| Sean Penn |
At the premiere for Milk at the Castro Theatre, San Francisco, October 2008 |
| Born |
Sean Justin Penn
August 17, 1960 (1960-08-17) (age 49)
Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
Actor/Director |
| Years active |
1974–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Madonna (1985–1989)
Robin Wright Penn (1996–present) |
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American film actor and director, also known for being a political activist. He is a two-time Academy Award winner for his roles in Mystic River and Milk, as well as the recipient of a Golden Globe Award for the former and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the latter.
Early life
Penn was born in Los Angeles County, California,1 the son of Leo Penn, an actor and director, and Eileen Ryan (née Annucci), an actress. He has one living brother, musician Michael Penn. Another brother, actor Chris Penn, died in 2006. His paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Russia,234 while his mother is a Catholic of Italian and Irish descent.4 According to Penn's mother, Leo Penn may have had distant Spanish ancestry, as the family's surname was originally "Piñón".4 Penn was raised in a secular home2 and is an agnostic.5
Acting career
Penn appeared in a 1974 episode of the Little House on the Prairie television series as a then blond-haired extra when his father, Leo, directed some of the episodes.
Penn launched his film career with the 1981 film Taps, where he played a key role as a military high school cadet opposite protagonist Timothy Hutton. Tom Cruise also made one of his first film appearances as another cadet in the action-drama. A year later, he appeared in the hit comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (in the role of surfer-stoner Jeff Spicoli). Penn's portrayal of Spicoli was immensely popular and the film remained his most commercially successful work for many years.citation needed In 1983, Penn turned in one of his best early performances as Mick O'Brien, a troubled youth in the drama Bad Boys. It earned Penn favorable reviews and jump started his career as a serious actor.
In 1985, Penn gave a memorable performance in the role of Andrew Daulton Lee in The Falcon and the Snowman, which closely followed an actual criminal case. Lee was a former drug dealer by trade, convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and was originally sentenced to life in prison. Lee was paroled in 1998. In an interview for the The Guardian in April, 2005, it was stated that Penn later hired Lee as his personal assistant, partly because he wanted to reward Lee for allowing him to play Lee in the film, and also because he was a firm believer in rehabilitation and thought Andrew Lee should be successfully reintegrated into society since he was a free man again.6
In 1986 he starred in the drama At Close Range, opposite Christopher Walken. The film was also based on a true story and gained positive reviews from critics.citation needed The film featured his then wife Madonna's single "Live to Tell". The music video for the song, which featured clips from the film, played heavily on MTV and helped promote the film.
Penn has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor five times and won the award twice. The academy first recognized his work playing a racist murderer on death row in Tim Robbins' 1995 drama Dead Man Walking. Penn was noted in 1999 for his comedic performance as an egotistical jazz guitarist in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown. He received his third nomination in 2001 after portraying a mentally-handicapped father in I am Sam. In 2003, Penn finally won for his role in Clint Eastwood's Boston crime-drama Mystic River. In 2004, he played a disturbed man bent on killing the president in The Assassination of Richard Nixon. He received his fifth nomination and second win for his role as Harvey Milk in the 2008 film Milk. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2004.7
Penn's interest in politics is reflected in some of his recent film roles.citation needed In 2006 he portrayed populist governor Willie Stark (based on Huey Long) in an adaptation of the classic American novel All the King's Men, though the film was a critical and commercial failure. In November 2008, Penn earned rave reviews for his portrayal of real-life gay rights icon and politician Harvey Milk in the biopic Milk and was nominated for best actor for the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.8
Director
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 also directed music videos, such as Shania Twain's "Dance with the One That Brought You" in 1993 and Peter Gabriel's "The Barry Williams Show" in 2002. He has since directed three more films, all of which were well-received by critics: The Crossing Guard in 1995, The Pledge in 2001, and Into the Wild in 2007.
