboot of the [[Spider-Man in film| ''Spider-Man'' film series]], ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', directed by [[Marc Webb]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2010/11/04/spider-man-reboot-taps-martin-sheen-to-play-peter-parkers-uncle-ben/ |title='Spider-Man' reboot taps Martin Sheen to play Peter Parker's Uncle Ben |first=Jeff |last=Jensen |date=November 4, 2010 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref>

In 2010 the company released ''[[The Way (2010 film)|The Way]]'', written and directed by Sheen's son [[Emilio Estevez]], who also stars in the film as Martin's on-screen son, who dies while hiking the [[Camino de Santiago]]. His(Martin’s daughter, [[Renée Estevez|Renée]], also has a part in the film.) Martin plays an American doctor, whose son, played by Estevez, dies while hiking the [[Camino de Santiago]]. Driven by sadness, Martin's character, an American doctor, leaves his Californian life and embarks on the {{Convert|800|km|abbr=on}} pilgrimage from the [[French Pyrenees]] to Spain's [[Santiago de Compostela]] himself, withtaking his son's ashes with him. ''The Way'' premiered at the [[2010 Toronto International Film Festival]].

In 2010, heSheen filmed ''[[Stella Days]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Martin-Sheen-set-to-film-Stella-Days-in-Tipperary-106505908.html |title=Martin Sheen set to film 'Stella Days' in Tipperary |first=Cathy |last=Hayes |date=November 2, 2010 |website=Irish Central |access-date=May 13, 2013}}</ref> in [[County Tipperary]], Ireland, near the birthplace of his mother. [[Thaddeus O'Sullivan]] directed and Irish actor [[Stephen Rea]] starred,<ref name="stelladays">{{cite web |url=http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4283433&tpl=archnews&force=1 |title=Martin Sheen & Stephen Rea Lead 'Stella Days' |date=October 14, 2010 |website=[[Irish Film and Television Network]] |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref> along with [[Irish Film and Television Awards|IFTA]] award-winning actress [[Amy Huberman]]. Sheen plays parish priest Daniel Barry, whose love of movies leads him to help set up a cinema in [[Borrisokane]].<ref name="stelladays"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4283921&tpl=archnews&force=1 |title='Stella Days', 'Earthbound' & 'Superhero' Get MEDIA i2i Funds |date=May 25, 2011 |website=[[Irish Film and Television Network]] |access-date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

In 2016, Sheen starred in the film ''[[The Vessel (film)|The Vessel]]'', and performedperforming his role in both the English- and Spanish-language versions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Della Gatta |first1=Carla |title=Latinx Shakespeares: Staging US Intracultural Theater |date=2023 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |isbn=978-0-472-05577-7 |page=209 |url=https://www.press.umich.edu/12253912/latinx_shakespeares}}</ref>

Canadian sealclubbing and other causes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/04/martin-sheen/|title=How Martin Sheen Came to be the Most Arrested Man in Hollywood|date=April 4, 2019}}</ref> Although he did not attend college, Sheen credited the [[Society of Mary (Marianists)|Marianists]] at [[University of Dayton]] as a major influence on his public activism, as well as [[Archbishop Desmond Tutu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/martin-sheen-free-the-children_b_2447637.html |title=Star Power: Martin Sheen's Fight for Justice |first1=Craig |last1=Kielburger |first2=Marc |last2=Kielburger |date=October 1, 2013 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> Sheen is known for his outspoken support of [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] political causes, such as opposition to United States military actions and a hazardous-waste incinerator in [[East Liverpool, Ohio]]. Sheen has resisteddismissed calls for him to run for office, saying: "There's no way that I could be the presidentPresident. You can't have a [[pacifism|pacifist]] in the [[White House]].... I'm an actor. This is what I do for a living."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.enquirer.com/columns/kiese/1999/10/17/jki_for_pacifist_martin.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/2012.09.08-04531220120908045312/http://www.enquirer.com/columns/kiese/1999/10/17/jki_for_pacifist_martin.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 8, 2012 |title=For a pacifist, Martin Sheen plays a pretty good president |date=October 17, 1999 |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]}}</ref> Sheen is an honorary [[trustee]] of the [[Dayton International Peace Museum]].

He supported the 1965 [[farm worker movement]] with [[Cesar Chavez]] in [[Delano, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kmph.com/story/12800947/martin-sheen-urges-governor-to-support-farmworker-overtime-measure?redirected=true |title=Martin Sheen Urges Governor To Support Farmworker Overtime Measure |date=July 13, 2010 |website=[[KMPH-TV]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927220426/http://www.kmph.com/story/12800947/martin-sheen-urges-governor-to-support-farmworker-overtime-measure?redirected=true |archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref> Sheen endorsed marches and walkouts called by the activist group [[BAMN|By Any Means Necessary]] (BAMN) to force the State of [[California]] to introduce a holiday in memory of Cesar Chavez. On the day of the protests (March 30), thousands of students, primarily Latino ones from California and elsewhere, walked out of school in support of the demand. Sheen alsohas stated thatsaid he also participated in the large-scale immigration marches in [[Los Angeles]] in 2006 and 2007.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK1-JdQ3m9E |title=Martin Sheen - March to MacArthur Park - Part 1 |date=May 18, 2007 |website=YouTube |access-date=March 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213230437/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK1-JdQ3m9E |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfTJqytx_JI |title=Martin Sheen - March to MacArthur Park - Part 2 |date=May 18, 2007 |website=YouTube |access-date=March 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213230819/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfTJqytx_JI |archive-date=December 13, 2013 }}</ref>{{citation needed |date=March 2011}}

