Carlos Irwin Estevez (born September 3, 1965), better known by his stage name
Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor
Martin Sheen.
Sheen's personal life has also made headlines, including reports about alcohol and drug abuse and marital problems as well as allegations of domestic violence. He was fired from his role on
Two and a Half Men by
CBS and
Warner Bros. on March 7, 2011. Sheen subsequently announced a nationwide tour.
[3]
Early life
At Santa Monica High School, he showed an early interest in acting, making amateur
Super 8 films with his brother Emilio and school friends
Rob Lowe and
Sean Penn under his birth name. A few weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from school for poor grades and attendance. Deciding to become an actor, he took the stage name Charlie Sheen. His father had adopted it in honor of the Catholic archbishop and theologian
Fulton J. Sheen.
[7][8]
Acting career
Film
In 1990, he starred alongside his father in
Cadence as a rebellious inmate in a military stockade and with
Clint Eastwood in the
buddy cop action film
The Rookie.
[4] The films were directed by Martin Sheen and Eastwood, respectively. In 1992, he starred in
Beyond the Law with
Linda Fiorentino and
Michael Madsen. In 1994, Sheen was awarded a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
[10] In 1997, Sheen wrote his first movie,
Discovery Mars, a
direct-to-video documentary revolving around the question, "Is There Life on Mars?". The next year, Sheen wrote, produced and starred in the action movie
No Code of Conduct.
[11]
Television
In 2003, Sheen was cast as Charlie Harper in the
CBS sitcom
Two and a Half Men, which followed the popular Monday night time slot of
Everybody Loves Raymond. Sheen's role on
Two and a Half Men was loosely based on Sheen's bad boy image.
[15] The role garnered him an ALMA Award and he gained three
Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe award nominations.
[13] During his eight and final season on the show, Sheen earned a record $1.8 million per episode.
[2]
Warner Bros. dismissal
In January 2011, production of
Two and a Half Men went on hiatus while Sheen underwent a substance rehabilitation program in his home, his third attempt at rehab in twelve months.
[16][17][18] The following month, however, CBS canceled the season's four remaining episodes after Sheen publicly made derogatory comments about the series' creator,
Chuck Lorre,
[19] and
Warner Bros. officially banned Sheen from entering its production lot.
[20] Sheen, already the highest-paid actor on television,
[2] responded by publicly demanding a 50 percent raise,
[21] claiming that in comparison to the amount that the series was making, he was "underpaid."
[21]
CBS and Warner Bros. fired Sheen from
Two and a Half Men on March 7, 2011.
[22] He was replaced by
Ashton Kutcher.
[23][24] In the aftermath of his dismissal, Sheen remained vocally critical of Chuck Lorre,
[25] and filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros., which was settled the following September 26.
[26] That same month, Sheen, while presenting an award at the
Primetime Emmy Awards, addressed "everybody here from
Two and a Half Men" and stated, "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. We spent eight wonderful years together and I know you will continue to make great television."
[27]
Other
On September 19, 2011, Sheen was
roasted on
Comedy Central. It was watched by 6.4 million people, making it the highest rated roast on Comedy Central to date.
[28]
Other ventures
In 2006, Sheen launched a clothing line for kids, called Sheen Kidz.
[29]
In 2011, Sheen set a new
Guinness World Record for Twitter as the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers" (adding an average of 129,000 new followers per day
[30]) as well as the Guinness record for "Highest Paid TV Actor Per Episode – Current" at $1.25 million while he was a part of the cast of
Two and a Half Men sitcom.
[31] On March 3, 2011, Charlie Sheen signed with Ad.ly marketing agency specializing in Twitter and Facebook promotions.
[32][33]
The theater where "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option" took place.
On March 10, 2011, Sheen announced a nationwide tour, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option", which began in Detroit on April 2.
[34] The tour sold out in 18 minutes, a
Ticketmaster record.
[35] However, on April 1, 2011 the
Detroit Free Press featured an article that stated as of March 30 that there were over 1000 tickets available from a third-party reseller, some at 15% less than the cheapest seats sold at the Fox Theater.
[36] The Huffington Post reports Sheen will earn $1 million this year from Twitter endorsements and $7 million from the North American tour.
[37] Many of those attending the April 2 performance in Detroit found it disappointing;
[38] the subsequent performance in Chicago, which featured some adjustments, received a more positive reception.
[39]
Sheen has taken up a new business venture as a partner in a line of
electronic cigarettes. The "NicoSheen" product will feature the actor's signature smirk on packages of disposable E-cigarettes and related products.
[40]
On August 13, 2011, Sheen appeared as a host at the 12th annual
Gathering of the Juggalos. He received a mixed reaction from the audience. Some cheered him, and some booed and threw things at him.