Personal life
Penn was supposedly engaged to actress Elizabeth McGovern, his co-star in 1984's Racing with the Moon, after which he dated Susan Sarandon. Penn's personal life began to attract media attention when he married pop star Madonna in 1985. The relationship was marred by violent outbursts against the press, including one incident for which he was arrested for assaulting a photographer on a film set; Penn was sentenced to 60 days in jail in mid-1987, of which he served 33 days.9 It is also suggested that when Penn discovered the paparazzo in his hotel room, he hung him by his ankles from the ninth-floor balcony.10 Madonna dedicated her third studio album, True Blue to Penn, referring to him in the liner notes as "the coolest guy in the universe". Later in the marriage, Penn was charged with felony domestic assault, a charge for which he pleaded to a misdemeanor. Penn and Madonna divorced in 1989.
He soon began a relationship with Robin Wright, and their first child, a daughter named Dylan Frances, was born in 1991. Their second child, a son named Hopper Jack, was born in 1993. Penn and Wright married in 1996 and lived in Ross, California. The relationship has gone through on-and-off again periods in recent years. Divorce plans and separation have been announced, beginning in December 2007,11 and again in April 2009,12 only to be withdrawn,13 most recently in May 2009.14. On August 12, 2009, Robin Wright Penn filed for divorce,15 declaring she has no plans to reconcile.16
During a separation from Wright in the mid 1990s, Penn dated singer and songwriter Jewel. He was also the director of the original video for Jewel's hit song "You Were Meant for Me".17
Recently, Penn has been linked with model Jessica White.18
Penn's younger brother, Chris, died from an enlarged heart in his Santa Monica condominium on January 24, 2006.10
Along with Johnny Depp, Mick Hucknall, and John Malkovich, Penn was a part-owner of the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray.17
Political and social causes
Penn has been active in supporting several political and social causes. 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 at Tehran University.19 Later in 2005, Penn appeared at the ACLU of Northern California's annual Bill of Rights Day Celebration to present Sister Helen Prejean with the Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award for her work opposing the death penalty.citation needed
On January 7, 2006, Penn was a special guest at a forum hosted by the Progressive Democrats of America.citation needed He was joined by author and media critic Norman Solomon, Democratic congressional candidate Charles Brown, and activist Cindy Sheehan. The "Out of Iraq Forum", which took place in Sacramento, California, was organized to promote the anti-war movement calling for an end to the War in Iraq.
In August 2008, Penn made an appearance at one of Ralph Nader's "Open the Debates" Super Rallies. He protested the political exclusion of Nader and other third parties.20
In October 2008, Penn traveled to Cuba, where he met with and interviewed President Raúl Castro.21
Criticism of President Bush
On October 18, 2002, Penn placed a US$56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post asking then 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.22 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."23 Penn visited Iran briefly in December 2002.22
This advertisement was cited as a primary reason for the development of his relationship with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. Chávez used and read aloud an open letter Penn wrote to Bush in one of his televised speeches.10 The letter condemned the Iraq War, called for Bush to be impeached, and also called Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "villainously and criminally obscene people.".24 In August 2007, Penn met with Chávez in Caracas for two hours, after which Chávez praised him for urging Americans to impeach Bush. Penn also visited a new film studio on the outskirts of Caracas, though he did not speak publicly.24
On April 19, 2007, Penn appeared on The Colbert Report and had a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" versus Stephen Colbert that was judged by Robert Pinsky. This stemmed from some of Penn's criticisms of Bush. His exact quote was "We cower as you point your fingers telling us to support our troops. You and the smarmy pundits in your pocket – those who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear – can take that noise and shove it."2526 He won the contest with 10,000,000 points to Colbert's 1.27
On December 7, 2007, Penn said he supported Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich for U.S. President in 2008, and criticized Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Penn questioned whether Bush's twin daughters supported the war in Iraq.28
Hurricane Katrina
In September 2005, Penn traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. He was physically involved in rescuing people29, although there was criticism that his involvement was a PR stunt as he hired a photographer to come along with his entourage.30
Director Spike Lee interviewed Penn for his documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, about Hurricane Katrina.
Filmography and awards
On December 18, 2006, Penn received the Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from the Creative Coalition.31
Actor
Director
References
- ^ "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Familytreelegends.com. 1960-08-17. http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/calbirths?c=search&first=sean&last=penn&spelling=Exact&4_year=1960&4_month=0&4_day=0&5=&7=&SubmitSearch.x=65&SubmitSearch.y=34&SubmitSearch=Submit. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ a b Jews Flop in Big Oscar Award Wins. Jewish Journal.com. 5 March 2004.
