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.
The then-young actor, who was raised by a Spanish father and an Irish mother, opted to abandon his given name of Ramon Estévez and use the stage name Martin Sheen as a way to get more work.
Why do Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez have different names?
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.
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.
Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. In a career spanning six decades he received numerous accolades including three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Award.
Martin Sheen on Why He Changed His Name & Emilio Estevez on Why He Didn't Change His Name
Are Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen related?
No, Charlie Sheen's father is Martin Sheen and not Michael Douglas. Charlie Sheen has a brother (Emilio) who kept the original surname of Estevez. By the way, Kirk Douglas who was the father of Michael Douglas died today (February 5, 2020) at the age of 103.
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.
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.
In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Estevez said his father "earned his name," and he hadn't. The actor's IMDb biography states that Estevez also thought the set of double "E" was "pretty." Despite the refusal to adopt his father's stage name, Estevez was still successful in the film industry.
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."
Do all of Martin Sheen's children have the same mother?
Martin Sheen and his wife, Janet Sheen, share four children: Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Renée Estevez. His sons and daughter followed in their footsteps as actors, though Martin says he wasn't part of the decision.
Both Ohio natives, the pair met in the early '60s in New York City and got married in 1961. They went on to welcome four children together: sons Emilio Esteves, Charlie Sheen and Ramón Esteves and daughter Renée Estevez, all of whom followed in their father's footsteps and pursued acting.
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.
Emilio Estevez on Brother Charlie Sheen: 'We're Just Proud of Him' After Regaining Sobriety Post HIV Diagnosis. PEOPLE Now airs live, Monday through Friday, from the Meredith offices in New York City.