Sheen starred in [[Jakov Sedlar]]'s religious drama ''[[Gospa]]'' in 1995. SheenHe also narrated several movies for the Croatian director during the 1990s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=Sharon |title=Political Change in Post-Communist Slovakia and Croatia: From Nationalist to Europeanist |date=September 3, 2006 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-23060-088-1 |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PGuHDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA112}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Titles with Martin Sheen & Jakov Sedlar |url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?roles=nm0000640,nm0781341&title_type=feature,tv_episode,video,tv_movie,tv_special,mini_series,documentary,game,short |website=IMDb}}</ref>

From 2008 to 2013, Sheen's activism included attendancesattendance at meetings of the [[environmentalist]] group [[Earth First!]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.looktothestars.org/news/581-martin-sheen-to-receive-two-humanitarian-awards |title=Martin Sheen support to Earth First |first=Tim |last=Saunders |date=March 5, 2008 |website=Look To The Stars |access-date=March 7, 2010}}</ref> and speaking appearances at youth empowerment events called [[We Day]] on behalf of [[Free Thethe Children]], an international charity and educational partner.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.straight.com/article-353206/vancouver/we-day-rally-vancouver-draws-al-gore-martin-sheen-and-thousands-globally-minded-youth |title=We Day rally in Vancouver draws Al Gore, Martin Sheen and thousands of globally minded youth |last=Thomson |first=Stephen |date=October 15, 2010 |work=[[The Georgia Straight]] |access-date=May 13, 2013}}</ref> Sheen has been named an ambassador of Free The Children and has supported such initiatives as the We are Silent campaign, a 24-hour pledge of silence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freethechildren.com/about-us/our-team/celebrity-ambassadors/ |title=Free The Children - Celebrity Ambassadors |website=Free The Children |access-date=February 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203142805/http://www.freethechildren.com/about-us/our-team/celebrity-ambassadors/ |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Speaking about his work with Free The Children, Sheen has said, "I'm hooked! I told them whenever I could offer some insight or energy or whatever I had, I'd be delighted if they would call on me, and they have."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Martin+Sheen+high+praise+charity+expands+Calgary/6691365/story.html |title=Martin Sheen has high praise for charity as it expands to Calgary |first=Thandi |last=Fletcher |date=April 24, 2008 |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |access-date=May 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530031117/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Martin+Sheen+high+praise+charity+expands+Calgary/6691365/story.html#ixzz2IGst5Lx7 |archive-date=May 30, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sheen championed Help Darfur Now, a student-run organization to help aid victims of the genocide in [[Darfur]], the western region in [[Sudan]]. He also appeared in the 2009 anti-fur documentary "Skin Trade.".<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/uQHx8NQ2bKU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20091210094357/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHx8NQ2bKU Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHx8NQ2bKU |title=Skin Trade Theatrical Trailer |author=Uncaged Films |date=September 28, 2009 |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=May 13, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

He has played the father of sons Emilio and Carlos in various projects: he played Emilio's father in ''[[The War at Home (1996 film)|The War at Home]]'', ''[[In the Custody of Strangers]]'' and ''[[The Way (2010 film)|The Way]]'', and Charlie's father in ''[[Wall Street (1987 film)|Wall Street]]'', ''[[No Code of Conduct]]'', two episodes of ''[[Spin City]],'' and ''[[Anger Management (TV series)|Anger Management]].'' He also appeared as a guest star in one episode of ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' playing the father of Charlie's neighbor Rose ([[Melanie Lynskey]]), and another as a guest star [[Denise Richards]]'s father; at the time that episode aired, Richards was married to Charlie. Martin also played a "future" version of Charlie in a Visa commercial. Martin has played other characters with his children. He starred in the film ''[[Bobby (2006 film)|Bobby]]'', which was directed by Emilio, who also starred in the movie alongside his father. Renée had a supporting role in ''[[The West Wing]]'', as a [[White House]] staff secretary. Emilio also appeared, uncredited, in [[Twenty Five (The West Wing)|an episode]] of ''The West Wing'' portraying his father's character, President Bartlet, in -home movie footage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailyedge.ie/west-wing-cameos-766056-Jan2013/#slide-slideshow9 |title=5 Stars you didn't know were in The West Wing |date=January 23, 2013 |website=[[The Daily Edge]] |access-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref>

After the end of filming of ''The West Wing,'' Sheen planned to further his 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=138251744&p=y38z5z45x |title=Sheen to study in Galway |date=March 30, 2005 |website=Breaking News.ie |access-date=March 30, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122549/http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=138251744&p=y38z5z45x |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Speaking after an honorary arts doctorate was conferred on him by the National University of Ireland, Sheen joked that he would be the "oldest undergraduate" at the [[NUI Galway|National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway]], when he started his full-time studies there in the autumn of 2006. Although expressing concern that he might be a "distraction" to other students at NUI Galway, he attended 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... at age 65!"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/front/2006/0408/2314898038HM1MARTINSHEEN.html |title='President Bartlett' retiring to new role at NUIG |date=April 4, 2006 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023165939/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/front/2006/0408/1142365532972.html |archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref> On September 1, 2006, Sheen was among the first to register as a student at NUI Galway, where he took classes in English literature, philosophy, and [[oceanography]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/news/main_press.php?p_id=345 |title=Martin Sheen among first to register as a student at NUI Galway, Ireland |date=September 1, 2006 |website=NUI Galway |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012112258/http://nuigalway.ie/news/main_press.php?p_id=345 |archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>