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.
Career Statisics
| Season | Age | Movie | Role | Result | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 36 | Dead Man Walking (1995) | Leading Actor | Nom | 0 | |
| 2000 | 40 | Sweet and Lowdown (1999) | Leading Actor | Nom | 0 | |
| 2002 | 42 | I Am Sam (2001) | Leading Actor | Nom | 0 | |
| 2004 | 44 | Mystic River (2003) | Leading Actor | Win | 0 | |
| 2009 | 49 | Milk (2008) | Leading Actor | Win | 0 | |
| Career | 0 |
Transaction History
| Date | Location | Team | Receives | Team | Receives | Team | Receives |
|---|
Credits
| Year | Title | Character | |
|---|---|---|---|
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War Through the Eyes of Animals | ||
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2025-08-06 | The Battle of Baktan Cross | |
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2024-06-27 | Daddio | Clark |
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2024-03-28 | Asphalt City | Gene Rutkovsky |
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2023-09-07 | Gonzo Girl | |
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2021-11-26 | Licorice Pizza | Jack Holden |
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2021-08-20 | Flag Day | John Vogel |
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2020-09-17 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Virtual Table Read | Pizza Guy |
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2019-03-07 | The Professor and the Madman | Dr. William Chester Minor |
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2017-01-14 | Sound of Sun | Man |
|
2017-01-01 | Mad Hannans | |
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2016-05-11 | The Angry Birds Movie | Terence (voice) |
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2015-02-16 | The Gunman | Jim Terrier |
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2013-12-18 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Sean O'Connell |
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2013-01-09 | Gangster Squad | Mickey Cohen |
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2012-10-10 | Americans | Commie |
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2012-01-01 | Haiti Untold | |
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2011-08-24 | This Must Be the Place | Cheyenne |
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2011-05-17 | The Tree of Life | Jack |
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2010-09-10 | I'm Still Here | Sean Penn (uncredited) |
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2010-05-20 | Fair Game | Joseph Wilson |
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2008-11-05 | Milk | Harvey Milk |
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2006-09-10 | All the King's Men | Willie Stark |
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2005-04-08 | The Interpreter | Tobin Keller |
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2004-05-17 | The Assassination of Richard Nixon | Samuel Bicke |
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2003-10-07 | Mystic River | Jimmy Markum |
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2003-09-06 | 21 Grams | Paul Rivers |
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2003-03-11 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Sean Penn |
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2003-01-10 | It's All About Love | Marciello |
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2003-01-01 | This So-Called Disaster: Sam Shepard Directs "The Late Henry Moss" | Ray |
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2001-12-28 | I Am Sam | Sam Dawson |
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2001-03-30 | The Weight of Water | Thomas Janes |
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2000-09-03 | Before Night Falls | Cuco Sanchez |
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2000-08-13 | The Beaver Trilogy | "Groovin' Larry" Huff |
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2000-04-14 | Up at the Villa | Rowley Flint |
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1999-12-21 | Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High | |
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1999-12-03 | Sweet and Lowdown | Emmet Ray |
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1999-10-29 | Being John Malkovich | Sean Penn (uncredited) |
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1998-12-25 | Hurlyburly | Eddie |
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1998-12-23 | The Thin Red Line | 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh |
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1997-12-12 | Hugo Pool | Strange Hitchhiker |
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1997-10-31 | Loved | Man on the Hill (Michael) |
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1997-10-03 | U Turn | Bobby Cooper |
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1997-09-12 | The Game | Conrad Van Orton |
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1997-08-29 | She's So Lovely | Eddie Quinn |
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1995-12-29 | Dead Man Walking | Matthew Poncelet |
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1993-11-10 | Carlito's Way | David Kleinfeld |
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1992-10-01 | Cruise Control | |
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1990-09-14 | State of Grace | Terry |
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1990-02-27 | Cool Blue | Phil the Plumber (uncredited) |
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1989-08-18 | Casualties of War | Sgt. Tony Meserve |
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1989-06-02 | We're No Angels | Jim |
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1988-05-06 | Judgment in Berlin | Guenther X |
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1988-04-15 | Colors | Danny McGavin |
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1987-10-01 | Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam | (voice) |
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1986-08-29 | Shanghai Surprise | Glendon Wasey |
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1986-04-18 | At Close Range | Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Jr. |
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1985-01-25 | The Falcon and the Snowman | Daulton Lee |
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1984-03-23 | Racing with the Moon | Henry 'Hopper' Nash |
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1984-02-17 | Crackers | Dillard |
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1983-08-05 | Risky Business | Cameo (uncredited) |
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1983-07-02 | Summerspell | Buddy |
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1983-03-25 | Bad Boys | Mick O'Brien |
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1982-08-13 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Jeff Spicoli |
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1981-12-20 | Taps | Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer |
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1981-09-04 | The Beaver Kid 2 | Groovin' Larry |
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1981-03-11 | The Killing of Randy Webster | Don Fremont |
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1981-03-10 | Hellinger's Law | Bit Part (uncredited) |