Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen is an established Hollywood actor, known for his versatility and sensitive portrayal of Characters. Son of immigrant parents, Martin has achieved success in Hollywood purely by his hard work and determination, backed by immense talent. Martin Sheen's impressive filmography spans an incredible five decades from the 1960s to 2011.

The Initial Days

Martin Sheen was very sure that acting was the career for him and moved away from Ohio to New York against his father's wishes. Working odd jobs in between auditions, Martin managed to make ends meet, while sharing accommodation and experiences with the then struggling Al Pacino. Martin's first acting break was on TV in 1963, followed by Broadway in 1964. His first feature film debut was in 1967 as a subway punk in "The Incident". In 1968, he starred in the movie, "The Subject was Roses", which was based on the Broadway musical of the same name in which he starred in the lead role as Timmy Cleary. Martin received critical acclaim for the role and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the film.

The Turning Point

In the early seventies, Martin Sheen starred in a number of television shows, with intermittent presence in movies as supporting cast or co lead. His first Hollywood breakthrough came in the 1973 feature film "Badlands", playing a young serial killer with no conscience. Following his performance in "Badlands", Martin Sheen began receiving interesting film offers as main leads and supporting leads integral to the storyline. This was the time, he signed and starred in his most famous film "Apocalypse Now", a Vietnam war drama, filmed in the Philippines and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Martin played the role of Captain Benjamin L. Williard in this Academy Award nominated landmark film and shared screen space with actors like Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hooper. The movie brought Martin Sheen worldwide recognition and acclaim.

Some Notable Triumphs

Following "Apocalypse Now", Martin Sheen, starred in number of films though the eighties right up to now. As happens with everyone, some of these films were entirely forgettable, while some stand out for Martin's spectacular performances and are essential feathers in his acting cap. Some of Martin Sheen's career triumphs include the Academy Award winning RiChard Attenborough directed film "Gandhi" (1982), where he played the role of Vince Walker. Another noteworthy mention is the 1987 "Wall Street", where he shared screen space with son Charlie Sheen and the 1993 film "Hot Shots Part Deux", where he played his Character Benjamin L. Williard from "Apocalypse Now". The new millennium brought no dearth of roles for Martin Sheen and he starred as Roger Strong in the Steven Spielberg directed "Catch me if You Can" alongside Leonardo Di Caprio. 2006 presented him as the ill fated cop Oliver Queenan in Martin Scorsese's academy award winning film "The Departed".

The Future

For an actor of Martin Sheen's talent and caliber, age has never come in way of getting good roles. Come 2012, and Martin is all set to play Uncle Ben, Peter Parker's uncle in the latest Spiderman movie "The Amazing Spiderman – 3 D".
Martin Sheen is married to Janet and has four children, all of whom are associated with the acting profession. At the end of 2011, Martin celebrates his golden marriage anniversary, something few of his contemporaries can boast of having achieved.