Biography

The second famous son of actor Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen (whose real name is Carlos Estevez) has gained almost as much fame for his off-screen antics as for his on-screen roles. Surprisingly--due perhaps to his slick, unapologetic style1-he has managed to weather the storm of controversy that has followed him in recent years to emerge as one of TV's hottest stars, and a very popular guest on the talk show circuits.


Born in 1965, Charlie's interest in movies was not only peaked by his famous father, but also by several like-minded students from his high school days at Santa Monica, students like Rob Lowe and Sean Penn, future stars themselves. It wasn't until 1984, however, that Charlie got his first big break in a major film, starring alongside fellow up-and-comers Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey in the WWIII drama Red Dawn. The film was a mild success, and was Sheen's first contact with the war genre, where only 2 years later he would make the biggest splash of his young career.
A supporting role in the coming-of-age film Lucas (1986) and a memorable cameo in the teen-classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) preceded Sheen's big Hollywood breakthrough. Tagged by Oliver Stone for the lead role in his Oscar®-winning epic Platoon (1986), Sheen was the moral center of one of the grittiest, frankest, and most realistic depictions of the Vietnam War to ever come out of Tinseltown. The performance was a milestone in the young star's career, and big things were suddenly expected of him.

Sheen paired up with Stone again a year later to produce another smash, the slick and fast-moving Wall Street. As a young stock market hot-shot who's seduced by his savvier mentor, Sheen triumphed on a personal level as well as a professional one -- it was his first opportunity to star in a film alongside his father, Martin Sheen (who, incidentally, played his dad in the picture).

Other successes came in the next couple of years, with films like Young Guns (1988), Eight Men Out (1988), and Major League (1989) solidifying his star-status, but he never again received the critical acclaim he had earned for his two collaborations with Oliver Stone. Poor choices led to a slump of sorts, as films like Men at Work (alongside brother Emilio Estevez), Navy Seals, Cadence, and The Rookie (all in 1990) did little for his career. It seemed he was trying to establish an image as an action hero, but the public wasn't buying it.
He was able to successfully mock his tough guy image with roles in the hit parodies Hot Shots! (1991) and Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), but personal problems--as well as continually poor roles--led to a downward spiral in his professional life. In 1995, he was called in to testify in the trial of notorious "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss, where he admitted to being a frequent customer, and to having spent over $50,000 for the services of prostitutes. By the time he was hospitalized for drug and alcohol abuse in 1998, Sheen's bad-boy image was cemented in stone.

It was therefore all the more remarkable when, two years later, a clean and sober Charlie Sheen became one of the great comeback stories of the entertainment business as he landed the lead role of Michael J. Fox's replacement in the hit TV series "Spin City." By cleverly playing off his enfant terrible persona without ever seeming to revel in it, Sheen managed to reinvent his image and thus earned a second chance at success, an extraordinary feat in itself.

Charlie Sheen recently got married to actress Denise Richards.

Filmography

Big Bounce, The (2003) .... Bob Rogers, Jr.
A&E Biography: Charlie Sheen (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Ginger Lynn: The E! True Hollywood Story (2002) (TV)(archive footage) .... Himself
Making of Bret Michaels, The (2002) .... Self
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, The (2001) (TV)(uncredited) (archive footage) .... Charlie Crawford
Good Advice (2001) .... Ryan Turner
"Spin City" (1996) TV Series .... Charlie Crawford (2000-2002)
2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Famous (2000) .... Himself
... aka Lisa Picard Is Famous (2001) (USA)
Rated X (2000) .... Artie Mitchell
51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, The (1999) (TV) .... Himself
"Sugar Hill" (1999) TV Series .... Matt
Being John Malkovich (1999) .... Charlie
Five Aces (1999)(as Charles Sheen) .... Chris Martin
High Tension, Low Budget (The Making of a Letter From Death Row) (1999) (V) .... Cop/self
No Code of Conduct (1998)(as Charles Sheen) .... Jake Peterson
Free Money (1998)(as Charles Sheen) .... Bud
Letter From Death Row, A (1998)
Junket Whore (1998) .... Himself
Postmortem (1998)(as Charles Sheen) .... James McGregor
Bad Day On the Block (1997)(as Charles Sheen) .... Lyle Wilder
... aka Under Pressure (1997)
Mission to Mars (1997) .... Narrator
Money Talks (1997) .... James Russell
Shadow Conspiracy (1997) .... Bobby Bishop
Frame by Frame (1996/I)
Loose Women (1996) .... Barbie Doll bartender
Arrival, The (1996) .... Zane Zaminski
... aka Shockwave (1996)
All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996)(voice) .... Charlie
Charlie Sheen's Stunts Spectacular (1994) (TV) .... Himself
Terminal Velocity (1994) .... Richard 'Ditch' Brodie
Major League II (1994) .... Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn
Chase, The (1994) .... Jackson Davis Hammond
Deadfall (1993) .... Morgan Gripp
Three Musketeers, The (1993) .... Aramis
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) .... Topper Harley
... aka Hot Shots! 2 (1993) (Australia)
Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) .... Gern, Parking Valet
... aka National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
Amazing Stories: Book Three (1992) (V) .... Casey (segment "No Day at the Beach")
Beyond the Law (1992) .... Daniel 'Dan' Saxon
... aka Fixing the Shadow (1992)
Diamonds on the Silver Screen (1992) (TV) .... Himself
Hot Shots! (1991) .... Lt. Topper Harley
Cadence (1991) .... Pfc. Franklin F. Bean Jr.
... aka Count a Lonely Cadence (1991)
... aka Stockade (1991)
Rookie, The (1990) .... David Ackerman
Men at Work (1990) .... Carl Taylor
Navy SEALS (1990) .... Lieutenant. J.G. Dale Hawkins
Catchfire (1989) .... Bob
... aka Backtrack (1991) (USA: TV title (director's cut))
... aka Catchfire (1989) (Australia)
... aka Do It the Hard Way (1989)
Comicitis (1989)
Courage Mountain (1989) .... Peter
... aka Heidi - Le Sentier du courage (1989) (France)
Tale of Two Sisters (1989) .... Narrator
Major League (1989) .... Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn
Never on Tuesday (1988)(uncredited) .... Thief
Eight Men Out (1988) .... Happy Felsch (CF)
Young Guns (1988) .... Richard Brewer
Grizzly II: The Predator (1987) .... Ron
Three for the Road (1987) .... Paul
Wall Street (1987) .... Bud Fox
No Man's Land (1987) .... Ted Varrick
Life in the Day, A (1986)
Wisdom (1986) .... City Burger Manager
Platoon (1986) .... Chris Taylor
Wraith, The (1986) .... The Wraith/Jake
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) .... Boy in Police Station
Lucas (1986) .... Cappie
Boys Next Door, The (1986) .... Bo Richards
... aka Big Shots (1986)
Out of the Darkness (1985/I) (TV) .... Man Shaving
Fourth Wise Man, The (1985) (TV) .... Captain (Herod's soldiers)
Silence of the Heart (1984) (TV) .... Ken Cruze
Red Dawn (1984) .... Matt Eckert
Execution of Private Slovik, The (1974) (TV)