Sean Penn
Born: 1960-08-17 in Santa Monica, California, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama Mystic River (2003) and the biopic Milk (2008). Penn began his acting career in television, with a brief appearance in episode 112 of Little House on the Prairie on December 4, 1974, directed by his father Leo Penn. Following his film debut in the drama Taps (1981), and a diverse range of film roles in the 1980s, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Bad Boys (1983), Penn garnered critical attention for his roles in the crime dramas At Close Range (1986), State of Grace (1990), and Carlito's Way (1993). He became known as a prominent leading actor with the drama Dead Man Walking (1995), for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination and the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival. Penn received another two Oscar nominations for Woody Allen's comedy-drama Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and the drama I Am Sam (2001), before winning his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 for Mystic River and a second one in 2008 for Milk. He has also won a Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the Nick Cassavetes-directed She's So Lovely (1997), and two Volpi Cups for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for the indie film Hurlyburly (1998) and the drama 21 Grams (2003). Penn made his feature film directorial debut with The Indian Runner (1991), followed by the drama film The Crossing Guard (1995) and the mystery film The Pledge (2001); all three were critically well received. Penn directed one of the 11 segments of 11'09"01 September 11 (2002), a compilation film made in response to the September 11 attacks. His fourth feature film, the biographical drama survival movie Into the Wild (2007), garnered critical acclaim and two Academy Award nominations. In addition to his film work, Penn has engaged in political and social activism, including his criticism of the George W. Bush administration, his contact with the Presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, and his humanitarian work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Filmography
2025
- One Battle After Another as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
- Words of War ... (Executive Producer)
- Manas ... (Executive Producer)
- Everybody's Live with John Mulaney as Self - Actor and Founder of CORE
- aka Charlie Sheen as Self
- Animals in War
- In Thanks We Trust as Self
2024
- Daddio as Clark
- Asphalt City as Gene Rutkovsky
- BRATS as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- September 5 ... (Producer)
- Bruce Springsteen – The America whisperer as Self : Actor, Director & Writer (Archive footage)
- Sean Penn, l'enfant terrible de l'Amérique as Self
2023
- Gonzo Girl
- C*A*U*G*H*T ... (Executive Producer)
- Superpower as Self
2022
- Gaslit as John Mitchell
2021
- kid 90 ... (Executive Producer)
- Licorice Pizza as Jack Holden
- Flag Day as John Vogel
2020
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Virtual Table Read as Pizza Guy
- Citizen Penn as Himself
2019
- Lights Out with David Spade as Self
- The Professor and the Madman as Dr. William Chester Minor
2018
- Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
- The First as Tom Haggerty
2017
- The Last Face ... (Director)
- Mad Hannans
- Sound of Sun as Man
2016
- The Angry Birds Movie as Terence (voice)
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- Beaver Trilogy Part IV as Himself (archive footage)
- The Gunman as Jim Terrier
- Sweet Micky for President as Self
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest
- The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles as Self
- Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey as Self
- Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story as Himself
2013
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as Sean O'Connell
- Gangster Squad as Mickey Cohen
- The Human Experiment as Narrator
2012
- Americans as Commie
- Haiti Untold
2011
- The Tree of Life as Jack
- This Must Be the Place as Cheyenne
- Woody Allen: A Documentary as Self
- Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune as Self
- Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division as Self
2010
- Fair Game as Joseph Wilson
- I'm Still Here as Sean Penn (uncredited)
2009
- Where the Wild Things Are ... (Thanks)
- The People Speak as Self
- Deflating the Elephant as Narrator
2008
- Milk as Harvey Milk
- What Just Happened as Self
- Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis as Self
- VH1 Rock Honors: The Who as Self
- Witch Hunt as Himself (Narrator)
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Into the Wild ... (Director)
- War Made Easy as Self - Narrator (Voice)
- Brando: The Documentary as Self
- Brando as Self
2006
- Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride as Self
- When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts as Self
- All the King's Men as Willie Stark
- VH1 Rock Honors
2005
- The Reichen Show as Self
- The Interpreter as Tobin Keller
- Iconoclasts as Self
2004
- The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing as Self
- The Assassination of Richard Nixon as Samuel Bicke
- 21 Grams: In Fragments as Self
- Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild as Self(archive footage) (uncredited)
- Mystic River: Beneath the Surface as Self
- Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments as Self
2003
- Two and a Half Men as Himself
- Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- Mystic River as Jimmy Markum
- Inside Björk as Self
- It's All About Love as Marciello
- 21 Grams as Paul Rivers
- Viva La Bam
- Pauly Shore Is Dead as Sean Penn
- Bukowski: Born Into This as Self
- Celebrities Uncensored as Self
- Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die) as Self
- Mystic River: From Page to Screen as Self
- This So-Called Disaster as Ray
2002
- September 11 ... (Director)
- Dogtown and Z-Boys as Narrator
- Searching for Debra Winger as Self (uncredited)
- Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Film on Terrence Malick as Self
2001
- The Pledge ... (Producer)
- I Am Sam as Sam Dawson
- The Weight of Water as Thomas Janes
2000
- Curb Your Enthusiasm as Sean Penn
- Beaver Trilogy as "Groovin' Larry" Huff
- Before Night Falls as Cuco Sanchez
- A Constant Forge as Self
- Up at the Villa as Rowley Flint
1999
- Family Guy as Sean Penn (voice)
- Where Are They Now? as Self
- Being John Malkovich as Sean Penn (uncredited)
- Sweet and Lowdown as Emmet Ray
- Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High
- The Early Show as Self
1998
- The Thin Red Line as 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh
- Hurlyburly as Eddie
1997
1995
- Dead Man Walking as Matthew Poncelet
- The Crossing Guard ... (Writer)
1994
- Friends as Eric
- Inside the Actors Studio as Self
1993
- Carlito's Way as David Kleinfeld
- The Last Party as Self
- Madonna: The Name of the Game as Self
1992
1991
- The Indian Runner ... (Director)
1990
- Cool Blue as Phil the Plumber (uncredited)
- State of Grace as Terry
1989
- Casualties of War as Sgt. Tony Meserve
- We're No Angels as Jim
1988
- Colors as Danny McGavin
- Judgment in Berlin as Guenther X
1987
- Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as (voice)
1986
- Shanghai Surprise as Glendon Wasey
- At Close Range as Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Jr.
1985
- The Falcon and the Snowman as Daulton Lee
1984
- Crackers as Dillard
- Racing with the Moon as Henry 'Hopper' Nash
1983
- Bad Boys as Mick O'Brien
- Risky Business as Passenger in Car (uncredited)
- Summerspell as Buddy
1982
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Jeff Spicoli
1981
- Taps as Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer
- Hellinger's Law as Bit Part (uncredited)
- The Killing of Randy Webster as Don Fremont
- The Beaver Kid 2 as Groovin' Larry
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1965
- aspekte as Self
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter