Charlie Sheen comes from one of the great Hollywood showbiz families – both his father and brother, Martin Sheen and Emilio Estévez, have at one point been major movie stars, and all three have recently seen career boosts from popular projects. Golden Globe-winner Charlie has been the star of the hit CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men” since its debut in 2003.
Born Carlos Irwin Estévez on September 3, 1965, Sheen attended Santa Monica High School with future movie stars Sean Penn and Rob Lowe. The three were close friends, and together cultivated a mutual interest in acting and baseball, making numerous short films together while Sheen served as the baseball team’s star pitcher. However, his performance in the classroom was lackluster, and Sheen was expelled from school shortly before graduation. His acting career exploded quickly nonetheless, with a lead role alongside Patrick Swayze in the alarmist teen war film “Red Dawn,” which sees a band of displaced high school students band together to fight invading Soviets.
A string of TV films followed, in addition to meaty roles in youth films like “The Boys Next Door,” “Lucas,” and “The Wraith.” His big break was right around the corner with Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning Vietnam film “Platoon,” which saw Sheen come of age as a conflicted soldier sent to the front lines. The harrowing, violent anti-war film put Sheen on the map, and his next big role remains one of his best performances – in Stone’s terrific “Wall Street.” As an eager yuppie assigned to an immoral billionaire played by Michael Douglas, Sheen had the perfect demeanor to represent the poisonous greed of the excessive financial industry in the 80s. Sheen’s experience as a baseballer helped him nab roles in two of his most popular films from the late 80s – the World Series drama “Eight Men Out” with John Cusack and the hit spoof “Major League.”
Sheen suffered a career downturn in the mid-90s, but not before starring in hits like “The Three Musketeers” (with Kiefer Sutherland and Chris O’Donnell), “Hot Shots!” and Clint Eastwood’s “The Rookie.” Later films like “The Arrival” and “Shadow Conspiracy” were box office failures, as was his 2000 team-up with brother Emilio Estévez for the porn king drama “Rated X.” Sheen did find a minor hit with Brett Ratner’s “Money Talks,” a buddy movie with Chris Tucker.
“Spin City” served as Sheen’s return to the spotlight after he was hired as a replacement for Michael J. Fox, who was in poor health at the time. Sheen had a successful run for the show’s final season, and even won a Golden Globe for his performance. “Two and a Half Men” premiered soon after, and has given Sheen the opportunity to poke fun at his womanizing, party-going image from the 90s. His greatest exposure of late has been in the tabloids, however, after his divorce from Denise Richards turned into a highly publicized battle. 2007 will see Sheen voice a role in the animated comedy “Foodfight!”