---
name: "Sean Penn"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sean-penn"
fi1m_id: "sean-penn"
imdb_id: "nm0000576"
tmdb_id: 2228
wikidata_id: "Q44221"
roles: ["Actor","Producer","Director"]
born: "17 August 1960"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 21
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 16
updated: "2026-10-15T04:03:19.939661+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sean Penn

## Identity

Sean Penn

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sean-penn
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sean-penn
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000576
- **TMDB ID:** 2228
- **Wikidata ID:** Q44221
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Penn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44221, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000576/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2228

Actor and producer. Born 17 August 1960 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Producer, Director
- **Born:** 17 August 1960, Santa Monica, California, USA
- **Active:** 1981–present
- **Also known as:** Sean Justin Penn
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 21: 16 acting, 1 directing, 1 producing, 3 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Adam Somner](https://film.one/person/adam-somner.md), [Art Linson](https://film.one/person/art-linson.md), [Benicio del Toro](https://film.one/person/benicio-del-toro.md), [Emile Hirsch](https://film.one/person/emile-hirsch.md), [Grant Hill](https://film.one/person/grant-hill.md), [Marcia Gay Harden](https://film.one/person/marcia-gay-harden.md), [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/person/paul-thomas-anderson.md), [Sara Murphy](https://film.one/person/sara-murphy.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscars (3 won · 3 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 16 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 67 (4), 1990s 82 (4), 2000s 74 (8), 2010s 72 (2), 2020s 80 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 74 across 14 titles
- **Score spread:** 9 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 10 of 14 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 12, Thriller 7, Crime 6, Comedy 5, History 2, Mystery 2
- **Screen time:** 31 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,123m across 14 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Penn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44221, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000576/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2228

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Carlito's Way*](https://film.one/film/carlitos-way.md) (86), [*Licorice Pizza*](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md) (80)
- **HBO Max:** [*One Battle After Another*](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md) (87)
- **Apple TV:** [*Dead Man Walking*](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md) (84)
- **AMC+:** [*Fast Times at Ridgemont High*](https://film.one/film/fast-times-at-ridgemont-high.md) (70)
- **Netflix:** [*The Interpreter*](https://film.one/film/the-interpreter.md) (62)
- **Tubi:** [*The Falcon and the Snowman*](https://film.one/film/the-falcon-and-the-snowman.md) (54)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Sean Penn

> Sean Penn makes stubbornness unusually watchable. We rate him most highly opposite an actor who makes him work; when every movement announces the character, as in *One Battle After Another*, the comedy can overwhelm the menace.

Sean Penn gives Colonel Lockjaw an exaggerated jaw and a walk so awkward that it is hard to take the man seriously. In Paul Thomas Anderson's *One Battle After Another* (2025), Colleen Atwood's rigidly starched uniform makes the joke still broader. We enjoy the performance, but Anderson also needs Lockjaw to frighten us, and Penn's exaggerated movement makes that difficult. It is a conspicuous weakness in a film we otherwise recommend warmly.

His breakthrough as Jeff Spicoli in *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982) is worth remembering before reducing him to a specialist in troubled men. The 1990s established him as a leading actor, with roles in *Carlito's Way* (1993) and *Dead Man Walking* (1995). The emotional acting in *Mystic River* (2003) shows how emphatic he can become, while *Milk* (2008) makes use of his physical and vocal transformation. We are more interested in what happens when another performer makes him listen.

Tim Robbins gets more from him in *Dead Man Walking* by giving him Susan Sarandon to resist. Penn's Matthew Poncelet is unpleasant without becoming a set of nasty habits, while Sarandon makes Sister Helen Prejean's willingness to listen look like hard work. We were moved by their encounters because neither actor makes the effort of staying in the conversation seem easy. Roger Deakins's cinematography concentrates on the performers without making them look grand, allowing Penn's stubbornness to register without turning each exchange into a demonstration of acting.

Robbins's screenplay occasionally arranges its opposing views too neatly, and the performances do not make that weakness disappear. Penn and Sarandon do make the meetings awkward enough to prevent the discussion becoming merely an exercise. By comparison, Florencia Martin's empty office for Lockjaw and Penn's rigid uniform keep reinforcing a joke we have already understood. We would like more directors to trust him in a difficult conversation before adding another conspicuous character habit. Start with *Dead Man Walking*, and give Sarandon an equal share of the attention.

## Biography

Sean Justin Penn is an American actor and filmmaker. He made his feature film debut in *Taps* (1981) and appeared in *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982), *Bad Boys* (1983) and *At Close Range* (1986).

Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performances in *Mystic River* (2003) and *Milk* (2008). He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in *One Battle After Another* (2025). He made his directorial debut with *The Indian Runner* (1991) and later directed *Into the Wild* (2007).

