Why West Wing's Martin Sheen Regrets Changing His Name
After a career spanning over seven decades, The West Wingactor Martin Sheen looks back and regrets changing his name. Sheen's long and storied career has encompassed roles in film, television, and the theater. His star-making turn came in Francis Ford Coppola's war odyssey, Apocalypse Now, in which Sheen played Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard. He's followed that with roles in The Departed, Catch Me if You Can, Wall Street, Gandhi, and Badlands, to name a few. Arguably his most memorable role, though, is that of been Jed Bartlet, one of the greatest fictional presidents of all time, which Sheen played across seven seasons of the Aaron Sorkin-created political drama The West Wing.
Sheen was born Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez in Dayton, Ohio to immigrant parents. His father Francisco Estevez was from Spain, and his mother Mary-Ann Phelan was from Ireland. His was a large family, and he was the seventh of 10 children. Although initially dissuaded from the career by his father, both Martin and his younger brother Joe decided to pursue acting. Now 81 years old, Sheen's career is barely slowing down, and he just recently finished a seven-season stint on Netflix's Grace and Frankie.
Related: Why Aaron Sorkin Left The West Wing After Season 4
A recent interview with Closer Weekly sees Sheen looking back at his career and having second thoughts about whether he'd made the right decision all those years ago. Although he clarifies he never went so far as to change it legally, he still expresses regret for changing his stage name. Check out the full quote below:
«That’s one of my regrets. I never changed my name officially. It’s still Ramon Estevez on my birth certificate. It’s on my marriage license, my passport, driver’s license.
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