Sean Penn

Biography

Early life

Penn was born in Santa Monica, California, to Leo and Eileen Penn. 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 Pii±on, 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

Sean attended Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California.

Career

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 was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in 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.

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 and Peter Gabriel's music video "The Barry Williams Show" in 2002.

Personal life

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 beating a photographer. Later in the marriage, Penn was charged with felony domestic assault, a charge for which he pleaded to a misdemeanor. 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

Penn is known for his activism in promoting social liberalism.

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. Asking the filmmakers to come with him on a visit to Iraq, the letter ends with Penn saying "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.

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 criticized for bringing along a cameraman and a Rolling Stone magazine reporter to document the event. He was and is supported by 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.

On December 18, 2006, Penn received the Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from the The Creative Coallition. His acceptance speech is here.

Filmography

As Actor:

Taps (1981)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Summerspell (1983)

Bad Boys (1983)

Crackers (1984)

Racing with the Moon (1984)

The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)

At Close Range (1986)

Shanghai Surprise (1986)

Cool Blue (1988) (Cameo)

Colors (1988)

Judgment in Berlin (1988)

Casualties of War (1989)

We're No Angels (1989)

State of Grace (1990)

Snow White Rose Red (1991) (documentary)

Cruise Control (1992) (short subject)

The Last Party (1993) (documentary)

Carlito's Way (1993)

Dead Man Walking (1995)

Loved (1997)

She's So Lovely (1997)

U Turn (1997)

The Game (1997)

Hugo Pool (1997)

Hurlyburly (1998)

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Being John Malkovich (1999) (Cameo)

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

A Constant Forge (2000) (documentary)

Up at the Villa (2000)

Before Night Falls (2000)

The Weight of Water (2000)

Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001) (documentary) (narrator)

The Beaver Trilogy (2001) (documentary)

Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool (2001) (documentary)

See How They Run (2001) (documentary)

I Am Sam (2001)

It's All About Love (2003)

Mystic River (2003)

21 Grams (2003)

The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)

The Interpreter (2005)

All the King's Men (2006)

Upcoming:

In Search of Captain Zero (2008)

As Director:

The Indian Runner (1991)

The Crossing Guard (1995)

The Pledge (2001)

11'9''01 September 11 (2002) (documentary)

Upcoming:

Into the Wild (2007)

Awards
Preceded by Adrien Brody for The Pianist	Academy Award for Best Actor 2003 for Mystic River	Succeeded by Jamie Foxx for Ray

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