Michael Sheen and Charlie Sheen have the same last name and it’s not like it is a very popular last name. Could the Welsh and American actors be related somehow?
Michael Sheen is not related to Charlie Sheen. He is also not related to Martin Sheen. Both Martin Sheen and his son Charlie Sheen use stage names. Their real names are Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez and Carlos Irwin Estévez. Michael Sheen on the other hand is actually named Michael Sheen.
You can read more below about why Martin Sheen changed his name, the origins of the Sheen name, and if Michael Sheen has any famous relatives.
Martin Sheen Changed His Name
Martin Sheen was born to United States immigrants in 1940 and he was named a completely different name. His birth name was Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez.
His mother was an immigrant from Ireland while his father was an immigrant from Spain. Martin wanted to be an actor from a young age but his father didn’t approve.
So it was that Martin Sheen intentionally failed his entrance exam to the University of Dayton. He did it so he could move to New York City and be an actor.
However, his dreams of becoming an actor were hindered by more than his father’s disapproval. He was being turned down for roles because of his name.
This was during a time when there was a huge anti-Puerto Rican sentiment in New York. While Sheen was of Spanish descent, not Puerto Rican, it didn’t matter to racist casting directors.
So he ended up coming up with a stage name that combined the names of the CBS director Rober Dale Martin with the bishop Fulton Sheen. It wasn’t long before he was able to land acting roles.
He never legally changed his name though. Martin Sheen is still only a stage name to him as he uses his real name Ramón Estévez on all of his legal identification.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Charlie Sheen decided to use a stage name as well in order to get more work. However, he did use his given name of Carlos Estévez when he was in the 2013 film Machete Kills.
In stark contrast to these two were Martin Sheen’s other children Emilio, Ramon, and Renée Estévez. The most famous of them is Emilio Estévez who was part of the 1980s Brat Pack.
He decided to stick with his Latino heritage and has been praised for that decision throughout his very successful career.
You can watch Charlie Sheen talk about his relationship with Martin Sheen in the below video from The Dr. Oz Show.
The Sheen Surname
In the case of Martin Sheen, this last name was just taken from a Catholic bishop. However, for the people who were actually born a Sheen, it has a deeper meaning.
First of all, it is not a very popular surname. According to Forebears, there are less than 9,000 people who have this last name worldwide and it is most prevalent in England.
That’s not too surprising considering Michael Sheen is Welsh.
Secondly, the Sheen surname has its roots in the Gaelic language which is from Ireland. Sheen is thought to mean ‘peaceful.’
Since Michael Sheen is from Wales, it is likely that at least some of his family hailed from Ireland before migrating across the Irish Sea to Wales.
Does Michael Sheen Have Any Famous Family?
Michael Sheen has had an incredibly successful career as an actor and he is definitely the most famous person in his family. He has appeared in 30 different stage productions since the 1990s including The Passion, Amadeus, and Henry V.
His film and television career has been even more extensive with appearances in over 50 films including Underworld, Blood Diamond, Midnight in Paris, and The Twilight Saga. He has also appeared in over 30 television shows starring in Prodigal Son and Good Omens.
With so much success and fame, his family seems to stand in his shadow. He was the son of a secretary and a personnel manager for the British Steel Corporation.
However, Michael Sheen does have a cousin who is a successful stage actor. That cousin is Caroline Sheen.
Caroline Sheen was part of the original Mamma Mia! cast as the understudy for the role of Sophie. She played Florinda in the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Into the Woods and Eponine in the Palace Theatre’s production of Les Misérables.
While Michael Sheen and Charlie Sheen aren’t related, they are both related to some other interesting people.
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