Sheen was born Ramón Estévez, however, due to prejudices in the industry, he changed his professional name to Martin Sheen in 1958 in a bid to land more acting roles. When he began auditioning as an actor, Estevez said he, too, used the name Sheen as he thought it would help open doors in Hollywood.
As he looked to establish a career in Hollywood, he decided to use a stage name. "Back in the day, in 1958, he changed his name from Ramón Estévez to Martin Sheen because, at the time, there was a lot of prejudice against people with the Hispanic name," Emilio shared on Today in May 2023.
Why did Emilio Estevez take his mother's last name?
Though his father had opted to use the stage name "Sheen" over his more ethnic birth name "Estevez," Emilio chose to retain the family name, hoping to avoid riding his father's coattails. He also thought the double "E" set of initials was "pretty."
Though Sheen's decision to go by Charlie was simply to avoid confusion with an uncle also named Carlos, when he became an actor, he took on the last name Sheen to follow in the footsteps of his father Martin Sheen. On the other hand, his brother Emilio Estevez kept his birth name.
What was Charlie Sheen's name before he changed it?
Sheen's birth name is Carlos Estévez. He changed it to follow in the footsteps of his father, Martin Sheen, whose birth name was Ramon Antonio Gerard Estévez.
Martin Sheen on Why He Changed His Name & Emilio Estevez on Why He Didn't Change His Name
Are Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez full brothers?
Estevez was born in the Bronx, the oldest child of artist Janet Sheen and actor Martin Sheen (legally Ramón Estévez). His siblings are Ramon Estevez, Charlie Sheen (born Carlos Estévez), and Renée Estevez. Estevez's paternal grandparents were Irish and Spanish immigrants.
Born and raised in the United States by a Spanish father and an Irish mother, he adopted the stage name Martin Sheen to help him gain acting parts. He is the father of four children, all of whom are actors.
Sheen was born Carlos Estévez on September 3, 1965, in New York City, the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen (whose real name is Ramón Estévez) and artist Janet Templeton. His paternal grandparents were emigrants from Galicia (Spain) and Ireland, respectively.
Estévez, or Estevez in English, is a Galician (Spanish) family name. It is a patronymic, meaning son of Stephen, in Galician Estevo. In Portuguese the equivalent is Esteves, the Italian equivalent is Di Stefano and Stefani and the Spanish equivalent is Estébanez, from the Spanish name Esteban.
Martin Sheen (born August 3, 1940) is a Spanish-Irish-American actor. He is best known for his role as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and, most recently, as President Josiah Bartlet on the acclaimed and long-running television drama series The West Wing.
Q: Your family comes from Spain? A: From my dad side, yes. I try to speak Spanish but I'm not to good at it. I still have family in Madrid, an aunt leaves in Atocha.
In addition to his three daughters, Charlie is also the father of twins Bob and Max, born in 2009, with ex-wife Brooke Mueller. “They've made me a better man,” the Rookie actor told In Touch two months after their birth.
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is a film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands (1973) and Apocalypse Now (1979), and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.
The eldest son of actor Martin Sheen and brother of actor Charlie Sheen, he earned acclaim as a founding member of the âBrat Packâ, appearing in the 1980s in such films as Repo Man (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and St. Elmo's Fire (1985).
Since the dramatic fallout of his 2011 meltdown, Sheen has become sober and expressed regret, while attributing his behaviour to drugs and testosterone cream. Sheen went on to star in sitcom Anger Management for 100 episodes following his dismissal from Two and a Half Men.