[41]
Personal life
Family and relationships
Sheen has been married three times and has five children. His first daughter, Cassandra Jade Estevez (b. December 12, 1984) was born to his former high school girlfriend, Paula Profit.
[42][43]
In 1990, Sheen accidentally shot his fiancee,
Kelly Preston, in the arm.
[44] Preston broke off the engagement soon after.
[45]
On September 3, 1995,
[48] Sheen married Donna Peele.
[49] That same year, Sheen was named as one of the clients of an escort agency operated by
Heidi Fleiss.
[50] Sheen and Peele divorced in 1996.
[4]
On June 15, 2002, two years after they met on the set of the movie
Good Advice, Sheen married actress
Denise Richards. They have two daughters, Sam
[51] and Lola Sheen.
[52] In March 2005, Richards filed for divorce, accusing Sheen of alcohol and drug abuse and threats of violence.
[53] The divorce was finalized in November 2006 and preceded a custody dispute over their two daughters.
[54][55][56]
On May 30, 2008, Sheen married
Brooke Mueller, who later gave birth to their twin sons, Bob and Max.
[57][58][59] In November 2010, Sheen filed for divorce. On March 1, 2011, police removed Bob and Max from Sheen's home. Sheen told NBC's
Today, "I stayed very calm and focused."
[60] According to
People, social services took the children after Mueller obtained a
restraining order against Sheen. The document said, "I am very concerned that [Sheen] is currently insane."
[61] Asked if he would fight for the children, Sheen
texted People, "Born ready. Winning."
[61] Sheen and Mueller's divorce became final on May 2, 2011.
[1][62][63]
On March 1, 2011, Sheen was concurrently living with pornographic actress
Rachel Oberlin and model and graphic designer Natalie Kenly, whom he collectively nicknamed his "goddesses".
[64][65][66][67][68] Oberlin left Sheen in April 2011, and Kenly left in June 2011.
[69][70]
Substance abuse and legal issues
On May 20, 1998, Sheen overdosed while using cocaine and was hospitalized. On August 11, 1998, Sheen, already on probation for a previous drug offense, had his probation extended for an extra year and entered a rehab clinic.
[71][72] In a 2004 interview, Sheen admitted that the overdose was caused by his experimentation with injecting cocaine.
[73]
On December 25, 2009, Sheen was arrested for assaulting his wife, Brooke Mueller. He was released the same day from jail after posting an $8,500 bond.
[74][75] Sheen was charged with felony menacing, as well as third-degree assault and
criminal mischief.
[76] On August 2, 2010, Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault as part of a
plea bargain that included dismissal of the other charges against him. Sheen was sentenced to 30 days in a drug rehab center, 30 days of probation, and 36 hours of anger management.
[77]
On October 26, 2010, the police removed Sheen from his suite at the
Plaza Hotel after he reportedly caused $7,000 in damage.
[78] According to the NYPD, Sheen admitted to drinking and using cocaine the night of the incident.
[78] He was released after entering a hospital for observation.
[79]
Political views and activities
Charitable activities
Sheen was the 2004 spokesperson for the
Lee National Denim Day breast cancer fundraiser that raised millions of dollars for research and education regarding the disease. Sheen stated that a friend of his died from breast cancer, and he wanted to try to help find a cure for the disease.
A major donor and supporter of
Aid For AIDS since 2006, Sheen was honored with an AFA Angel Award, one of only a few ever given, at the nonprofit's 25th Silver Anniversary Reception in 2009.
[80] In addition to his financial support, he has volunteered to act as a celebrity judge for several years for their annual fundraiser,
Best In Drag Show,
[81] which raises around a quarter of a million dollars
[80] each year in Los Angeles for AIDS assistance.
[82][83] He has brought other celebrities to support the event, including his father, actor
Martin Sheen.
[84]Sheen's interest in AIDS was first reported in 1987 with his support of
Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became a national spokesperson for AIDS awareness after being infected with AIDS through a blood transfusion for his
hemophilia.
[85][86]
Sheen is donating one dollar from each ticket sold from his “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option Show” 2011 tour to the
Red Cross Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund.
[35]
In 2011, Sheen took on a Twitter challenge by a grieving mother to help critically ill babies born with
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia by supporting
CHERUBS – The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support.
[88]
September 11 attacks
Sheen has since become a prominent advocate of the
9/11 Truth movement.
[92] On September 8, 2009, he appealed to President
Barack Obama to set up a new investigation into the attacks. Presenting his views as a transcript of a fictional encounter with Obama, he was characterized by the press as believing the
9/11 Commission was a whitewash and that the administration of former President
George W. Bush may have been responsible for the attacks.
[93][94]
Filmography
Films
Short films
Television
