Martin Sheen – the beginning, rise to stardom and the US President
Martin Sheen was born to Mary Ann Phelan and Francisco
Esteves in the year 1940. He was named Ramon Gerardo Antonio Esteves by his
parents. He began his life in a humble background and was one of the ten
children of the Esteves family. His father was a factory worker and shifted his
dwellings to various places such as Dayton and Bermuda.
In the beginning…
In the beginning Martin Sheen joined the theatre. He formed a theatre group in New York and began producing plays, until he got a small role in the episode Nightmare of a science fiction 'The Outer Limits'. His talent found him a Broadway production called The Subject Was Roses; the play was such a hit that it was later adapted into a movie. Needless to say, Martin Sheen was cast in it.
Martin Sheen slowly but steadily kept on his successful journey from theatre to the big screen. Apocalypse now was one of his most successful movies. Here he played the Character of a soldier instructed for an assassin in the backdrop of the Vietnam War. His effortless ease on screen made him a star overnight. Thousands of people from all age groups were fascinated by his work. Badlands was also a successful movie in his early career where he played the role of a criminal called Kit who plans a strategy with help of his girlfriend Holly. This role was not that of the hero, doing heroic deeds and stealing the heart of the audience, but rather of a villain. It is not an easy task for a villain to steal the heart of the viewers; but Martin Sheen with his talent and image, was successful in doing so.
His rise to stardom…
His rise to stardom also had another landmark, The West Wing, a political drama, wherein he was cast as the President. The serial, a Warner Bros. production carried on for six years and gathered a number of awards. In fact he has been the US president, or people in high ranks of the state, for a couple of roles. In the miniseries, Kennedy- the Presidential Years, he played John f. Kennedy. In the October Missiles he played the role of Attorney General Robert Kennedy. In The American President, He played the role of the head of staff in the white house. In the Dead Zone he played the Character of a negative president.
But it is his enigma that gets him such roles is. The answer is his stature, his weighty personality, his talent. Martin Sheen has an aura of grace, sincerity, maturity and yet vivacity about him and this is what makes him so very eligible for the roles. The head of any state should have a daunting personality and strength of mind. Martin Sheen on screen is able to put forth these qualities before the audience. To accentuate the effect, his mature and handsome face gives him the get up of a reliable head of state.
The septuagenarian actor is one of the most acclaimed actors of Hollywood.