Age, Biography, and Wiki
Sean Penn was born on August 17, 1960, making him 64 years old as of 2024. He is well-documented on his Wikipedia page, which outlines his extensive career in film and activism.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 17 August 1960 |
| Age | 64 Years |
| Birth Place | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Sean Penn stands at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) height, but his weight is not publicly detailed.
| Height | 73 m |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Recently, Sean Penn has been in the spotlight for his public appearances and relationships with partners significantly younger than him. He was previously married to Robin Wright from 1996 to 2010, with whom he has two children.
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 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 was nominated for Academy Awards for his roles in Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and I Am Sam (2001). Penn's other credits include Casualties of War (1989), State of Grace (1990), Carlito's Way (1993), She's So Lovely (1997), The Game (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), Hurlyburly (1998), 21 Grams (2003), The Interpreter (2005), Fair Game (2010), The Tree of Life (2011), Licorice Pizza (2021), and Daddio (2023).
His older brother is musician Michael Penn. His younger brother, actor Chris Penn, died in 2006. His father was a Jew whose parents were emigrants from Merkinė in Lithuania, and his mother was a Catholic of Irish and Italian descent.
Penn appeared in a 1974 episode of the Little House on the Prairie television series as an extra when his father, Leo, directed some of the episodes. Penn launched his film career with the action-drama Taps (1981), where he played a military high school cadet. That same year he made his Broadway debut in the Kevin Heelan play Heartland at the Century Theatre. A year later, he appeared in the hit comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), in the role of surfer-stoner Jeff Spicoli; his character helped popularize the word "dude" in popular culture. Next, Penn appeared as Mick O'Brien, a troubled youth, in the drama Bad Boys (1983). The role earned Penn favorable reviews and jump-started his career as a serious actor. He returned to Broadway that same year acting in the John Byrne play Slab Boys acting alongside Kevin Bacon, Val Kilmer, Jackie Earl Haley, and Madeleine Potter at the Playhouse Theatre.
He also directed the indie thriller The Crossing Guard (1995) starring Jack Nicholson. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "Penn is a slugger of a film maker, whether pummeling his audience with the obvious or hammering home the heartfelt and true. His second feature...has the same brute force that made his Indian Runner such a gripping oddity, bearing the distinctive stamp of Mr. Penn's raw, searching style". That same year he acting alongside Susan Sarandon starring in the Tim Robbins directed crime drama playing a racist murderer on death row in Dead Man Walking (1995). Critic Roger Ebert wrote "Penn proves again that he is the most powerful actor of his generation". For his performance he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The following year he acted in Nick Cassavetes directed romantic drama She's So Lovely (1997) opposite his then-wife Robin Wright Penn. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly compared the film to the works of John Cassavetes and wrote that Penn's performance "is so full of heart and talent". Penn won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. That same year he acted in the Oliver Stone directed neo-noir crime drama U Turn, and David Fincher's mystery thriller The Game.
In 2000, Penn acted in Julian Schnabel's drama Before Night Falls opposite Javier Bardem and Kathryn Bigelow's thriller The Weight of Water with Elizabeth Hurley. The following year he guest starred on the NBC sitcom Friends portraying Eric, a man who was engaged to Phoebe Buffay's sister Ursula, both of whom are played by Lisa Kudrow. He appeared in two episodes in the eighth season. That same year he portrayed a mentally handicapped father in the family drama I am Sam (2001). His performance led him to his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 2003, he starred in the Clint Eastwood directed Boston crime drama Mystic River portraying a grieving father looking for his daughter. Penn acted alongside Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden, and Kevin Bacon. Film critic Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "[The] Casting is immaculate. Penn is in top form as the reformed hood whose basic instincts overtake him." Penn received widespread acclaim for his performance earning numerous accolades including the Academy Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor as well as nominations for the BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. That same year he acted in Alejandro González Iñárritu's psychological thriller 21 Grams opposite Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro. For his performance he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor at the 57th British Academy Film Awards.
In Fair Game (2010), Penn starred as Joseph C. Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), was outed as a CIA agent by Bush advisor Scooter Libby in retaliation for an article Wilson wrote debunking Bush's claim that Iraq was building a nuclear bomb as a rationale for invading the country. The film is based upon Plame's 2007 memoir Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. Penn reunited with Terrence Malick drama The Tree of Life (2011), which won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. That same year he starred in the Paolo Sorrentino directed comedy-drama This Must Be the Place (2011) opposite Frances McDormand. In the film Penn plays Cheyenne, a former rock star. The film received positive reviews with Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Penn dominates the film, of course, although it’s a performance that slithers between the genuine and the stunt-like".
