Martin Sheen: The Citizen, Soldier.

Well, it took many years but something finally provoked me to look into the life of Martin Sheen. He is ubiquitous as an actor. He has been working steadily since the 60’s. He is one of the most recognizable faces on TV. But, not until I started watching the show “Grace and Frankie” on Netflix did I develop a real appreciation for the guy. In the show, Sheen plays a man who has been married for over 40 years to a woman played by Jane Fonda (Frankie). They have two adult daughters. Sheen decides to announce that he has been sustaining a gay romance with his law partner (Sam Waterston) for the last 20 years and they now want to “come out” and get married. It's good enough, I guess. I only watch the series for Sheen. He is so invested in the role. His character is so well developed, in part, because he is such a gifted actor. It’s an ensemble cast but I mainly watch it for when Sheen has a scene.

Out of curiosity I decided to look into his back story. Everyone has a back story. I often get interested in the childhoods and circumstances of people I see on TV.

Sheen’s story was inspirational. It deserved a blog in the Malibu Patch. He actually lives in this town. He was made honorary mayor of Malibu in 1989.

This will not be a great literary piece., duh. I am going to take much of his bio from the internet so I will credit (it) as the main author of this piece.

Sheen was born in Dayton ohio in 1940. His mother was born in Ireland and his father was born in Spain. His father's last name was Estevez, and that was Martin's surname until he changed it in order to make it easier to assimilate as an actor. He now regrets changing his name. It says "Estevez", still, on his driver’s license today.

During birth, Sheen's left arm was crushed by forceps giving him limited lateral movement of that arm, which is three inches shorter than his right. After moving to Dayton in the 1930s, his father was a factory worker/machinery inspector. Sheen grew up on Brown Street in the South Park neighborhood, one of ten children (nine boys and a girl). Sheen contracted polio as a child and had to remain bedridden for a year.

When he was eleven years old, Sheen's mother died, and the children faced the possibility of living in an orphanage. The family was able to remain together with the assistance of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dayton. Sheen was raised as a Catholic. At fourteen years old he organized a strike of golf caddies while working at a private golf club in Dayton, Ohio. He complained about the golfers, saying: "They often used obscene language in front of us... we were little boys and they were abusive... anti-Semitic.... And they, for the most part, were upstanding members of the community."

Sheen was drawn to acting at a young age, but his father disapproved of his interest in the field. Despite his father's opposition, Sheen borrowed money from a Catholic priest and moved to New York City in his early twenties, hoping to make it as an actor. It was in New York that he met the legendary Catholic activist Dorothy Day. Working with her Catholic Worker Movement, he began his commitment to social justice.

In a speech at Oxford University in 2009, Sheen stated that he had been arrested 66 times for protesting and acts of civil disobedience. He was described by human rights activist as having "a rap sheet almost as long as his list of film credits."

On April 1, 2007, Sheen was arrested, with 38 other activists, for trespassing at the Nevada Test Site at a Nevada Desert Experience event protesting against the site.

He has a long association with Sea Shepherd and that conservation organization has named a ship, the RV Martin to recognize his commitment and support.

Sheen has been married to the same woman, Janet Templeton, since 1961. They have 3 sons and one daughter. He is a follower of the Consistent life ethic, which opposes abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and war.

Sheen is a devout Catholic and his positions are most often consistent with Catholic teachings though he is in strong support of same sex marriage. On abortion Sheen was quoted as saying:

"I cannot make a choice for a woman, particularly a black or brown or poor pregnant woman. I would not make a judgment in the case. As a father and a grandfather, I have had experience with children who don't always come when they are planned, and I have experienced the great joy of God's presence in my children, so I'm inclined to be against abortion of any life. But I am equally against the death penalty or war – anywhere people are sacrificed for some end justifying a means. I don't think abortion is a good idea. I personally am opposed to abortion, but I will not judge anybody else's right in that regard because I am not a woman and I could never face the actual reality of it."

On April 10, 2006, the New York Times reported that members of the Democratic Party in Ohio had contacted Sheen, attempting to persuade him to run for the United States Senate in Ohio. Sheen declined the offer, stating, "I'm just not qualified. You're mistaking celebrity for credibility."

On November 26, 2006, the Sunday Times in Ireland, where Sheen was then living as a result of his enrolment in NUI Galway, reported on his criticism of mushroom farmers exploiting foreign workers by paying them as little as €2.50 an hour in a country where the minimum wage was €7.65.

Sheen's latest activism includes attendances at meetings of the environmentalist group Earth First! and speaking appearances at youth empowerment events called We Day on behalf of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner. Sheen has been named an ambassador of Free The Children and has supported such initiatives as the We are Silent campaign, a 24-hour pledge of silence. Speaking about his work with Free The Children, Sheen has said, "I'm hooked! I told them whenever I could offer some insight or energy or whatever I had, I'd be delighted if they would call on me, and they have."

Sheen has also championed Help Darfur Now, a student-run organization to help aid victims of the genocide in Darfur, the western region in Sudan. He also appears in the recent anti-fur documentary "Skin Trade."

What more can you say about a man? No one would fault him if he just lived off the prestige of his acting accomplishments and celebrity; if he just bought a Bentley and lived in a mansion on the hill and played golf and drank martinis and checked on the stock market all day long. He is under no societal burden whatsoever to care about anything but himself and his property rights and his wine cellar. But, Martin Sheen has turned his back on tradition. He alone has decided on what principles he wants to base his life and he has lived by those principles. They may not be (your) principles or (mine) but that is hardly the point. Martin Sheen has taken anything but the path of least resistance. He thinks deeply about issues that don’t affect him personally but issues that affect humanity, his neighbors next door and those neighbors who live on the other side of the world. He is the truest of citizens. He is a weapon-less soldier who never rests. His legacy, perhaps more important than his acting, has been to lace his boots up and fight in the trenches wherever he sees injustice or a cause worthy of his support. I can't think of a legacy more glorious and noble!

Food for Thought......