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.
One Battle After Another
Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
2025
Gonzo Girl
2023
Superpower
Self
2023
Licorice Pizza
Jack Holden
2021
The Gunman
Jim Terrier
2015
Sweet Micky for President
Self
2015
Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story
Himself
2014
Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey
Self
2014
The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles
Self
2014
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Sean O'Connell
2013
The Human Experiment
Narrator
2013
Gangster Squad
Mickey Cohen
2013
Haiti Untold
2012
Woody Allen: A Documentary
Self
2011
This Must Be the Place
Cheyenne
2011
The Tree of Life
Jack
2011
I'm Still Here
Sean Penn (uncredited)
2010
Fair Game
Joseph Wilson
2010
The People Speak
Self
2009
Milk
Harvey Milk
2008
What Just Happened
Self
2008
Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride
Self
2006
All the King's Men
Willie Stark
2006
The Interpreter
Tobin Keller
2005
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
Self
2004
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Samuel Bicke
2004
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
Self
2004
21 Grams: In Fragments
Self
2004
Mystic River
Jimmy Markum
2003
21 Grams
Paul Rivers
2003
Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die)
Self
2003
It's All About Love
Marciello
2003
Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Film on Terrence Malick
Self
2002
Searching for Debra Winger
Self (uncredited)
2002
Dogtown and Z-Boys
Narrator
2002
I Am Sam
Sam Dawson
2001
The Weight of Water
Thomas Janes
2000
Before Night Falls
Cuco Sanchez
2000
Beaver Trilogy
"Groovin' Larry" Huff
2000
Up at the Villa
Rowley Flint
2000
Sweet and Lowdown
Emmet Ray
1999
Hurlyburly
Eddie
1998
The Thin Red Line
1st Sgt. Edward Welsh
1998
Hugo Pool
Strange Hitchhiker
1997
Loved
Man on the Hill (Michael)
1997
U Turn
Bobby Cooper
1997
The Game
Conrad Van Orton
1997
She's So Lovely
Eddie Quinn
1997
Dead Man Walking
Matthew Poncelet
1995
Carlito's Way
David Kleinfeld
1993
The Last Party
Self
1993
Cruise Control
1992
State of Grace
Terry
1990
Casualties of War
Sgt. Tony Meserve
1989
We're No Angels
Jim
1989
Judgment in Berlin
Guenther X
1988
Colors
Danny McGavin
1988
Shanghai Surprise
Glendon Wasey
1986
At Close Range
Bradford "Brad" Whitewood Jr.
1986
The Falcon and the Snowman
Daulton Lee
1985
Racing with the Moon
Henry 'Hopper' Nash
1984
Crackers
Dillard
1984
Bad Boys
Mick O'Brien
1983
Animals in War
Bruce Springsteen, le chanteur qui murmurait à l'oreille de l'Amérique
Himself (archive) - director, writer
2024
Daddio
Clark
2024
BRATS
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2024
Asphalt City
Gene Rutkovsky
2024
Flag Day
John Vogel
2021
Val
Self (archive footage)
2021
Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity
Self (archive footage)
2020
Citizen Penn
Himself
2020
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Virtual Table Read
Pizza Guy
2020
The Professor and the Madman
Dr. William Chester Minor
2019
Sound of Sun
Man
2017
Mad Hannans
2017
The Angry Birds Movie
Terence (voice)
2016
Beaver Trilogy Part IV
Himself (archive footage)
2015
Americans
Commie
2012
Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division
Self
2011
Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune
Self
2011
Deflating the Elephant
Narrator
2009
Witch Hunt
Himself (Narrator)
2008
VH1 Rock Honors: The Who
Self
2008
Brando
Self
2007
Inside Björk
Self
2003
Pauly Shore Is Dead
Sean Penn
2003
Bukowski: Born Into This
Self
2003
This So-Called Disaster
Ray
2003
A Constant Forge
Self
2000
Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1999
Being John Malkovich
Sean Penn (uncredited)
1999
Madonna: The Name of the Game
Self
1993
Cool Blue
Phil the Plumber (uncredited)
1990
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
(voice)
1987
Risky Business
Passenger in Car (uncredited)
1983
The Beaver Kid 2
Groovin' Larry
1981
Hellinger's Law
Bit Part (uncredited)
1981
Robbie Robertson: A Retrospective - From the Band to the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame
Himself
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
Self - Actor and Founder of CORE · (1 episode)
2025
Sean Penn, l'enfant terrible de l'Amérique
Self
2024
Gaslit
John Mitchell · (8 episodes)
2022
Lights Out with David Spade
Self · (1 episode)
2019
The First
Tom Haggerty · (8 episodes)
2018
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
(1 episode)
2018
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Self · (1 episode)
2008
Brando: The Documentary
Self · (2 episodes)
2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (1 episode)
2007
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
Self · (4 episodes)
2006
VH1 Rock Honors
(1 episode)
2006
Iconoclasts
Self · (1 episode)
2005
The Reichen Show
Self · (1 episode)
2005
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild
Self(archive footage) (uncredited)
2004
Viva La Bam
(1 episode)
2003
Two and a Half Men
Himself · (1 episode)
2003
Celebrities Uncensored
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self · (4 episodes)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Sean Penn · (1 episode)
2000
The Early Show
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Where Are They Now?
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Family Guy
Sean Penn (voice) · (1 episode)
1999
The View
(1 episode)
1997
Friends
Eric · (2 episodes)
1994
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · (1 episode)
1994
Summerspell
Buddy
1983
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Jeff Spicoli
1982
Taps
Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer
1981
The Killing of Randy Webster
Don Fremont
1981
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1975
Little House on the Prairie
(1 episode)
1974
aspekte
Self · (1 episode)
1965
The Oscars
Self · (2 episodes)
1953
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1944