Penn and Wright separated in 1995, during which time he developed a relationship with Jewel, after he spotted her performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He invited her to compose a song for his film The Crossing Guard (1995) and followed her on tour. Penn reconciled with Wright and they married on April 27, 1996. The couple filed for divorce in December 2007 but reconciled several months later, requesting a court dismissal of their divorce case. In April 2009, Penn filed for legal separation, only to withdraw the case once again when the couple reconciled in May. On August 12, 2009, Wright filed for divorce again. The couple's divorce was finalized on July 22, 2010; the couple reached a private agreement on child and spousal support, division of assets, and custody of Hopper, who was almost 17 at the time.
In December 2013, Penn began dating South African actress Charlize Theron. Their relationship ended in June 2015. Despite reports that they were engaged, Theron stated that they were never engaged. Theron starred in Penn's film The Last Face (2016), which they filmed while still a couple.
In 2016, Penn began a relationship with Australian actress Leila George, daughter of actors Vincent D'Onofrio and Greta Scacchi. They married on July 30, 2020. George filed for divorce on October 15, 2021. Their divorce was finalized on April 22, 2022. In June 2023, Penn began a relationship with Ukrainian Olga Korotyayeva.
In the letter, Penn also criticized the Bush administration for its "deconstruction of civil liberties" and its "simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil." Penn visited Iraq briefly in December 2002. The criticism drew praise from Penn's ex-wife Madonna, who said, "Sean is one of the few. Good for him. Most celebrities are keeping their heads down. Nobody wants to be unpopular. But then Americans, by and large, are pretty ignorant of what's going on in the world."
The Post advertisement was cited as a primary reason for the development of his relationship with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. In one of his televised speeches, Chávez used and read aloud an open letter Penn wrote to Bush. The letter condemned the Iraq War, called for Bush to be impeached, and also called then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "villainously and criminally obscene people."
On March 24, 2012, during his visit to Pakistan, Penn visited Bilquis Edhi Female Child Home and met Pakistani humanitarian worker Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife Bilquis Edhi and laid floral wreaths at the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in honor of him.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Madonna (m. 1985-1989) Robin Wright (m. 1996-2010) Leila George (m. 2020-2022) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Sean Penn's net worth is estimated at $70 million, sourced from his acting, directing, screenwriting, producing, and real estate investments. His net worth was previously higher when combined with his ex-wife Robin Wright, but he reportedly paid her a substantial portion following their divorce.
Career, Business, and Investments
Sean Penn's career spans over four decades, with notable roles in films like "Mystic River," "Milk," and "Into the Wild," for which he also directed. He has earned significant salaries from these projects and continues to be involved in various creative and humanitarian pursuits. Penn has invested in real estate, including properties in California, which have contributed to his financial stability. He is also a co-founder of the J/P Haitian Relief Organization, reflecting his dedication to activism and philanthropy.
Penn played Andrew Daulton Lee in the film The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), which closely followed an actual criminal case. Lee was a former drug dealer, convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and originally sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled in 1998. Penn later hired Lee as his personal assistant, partly because he wanted to reward Lee for allowing him to play Lee in the film; Penn was also a firm believer in rehabilitation and thought Lee should be successfully reintegrated into society, since he was a free man again. Penn starred in the drama At Close Range (1986) which received critical acclaim. He stopped acting for a few years in the early 1990s, having been dissatisfied with the industry, and focused on making his directing debut.
In April 1987, Penn violated probation and was arrested for punching a film extra, Jeffrey Klein, on set of the movie Colors. Penn was sentenced to 60 days in jail for this assault and reckless driving in June 1987, of which he served 33 days. According to Penn himself, he was incarcerated in the same jail holding Richard Ramirez, a serial killer awaiting trial. Ramirez wrote to Penn, to which Penn wrote back saying he had no kinship for his fellow inmate and hopes Ramirez receives capital punishment via the gas chamber. In May 2010, Penn pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge stemming from an altercation with photographer Frank Mateljan in October 2009. He was sentenced to perform 300 hours of community service and undergo 36 hours of anger management counseling.
In an interview published September 16, 2015, director and showrunner Lee Daniels responded to criticism about Terrence Howard's continued career in light of his domestic violence issues by referencing Penn's rumored history of domestic violence, saying: "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f—in' demon." In response, Penn launched a $10 million defamation suit against Daniels, alleging that he had never been arrested for or charged with domestic violence. Penn dropped the lawsuit in May 2016 after Daniels retracted his statement and apologized.
On January 31, 2012, due largely to his visibility as an on-the-ground advocate for rescue and aid efforts in the aftermath, Penn was designated by then Haitian president Michel Martelly as Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti, the first time a non-Haitian citizen has held the position in the country's history. Also in 2012, at the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Penn was recognized with the Peace Summit Award.
