Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estévez on September 3, 1965, in New York City. His father, actor Martin Sheen, was breaking into the business, with performances on Broadway, while his mother, Janet Sheen, was a former New York art student who had met Charlie's father right after he had moved to Manhattan.
Charlie took an interest in his father's acting career at a young age. He was given a small part in his dad's movie "The Execution of Private Slovik" when he was nine. In 1977, he was in the Philippines where his dad suffered a near-fatal heart attack on the set of "Apocalypse Now".
At Santa Monica High School, Charlie had two major interests: acting and baseball. He produced and starred in several amateur Super-8 films with his friends, which included Rob Lowe and Sean Penn. On the Vikings baseball team, he was a star shortstop and pitcher. His interest and skill in baseball would later influence some of his movie roles.
After high school, Charlie aggressively pursued many acting roles. His first major role was as a high school student in the teen war film "Red Dawn" in 1984. He followed this up with relatively small roles in TV movies and low-profile releases. His big break came in 1986 when he starred in Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning epic "Platoon".
The success of "Platoon" prompted Oliver Stone to cast Charlie in his next movie "Wall Street" alongside his father and veteran actor Martin Sheen. The movie became an instant hit with viewers.
Charlie's career continued to rise with a string of hits that included "Young Guns", "Major League", and "Hot Shots!". However, as the mid-'90s neared, his good fortune both personally and professionally soon came to an end.
Charlie's downward spiral continued with a string of personal issues, including a near-fatal drug overdose in May 1998. He was hospitalized and later ordered back to a drug rehab center.
In 2000, Charlie, now clean and sober, was chosen to replace Michael J. Fox on the ABC sitcom "Spin City". Though his stint lasted only two seasons, Charlie's performance caught the eye of CBS executives who in 2003 were looking for an established star to help carry their Monday night lineup of sitcoms.
Charlie's personal life also appeared to be improving. In 2002, he married actress Denise Richards, whom he first met while shooting the movie "Good Advice". They had two daughters, Sam and Lola, before divorcing in 2006.
