Sean Penn

ActingDirecting

Born Aug 17, 1960 (age 66) · Santa Monica, California, USA

Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. His accolades include three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three British Academy Film Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award. He received the Honorary César in 2015 and the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2022. Penn made his feature film debut in the drama Taps (1981), before taking roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Bad Boys (1983), and At Close Range (1986). He has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for playing a grieving father in Mystic River (2003) and the gay rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk (2008). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the ruthless military officer Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another (2025). He was Oscar-nominated for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001). He also acted in Casualties of War (1989), State of Grace (1990), Carlito's Way (1993), The Game(1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), Hurlyburly (1998), 21 Grams (2003), Fair Game (2010), The Tree of Life (2011), Licorice Pizza (2021) and Daddio (2023). Penn made his directorial film debut with the crime drama The Indian Runner (1991), followed by The Crossing Guard (1995), The Pledge (2001), and Into the Wild (2007). On stage, he acted in the Broadway plays Heartland (1981) and Slab Boys (1983). On television, he portrayed an astronaut in the Hulu drama series The First (2018) and John N. Mitchell in the Starz political thriller miniseries Gaslit (2022). Penn has also engaged in political and social activism, including his criticism of the George W. Bush administration, his contact with the presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, his humanitarian work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and his support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amidst the Russian-Ukrainian war. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sean Penn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Adds the top 10 unseen, by popularity

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty2013
as ⁨Sean O'Connell⁩
Mystic River2003
as ⁨Jimmy Markum⁩
The Game1997
as ⁨Conrad Van Orton⁩
Being John Malkovich1999
as ⁨Sean Penn (uncredited)⁩
One Battle After Another2025
as ⁨Col. Steven J. Lockjaw⁩
Gangster Squad2013
as ⁨Mickey Cohen⁩
The Angry Birds Movie2016
as ⁨Terence (voice)⁩
as ⁨David Kleinfeld⁩
as ⁨Paul Rivers⁩
as ⁨1st Sgt. Edward Welsh⁩
as ⁨Jack⁩
as ⁨Jack Holden⁩
as ⁨Sam Dawson⁩
as ⁨Harvey Milk⁩
as ⁨Tobin Keller⁩
as ⁨Matthew Poncelet⁩
as ⁨Passenger in Car (uncredited)⁩
as ⁨Jeff Spicoli⁩
as ⁨Cheyenne⁩
as ⁨Dr. William Chester Minor⁩
as ⁨Jim Terrier⁩ · Screenplay · Producer
as ⁨Sgt. Tony Meserve⁩
as ⁨Joseph Wilson⁩
as ⁨Bobby Cooper⁩
as ⁨Emmet Ray⁩
as ⁨Jim⁩
as ⁨Danny McGavin⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn⁩
as ⁨Terry⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn (uncredited)⁩
as ⁨Clark⁩
as ⁨Willie Stark⁩
as ⁨Bradford 'Brad' Whitewood Jr.⁩
as ⁨Mick O'Brien⁩
as ⁨Cuco Sanchez⁩
as ⁨Samuel Bicke⁩
as ⁨Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer⁩
as ⁨Gene Rutkovsky⁩ · Producer
as ⁨Thomas Janes⁩
as ⁨Daulton Lee⁩
as ⁨John Vogel⁩ · Director · Producer
as ⁨Narrator⁩
as ⁨Eddie Quinn⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Marciello⁩
as ⁨Eddie⁩
as ⁨Glendon Wasey⁩
as ⁨Henry 'Hopper' Nash⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn⁩
as ⁨Strange Hitchhiker⁩

Also directed

Screenplay · Director · Producer
Producer · Director
Writer · Producer · Director
Director
Screenplay · Director
Director · Writer

Adds the top 10 unseen, by popularity

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty2013
as ⁨Sean O'Connell⁩
Mystic River2003
as ⁨Jimmy Markum⁩
The Game1997
as ⁨Conrad Van Orton⁩
Being John Malkovich1999
as ⁨Sean Penn (uncredited)⁩
One Battle After Another2025
as ⁨Col. Steven J. Lockjaw⁩
Gangster Squad2013
as ⁨Mickey Cohen⁩
The Angry Birds Movie2016
as ⁨Terence (voice)⁩
as ⁨David Kleinfeld⁩
as ⁨Paul Rivers⁩
as ⁨1st Sgt. Edward Welsh⁩
as ⁨Jack⁩
as ⁨Jack Holden⁩
as ⁨Sam Dawson⁩
as ⁨Harvey Milk⁩
as ⁨Tobin Keller⁩
as ⁨Matthew Poncelet⁩
as ⁨Passenger in Car (uncredited)⁩
as ⁨Jeff Spicoli⁩
as ⁨Cheyenne⁩
as ⁨Dr. William Chester Minor⁩
as ⁨Jim Terrier⁩ · Screenplay · Producer
as ⁨Sgt. Tony Meserve⁩
as ⁨Joseph Wilson⁩
as ⁨Bobby Cooper⁩
as ⁨Emmet Ray⁩
as ⁨Jim⁩
as ⁨Danny McGavin⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn⁩
as ⁨Terry⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn (uncredited)⁩
as ⁨Clark⁩
as ⁨Willie Stark⁩
as ⁨Bradford 'Brad' Whitewood Jr.⁩
as ⁨Mick O'Brien⁩
as ⁨Cuco Sanchez⁩
as ⁨Samuel Bicke⁩
as ⁨Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer⁩
as ⁨Gene Rutkovsky⁩ · Producer
as ⁨Thomas Janes⁩
as ⁨Daulton Lee⁩
as ⁨John Vogel⁩ · Director · Producer
as ⁨Narrator⁩
as ⁨Eddie Quinn⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Marciello⁩
as ⁨Eddie⁩
as ⁨Glendon Wasey⁩
as ⁨Henry 'Hopper' Nash⁩
as ⁨Sean Penn⁩
as ⁨Strange Hitchhiker⁩

Also directed

Screenplay · Director · Producer
Producer · Director
Writer · Producer · Director
Director
Screenplay · Director
Director · Writer