Martin Sheen

Born On: Aug. 3, 1940

Born in: Dayton, Ohio

Filmography: "Texas Funeral" (1999), "Ninth Street" (1999), "Gunfighter" (1998), "A Letter from Death Row"(1998), "Spawn" (1997), "Capone and Dillinger" (1995), "The American President" (1995), "Gettysburg" (1993), "Hear No Evil" (1993), "Running Wild" (1992), "Cadence" (1991), "The Maid" (1991), "Wall Street" (1987), "The Dead Zone" (1983), "Gandhi" (1982), "The Final Countdown" (1980), "Apocalypse Now" (1979), Badlands (1973), "Catch 22" (1970), "The Incident" (1967).
Television: "The West Wing" (1999), "D.R.E.A.M. Team" (1999), "Stories From My Childhood" (1989), "Babylon 5: River of Souls" (1998), "Medusa's Child" (1997), "Guns of Honor" (1994), "Alex Haley's Queen" (1993), "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" (1991), "Night Breaker" (1989), "The Guardian" (1984), "Kennedy" (1983), "Colombo: Lovely But Lethal" (1973), "The Edge of Night" (1967), "As the World Turns" (1956) -- more from IMDb

Start In The Business: Sheen flunked his college entrance exam for the University of Dayton and pursued his acting career. Although he initially angered his father, his dad forgave him when he first saw his son act on the silver screen. Sheen got his start on the stage, when he played in "The Subject Was Roses" at age 24 on Broadway. He went on to play the lead role in the film version of the play.

Breakout Roles: The first film that gained Sheen acclaim was "The Incident" (1967), where he played a young punk who bullied subway passengers. In 1979, he played Capt. Benjamin L. Willard in Francis Ford Coppola's Academy Award-nominated film "Apocalypse Now." Recently the 60-year-old actor was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance in NBC's television drama "The West Wing."

Off The Set: Sheen is widely known for his political activism. He has fought against the creation of nuclear weapons, aided the homeless and worked toward eliminating Third World poverty. Sheen has been arrested several times for his protesting, proving his dedication to the causes that he supports. He is the father of actors Emilio Estevez, and Charlie Sheen.

Compiled by Presley Weir