Sean Penn
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1960-08-17 (64 years old)
Place of Birth
Santa Monica, California, USA
Sean Penn
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.
Known For
Acting
(2025)
One Battle After Another
as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
(2025)
(2024)
Asphalt City
as Gene Rutkovsky
(2024)
Daddio
as Clark
(2024)
BRATS
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2024)
Bruce Springsteen, le chanteur qui murmurait à l'oreille de l'Amérique
as Himself (archive) - director, writer
(2024)
(2023)
Superpower
as Self
(2023)
(2021)
Licorice Pizza
as Jack Holden
(2021)
Val
as Self (archive footage)
(2021)
Flag Day
as John Vogel
(2020)
Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity
as Self (archive footage)
(2020)
(2020)
Citizen Penn
as Himself
(2019)
The Professor and the Madman
as Dr. William Chester Minor
(2017)
Sound of Sun
as Man
(2017)
(2016)
The Angry Birds Movie
as Terence (voice)
(2015)
The Gunman
as Jim Terrier
(2015)
Beaver Trilogy Part IV
as Himself (archive footage)
(2015)
Sweet Micky for President
as Self
(2014)
(2014)
(2014)
(2013)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Sean O'Connell
(2013)
Gangster Squad
as Mickey Cohen
(2013)
The Human Experiment
as Narrator
(2012)
(2012)
Americans
as Commie
(2011)
The Tree of Life
as Jack
(2011)
This Must Be the Place
as Cheyenne
(2011)
Woody Allen: A Documentary
as Self
(2011)
(2011)
(2010)
Fair Game
as Joseph Wilson
(2010)
I'm Still Here
as Sean Penn (uncredited)
(2009)
The People Speak
as Self
(2009)
Deflating the Elephant
as Narrator
(2008)
Milk
as Harvey Milk
(2008)
What Just Happened
as Self
(2008)
VH1 Rock Honors: The Who
as Self
(2008)
Witch Hunt
as Himself (Narrator)
(2007)
Brando
as Self
(2006)
All the King's Men
as Willie Stark
(2006)
(2005)
The Interpreter
as Tobin Keller
(2004)
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
as Samuel Bicke
(2004)
(2004)
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild
as Self(archive footage) (uncredited)
(2004)
(2004)
21 Grams: In Fragments
as Self
(2003)
Mystic River
as Jimmy Markum
(2003)
21 Grams
as Paul Rivers
(2003)
It's All About Love
as Marciello
(2003)
Pauly Shore Is Dead
as Sean Penn
(2003)
Bukowski: Born Into This
as Self
(2003)
Inside Björk
as Self
(2003)
(2003)
This So-Called Disaster
as Ray
(2002)
Dogtown and Z-Boys
as Narrator
(2002)
Searching for Debra Winger
as Self (uncredited)
(2002)
(2001)
I Am Sam
as Sam Dawson
(2000)
Before Night Falls
as Cuco Sanchez
(2000)
The Weight of Water
as Thomas Janes
(2000)
Up at the Villa
as Rowley Flint
(2000)
A Constant Forge
as Self
(2000)
Beaver Trilogy
as "Groovin' Larry" Huff
(1999)
Being John Malkovich
as Sean Penn (uncredited)
(1999)
Sweet and Lowdown
as Emmet Ray
(1999)
(1998)
The Thin Red Line
as 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh
(1998)
Hurlyburly
as Eddie
(1997)
The Game
as Conrad Van Orton
(1997)
U Turn
as Bobby Cooper
(1997)
She's So Lovely
as Eddie Quinn
(1997)
Hugo Pool
as Strange Hitchhiker
(1997)
Loved
as Man on the Hill (Michael)
(1995)
Dead Man Walking
as Matthew Poncelet
(1993)
Carlito's Way
as David Kleinfeld
(1993)
The Last Party
as Self
(1993)
(1992)
(1990)
State of Grace
as Terry
(1990)
Cool Blue
as Phil the Plumber (uncredited)
(1989)
Casualties of War
as Sgt. Tony Meserve
(1989)
We're No Angels
as Jim
(1988)
Colors
as Danny McGavin
(1988)
Judgment in Berlin
as Guenther X
(1987)
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
as (voice)
(1986)
At Close Range
as Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Jr.
(1986)
Shanghai Surprise
as Glendon Wasey
(1985)
The Falcon and the Snowman
as Daulton Lee
(1984)
Racing with the Moon
as Henry 'Hopper' Nash
(1984)
Crackers
as Dillard
(1983)
Risky Business
as Cameo (uncredited)
(1983)
Bad Boys
as Mick O'Brien
(1983)
Summerspell
as Buddy
(1982)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
as Jeff Spicoli
(1981)
Taps
as Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer
(1981)
The Killing of Randy Webster
as Don Fremont
(1981)
Hellinger's Law
as Bit Part (uncredited)
(1981)
The Beaver Kid 2
as Groovin' Larry
Crew
Candles
Set Decoration
Untitled Jamal Khashoggi Project
Director, Producer
(2025)
Words of War
Executive Producer
(2024)
Asphalt City
Producer
(2024)
September 5
Producer
(2023)
Superpower
Director
(2021)
kid 90
Executive Producer
(2021)
Flag Day
Director, Producer
(2017)
The Last Face
Director
(2015)
The Gunman
Screenplay, Producer
(2013)
The Human Experiment
Executive Producer
(2012)
Americans
Story
(2009)
(2007)
Into the Wild
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(2002)
11’09”01—September 11
Director, Writer
(2001)
The Pledge
Director, Producer
(1997)
She's So Lovely
Executive Producer
(1997)
Loved
Producer
(1995)
The Crossing Guard
Director, Writer, Producer
(1991)
The Indian Runner
Director, Screenplay