On February 22, 2009, Penn received the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Milk. In his acceptance speech, he said: "I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone!" In 2022, Penn expressed his position on masculinity, saying, "I am in the club that believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminised...I don't think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them." He later told The Independent that "I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminised...There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt."
Penn is also believed to have played a role in securing the release of American entrepreneur Jacob Ostreicher from a Bolivian prison in 2013, and was credited by Ostreicher for having personally nursed him back to health after his release.
Penn is the founder of the nonprofit organization Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), which distributed aid in Haiti following the country's 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew and administered free COVID-19 diagnostic tests in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an op-ed written in The Guardian, Penn wrote that "the legalisation of Argentinian immigration to the Malvinas/Falkland Islands is one that it seems might have been addressed, but for the speculative discovery of booming offshore oil in the surrounding seas this past year" and that it was "irresponsible journalism" to suggest "that I had taken a specific position against those currently residing in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, that they should either be deported or absorbed into Argentine rule. I neither said, nor insinuated that".
Penn has appeared in over 50 films and won several awards during his career as an actor and director, including two Academy Awards for Best Actor for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008, and was nominated three more times in the same category for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001). He also received a Directors Guild of America nomination for directing Into the Wild (2007). In 2015, Penn received the Honorary César for lifetime achievement.
Social Network
Sean Penn is not known for being highly active on social media platforms, focusing more on his professional work and humanitarian efforts.
In 1990, Penn portrayed Detective Terry Noonan in the neo-noir State of Grace opposite Ed Harris and Gary Oldman. The following year, Penn made his directorial debut with The Indian Runner (1991), a crime drama film based on Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman", from the 1982 album Nebraska. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "Flirting constantly with the dangers of pure self-indulgence, Mr. Penn still manages to keep the improvisatory quality of this painful family drama from becoming overwhelming. For all its hazy excesses, the film seldom loses sight of its story's raw essence." He also directed music videos, such as Shania Twain's "Dance with the One That Brought You" (1993), Lyle Lovett's "North Dakota" (1993). After a brief hiatus from acting, he returned to star in the Brian De Palma crime drama Carlito's Way (1993) acting opposite Al Pacino. Film critic Leonard Klady of Variety wrote of his performance, "Penn reminds viewers of what they’ve been missing in his performance as Carlito’s ambitious, amoral lawyer. Without stooping to caricature, he effortlessly captures what is most heinous in the profession." Penn was he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
On October 18, 2002, Penn placed a $56,000 advertisement in The Washington Post, publicly asking then President George W. Bush to end military hostilities in Iraq and elsewhere. The advertisement was written as an open letter and referred to the planned attack on Iraq and the War on terror.
Education
Sean Penn attended Santa Monica High School but did not pursue college education, instead focusing on his acting career.
Penn was raised in a secular home in Malibu, California, and attended Malibu Park Junior High School and Santa Monica High School. He began making short films with some of his childhood friends including actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, who lived near his home.
In 1997, he starred in the independent drama Hurlyburly based on the 1984 play of the same name by David Rabe. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "Sean Penn ends up dominating the film, sweating anxiety and rage from every pore. His charisma and screen presence are undeniable". For his performance he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival. That same year he had a leading role in the Terrence Malick epic about the World War II battle for Guadalcanal in The Thin Red Line (1998) based on the 1962 novel of the same name by James Jones. The following year he portrayed an egotisitcal jazz guitarist in the Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown (1999). Roger Ebert described Penn's performances as "master classes in the art of character development". For his performance he was nominated for his second Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 2023 Penn directed his first documentary film, Superpower, profiling the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film follows Penn as he travels to Ukraine to meet with Zelenskyy, the soldiers and observe firsthand how the Russo-Ukrainian War is being waged. Penn starred as a cab driver in Christy Hall's directorial debut Daddio (2023) acting opposite Dakota Johnson. Film critic Todd McCarthy of Deadline Hollywood wrote, "Sean Penn is at his absolute best here in a tremendously engaging performance as a salty working-class guy with an endless supply of opinions and ways of drawing out his passengers".
Penn has been outspoken in supporting numerous political and social causes. On December 13–16, 2002, he visited Iraq to protest against the Bush administration's apparent plans for a military strike on Iraq. On June 10, 2005, Penn visited Iran, where, acting as a journalist on an assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle, he attended a Friday prayer at Tehran University.
Conclusion
Sean Penn's enduring legacy is built on his versatile career as an actor, filmmaker, and activist. His net worth of $70 million in 2025 highlights his successful endeavors in both the entertainment industry and philanthropy.
