Jump to content

Sean Penn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.69.219.9 (talk) at 02:12, 13 September 2006 (restored factual education information). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Infobox oscar winning actor


Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor.

Biography

Early life

Penn was born in Santa Monica, California, to Leo Penn (a film director who was blacklisted for refusing to testify during the McCarthy era) and Eileen Ryan, an actress. Leo Penn was the son of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Russia of apparent Spanish extraction, while Ryan (born Eileen Annucci) is a Roman Catholic of Italian and Irish descent. The Penn surname was originally Piñon, but it was changed when his grandfather immigrated to the United States. Penn has one living brother, musician Michael Penn. Another younger brother, actor Chris Penn, died on January 24, 2006.

Education

Attended Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California (studied Auto Mechanics and Speech).

Career

File:Dead Man Walking DVD cover.jpg
Penn (right) on the DVD cover of Dead Man Walking

Penn launched his career with the 1982 comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High in the role of Jeff Spicoli and has since starred in over 40 movies. He won an Oscar for Mystic River. Penn has also been nominated for three other Academy Awards in recognition of his roles in the films I Am Sam, Sweet and Lowdown and Dead Man Walking.

In 1985, Penn gave a memorable performance in the role of Andrew Daulton Lee in The Falcon and the Snowman. Lee was a former drug dealer by trade, who was convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and was originally sentenced to life in prison. Lee was paroled in 1998. According to a April 8, 2005 interview in The Guardian, Penn later engaged Lee as his personal assistant. [1]

In 1991, Penn made his directorial debut with The Indian Runner, a film based on Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman" from the Nebraska album. He has since directed two more films: The Crossing Guard in 1995 and The Pledge in 2001. Both of these films starred Jack Nicholson. He also directed Shania Twain's music video "Dance with the One That Brought You" in 1993.

He was Christopher Nolan's first choice for the role of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Personal life

Penn's personal life began to attract a lot of media attention when he married pop star Madonna in 1985. The relationship was marred by violent outbursts against the press intrusion into his life, including one incident for which he was arrested. Later in the marriage, Penn was charged with felony domestic assault. He later pleaded to a misdemeanor charge. After a divorce in 1989, Penn started a relationship with Robin Wright, with whom he had two children, son Hopper and daughter Dylan before they married in 1996. They live in Ross, California.

On April 10, 2003, Penn's 1987 Buick Grand National was stolen in Berkeley, California with two firearms in the trunk. Sean also has a 1968 Chevrolet El Camino.

Along with Johnny Depp and Mick Hucknall, Sean Penn is part-owner of the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray.

His younger brother, Chris, who was famous for playing Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs, was found dead in his Santa Monica condominium on January 24, 2006.

Political/social causes

On October 18, 2002, Penn placed a $56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post asking President George W. Bush to end a cycle of violence. It was written as an open letter and referred to the planned attack on Iraq and the War on Terror. In the letter, Penn also criticized the Bush administration for its "deconstruction of civil liberties" and its "simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil." Penn visited Iraq briefly in December 2002

He was portrayed in the war satire Team America: World Police (2004), which prompted the actor to send a letter critical of its filmmakers: Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The letter ends with "Fuck you", which amused the filmmakers, who used the letter as a form of publicity to promote the movie.

On June 10, 2005, Penn made a visit to Iran. Acting as a journalist on an assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle, he attended a Friday prayer ceremony at Tehran University. [2]

In September 2005, Penn traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. He was physically involved in several rescues, including 73-year-old John Brown, who had told his sister over the phone: "Guess who come and got me out of the house? Sean Penn, the actor. The boys were really nice." The actor then gave some rescuees an unspecified amount of money to tide them over, and then took those who were in need of medical attention to the hospital. Although Penn was praised for his rescue efforts, he was also criticized for bringing along a cameraman and Rolling Stone magazine reporter Matt Taibbi to document the event. He was and is, however, sincerely supported by many respected residents, including best-selling author Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Tulane University and archival historian for the city. The two were seen on CNN coverage Friday, September 2, as Penn, filthy, soaked, and exhausted, gave an impromptu interview about what he was seeing and doing, and obviously critical of the response until that time, stating that at that time he felt there was only "about one-fifth" the assistance and resources there that needed to be.

On January 7, 2006, Penn was a special guest at a forum hosted by the Progressive Democrats of America. He was joined by author and media critic Normon Solomon, Democratic congressional candidate Charles Brown, and activist Cindy Sheehan. The "Out of Iraq Forum" was attended by 200 individuals and took place in Sacramento, California. The program was moderated by Bill Dursten, President of the Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The forum was held at a SEIU union hall and was organized to promote the anti-war movement calling for an end to the War in Iraq. Progressive activists, Democratic Party leaders, and other individuals gathered to demonstrate their impatience and frustration with U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Filmography

As Actor:

Preceded by Academy Award for Best Actor
2003
for Mystic River 		Succeeded by

Quotes

  • "If there's one thing that actors know—other than there weren't any WMDs—it's that there is no such thing as best in acting." - after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2004
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sean Penn.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sean_Penn&oldid=75421345"