- ^ Sean Penn Genealogy.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Richard T. (2004). Sean Penn: His Life and Times. Canongate Books. p. 9-10. ISBN 1841956236.
- ^ "Sean Penn — Celebrity Atheist List". Celebatheists.com. 2006-10-30. http://www.celebatheists.com/?title=Sean_Penn. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ When Sean's having fun, it's hard to imagine having more fun. Guardian Unlimited. April 8, 2005.
- ^ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (June 28, 2004). "Academy Invites 127 to Membership". Press release. http://web.archive.org/web/20040630082206/http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2004/04.06.28.html.
- ^ Maxwell, Erin (2008-12-03). "Spirit Award nominees announced". work. http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117996677.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ Ciccone, Christopher (2008). Life with My Sister Madonna, Simon & Schuster, pp. 144-150. ISBN 1416587624.
- ^ a b c Somaiya, Ravi. Mister Congeniality. The Times. December 27, 2007.
- ^ White, Nicholas (2007-12-27). "Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn Divorcing". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20168386,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ "Sean Penn Files for Legal Separation". People. 2009-04-29. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20275612,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ Reaney, Patricia (2008-04-09). "Sean Penn, wife Robin end divorce proceeding". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSN0938785620080409.
- ^ "Sean Penn withdraws separation filing". San Francisco Chronicle. 209-05-21. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/21/state/n174007D40.DTL&type=newsbayarea.
- ^ Lee, Ken (2009-08-18). "Robin Wright Penn Files for Divorce". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20298679,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2009-08-17). "Robin Wright Penn Relishes Her New Independence". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20298368,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ a b "Sean Penn Biography". Yuddy.com. http://www.yuddy.com/celebrity/sean%20penn/bio. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Sean Penn steps out with new girlfriend". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/09/15/sean.penn.girlfriend/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Penn, Sean. Sean Penn in Iran. San Francisco Chronicle. August 23, 2005.
- ^ "Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Tom Morello, Cindy Sheehan at Nader/Gonzalez Super Rally in Denver — Ralph Nader for President in 2008". Votenader.org. 2008-08-19. http://www.votenader.org/media/2008/08/19/DenverRally3/. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ Lacey, Marc (2008-11-26). "Sean Penn Interviews Raúl Castro". The New York Times. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/sean-penn-interviews-raul-castro/. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ a b Bowles, Scott (18 Sept 2006). Sean Penn plays politics. USA Today.
- ^ "Sean Penn Letter to Washington Post". Snopes. http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/penn.asp. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ a b James, Ian. Sean Penn Praised by Venezuela's Chavez. Breitbart.com. August 2, 2007.
- ^ "Sean Penn Unloads on Pres. Bush". FOX News. 2007-03-27. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,261587,00.html.
- ^ "Metaphor Alert". New York Post. 2007-03-27. http://www.nypost.com/seven/03272007/gossip/pagesix/metaphor_alert_pagesix_.htm.
- ^ "Stephen Colbert vs Sean Penn". Crooks and Liars. 2007-03-27. http://crooksandliars.com/2007/04/21/stephen-colbert-vs-sean-penn/.
- ^ An Open Letter to the President...Four and a Half Years Later Huffington Post.com. March 24, 2007.
- ^ Many celebrities have helped with New Orleans recovery efforts. International Herald Tribune. December 14, 2007.
- ^ Penn's rescue attempt springs a leak. The Sydney Morning Herald. September 5, 2005.
- ^ The Creative Coalition Announces Presenters for 2006 Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award and 2006 Spotlight Awards. The Creative Coalition. December 2006.
- ^ Kelly, Richard T. (2005). Sean Penn: His Life and Times. Canongate U.S.. p. 219. ISBN 1841957399. http://books.google.com/books?id=gBb3v9GZMPQC&pg=PA219&dq=%22sean+penn%22+%22cool+blue.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: She's So Lovely". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4809/year/1997.html. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
External links
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Films directed by Sean Penn |
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![Sean Penn [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51x7Og7Ld2L._SL160_.jpg)
