Martin Sheen

Biography: His mother, Mary Ann Phelan, was an Irish immigrant, and his father, Francisco Estevez, was a Spaniard who came to the U.S. by way of Cuba. They met at citizenship school in Dayton. Martin was born Ramon Estévez in Dayton, Ohio in 1940 to an Irish mother (Mary Ann Phelan) and a Spanish father (Francisco Estévez), he was the seventh of ten children. He grew up in Bermuda but was the only one of the brood not to be born there. He was keen to be an actor even though his father disapproved, and claims he deliberately failed the entrance exam for the University of Dayton so that he could pursue an acting career. His first major role as on Broadway in The Subject was Roses in 1965, a role he recreated in the 1968 film adaption. He began workign in movies, from Catch-22 to Badlands and Apocalypse Now. His TV career was cemented when he played the President in The West Wing, a role that brought many award nominations. A man of convictions, Martin has been arrested over 70 times for his protests against nuclear weapons, for workers rights among many others. He married Janet Templeton (1961) and had 3 sons and 1 daughter: Emilio (b. 1962), Ramon (b. 1963), Charles (b. Carlos in 1965) and Renée (b. in 1967). He has three grandchildren (Taylor, Paloma and Cassandra).… Expand