Sean Penn

Birthplace: Burbank, California
Birthday: August 17, 1960

Described by The New York Times as "both a human tempest and an actor of sizable gifts", Sean Penn is at least as well-known for his brief but highly publicized marriage to pop phenomenon Madonna and his battles with the entertainment press as for his impressive but relatively modest body of work as an actor. The son of blacklisted actor-turned director Leo Penn and his actress wife Eileen Ryan, this intense volatile actor refuses to prostitute his talent, preferring to work on the fringes of the industry for far less money than he could…more

Full Biography

Credits

Actor

Sean Penn Talking With David Frost
Guest
The MTV Interview
Interviewee
Hugo Pool
The Leprechaun
Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film
Interviewee
Robbie Robertson: Going Home

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NEWS

Career Milestones

2007
Directed "Into the Wild," a drama based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the life and death of Christopher McCandless; also adapted the screenplay; earned a DGA nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
2006
Played corrupt politician Willie Stark in the big-screen adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel "All the King's Men"
2005
Starred opposite Nicole Kidman in "The Interpreter" directed by Sydney Pollack
2004
Starred opposite Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle and Jack Thompson in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" based on a true story about a man who tried to hijack a jet and crash it into the White House during Nixon's second term
2003
Starred in the emotional drama feature "Mystic River", directed by Clint Eastwood; received a SAG nomination for Best Actor

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Awards

2004
Golden Globe Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
2004
Oscar: Best Actor
2003
National Board of Review Awards: Best Actor
2003
The Critics' Choice Awards: Best Actor
1998
Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award: