Sean Penn American Actor Born 1960 in Santa Monica

Sean Penn, born 17 August 1960 in Santa Monica, is an American actor. He is known for Into the Wild (2007) and The Thin Red Line (1998).

Early life

He was born to Leo Penn and Eileen Ryan. Sean Penn was educated at Santa Monica High School and Santa Monica College.

Career

The earliest credit on record for Sean Penn is Taps (1981). During the 1990s, he worked on Dead Man Walking (1995) and Being John Malkovich (1999). Work from the 2000s includes Two and a Half Men (2003) and Milk (2008, as Harvey Milk). The Tree of Life (2011) and Gangster Squad (2013, as Mickey Cohen) are among his 2010s credits. In the 2020s, he appeared in Licorice Pizza (2021, as Jack Holden) and One Battle After Another (2025).

His filmography here covers 73 films and 4 TV series from 1981 to 2025. Drama is the most frequent genre among his listed titles (21), followed by comedy (10) and crime (7). Of his three titles with worldwide box-office figures on record, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) has the highest, at $188 million. His off-screen credits include director on 9 titles, including The Pledge (film), and writer on 5 titles, including The Gunman.

Charlie Sheen appears in three of his listed titles, including Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003). Other co-stars who recur in his credits are Naomi Watts (three titles) and John Cusack (two titles). Terrence Malick directed two of his titles on record.

Recognition

Among his honours are three Academy Awards (2004, 2009 and 2026). He has also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (2004) for Mystic River and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (2026) for One Battle After Another. Sean Penn also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1996 for Dead Man Walking. Awards come to 11 wins and 8 nominations in total.

Public roles

In 2008, he took up the post of President of the Jury at the Cannes Festival.

Personal life

Former marriages on record are to Madonna (1985 to 1989), Robin Wright (1996 to 2010) and Leila George (2020 to 2021, divorced). He is the father of Hopper Penn and Dylan Penn.