He has also appeared in *The Game* (1997), *21 Grams* (2003) and *Licorice Pizza* (2021).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (21)

### Performed in (16) — the average rests on these

- *One Battle After Another* (2025), Fi1m 87, as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw — [page](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md)
- *Licorice Pizza* (2021), Fi1m 80, as Jack Holden — [page](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md)
- *The Tree of Life* (2011), Fi1m 84, as Jack — [page](https://film.one/film/the-tree-of-life.md)
- *Milk* (2008), Fi1m 83, as Harvey Milk — [page](https://film.one/film/milk.md)
- *The Interpreter* (2005), Fi1m 62, as Tobin Keller — [page](https://film.one/film/the-interpreter.md)
- *21 Grams* (2003), Fi1m 72, as Paul Rivers — [page](https://film.one/film/21-grams.md)
- *Mystic River* (2003), Fi1m 82, as Jimmy Markum — [page](https://film.one/film/mystic-river.md)
- *Two and a Half Men* (2003), Fi1m 55, as Sean Penn — [page](https://film.one/tv/two-and-a-half-men.md)
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), Fi1m 84, as Sean Penn — [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *The Thin Red Line* (1998), Fi1m 84, as 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh — [page](https://film.one/film/the-thin-red-line.md)
- *The Game* (1997), Fi1m 76, as Conrad Van Orton — [page](https://film.one/film/the-game.md)
- *Dead Man Walking* (1995), Fi1m 84, as Matthew Poncelet — [page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md)
- *Carlito's Way* (1993), Fi1m 86, as David Kleinfeld — [page](https://film.one/film/carlitos-way.md)
- *The Falcon and the Snowman* (1985), Fi1m 54, as Daulton Lee — [page](https://film.one/film/the-falcon-and-the-snowman.md)
- *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982), Fi1m 70, as Jeff Spicoli — [page](https://film.one/film/fast-times-at-ridgemont-high.md)
- *Taps* (1981), Fi1m 63, as Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer — [page](https://film.one/film/taps.md)

### Directed (1)

- *Into the Wild* (2007), Fi1m 78, Producer, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/into-the-wild.md)

### Produced (1)

- *September 5* (2024), Fi1m 74, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/september-5.md)

### Also credited (3) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *I'm Still Here* (2010), Fi1m 60, as Sean Penn (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/im-still-here-2010.md)
- *Where the Wild Things Are* (2009), Fi1m 80, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/where-the-wild-things-are.md)
- *Risky Business* (1983), Fi1m 81, as Passenger in Car (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/risky-business.md)

## Complete filmography (101)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Black Sunflowers* (2026), Executive Producer
- *Animals in War* (2025), Actor
- *One Battle After Another* (2025), as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md)
- *Words of War* (2025), Executive Producer
- *Manas* (2025), Executive Producer
- *September 5* (2024), Producer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/september-5.md)
- *Daddio* (2024), as Clark
- *Asphalt City* (2024), as Gene Rutkovsky · Producer
- *C*A*U*G*H*T* (2023), series, Executive Producer
- *Gonzo Girl* (2023), Actor
- *Superpower* (2023), Director
- *Gaslit* (2022), series, as John Mitchell
- *Licorice Pizza* (2021), as Jack Holden — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md)
- *Flag Day* (2021), as John Vogel · Director, Producer
- *kid 90* (2021), Executive Producer
- *Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Virtual Table Read* (2020), as Pizza Guy
- *The Professor and the Madman* (2019), as Dr. William Chester Minor
- *The First* (2018), series, as Tom Haggerty
- *Sound of Sun* (2017), as Man
- *The Last Face* (2017), Director
- *Mad Hannans* (2017), Actor
- *The Angry Birds Movie* (2016), as Terence (voice)
- *The Human Experiment* (2015), as Narrator · Executive Producer
- *The Gunman* (2015), as Jim Terrier · Screenplay, Producer
- *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty* (2013), as Sean O'Connell
- *Gangster Squad* (2013), as Mickey Cohen
- *Americans* (2012), as Commie · Story
- *Haiti Untold* (2012), Actor
- *This Must Be the Place* (2011), as Cheyenne
- *The Tree of Life* (2011), as Jack — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-tree-of-life.md)
- *I'm Still Here* (2010), as Sean Penn (uncredited) — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/im-still-here-2010.md)
- *Fair Game* (2010), as Joseph Wilson
- *Where the Wild Things Are* (2009), Thanks — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/where-the-wild-things-are.md)
- *Deflating the Elephant* (2009), as Narrator
- *Milk* (2008), as Harvey Milk — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/milk.md)
- *What Just Happened* (2008), as Sean Penn
- *Into the Wild* (2007), Director, Screenplay, Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/into-the-wild.md)
- *War Made Easy* (2007), as Narrator (Voice)
- *All the King's Men* (2006), as Willie Stark
- *The Interpreter* (2005), as Tobin Keller — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/the-interpreter.md)
- *The Assassination of Richard Nixon* (2004), as Samuel Bicke
- *21 Grams* (2003), as Paul Rivers — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/21-grams.md)
- *Mystic River* (2003), as Jimmy Markum — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/mystic-river.md)
- *Two and a Half Men* (2003), series, as Sean Penn — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/tv/two-and-a-half-men.md)
- *Pauly Shore Is Dead* (2003), as Sean Penn
- *It's All About Love* (2003), as Marciello
- *This So-Called Disaster* (2003), as Ray
- *September 11* (2002), Director, Writer
- *Dogtown and Z-Boys* (2002), as Narrator
- *I Am Sam* (2001), as Sam Dawson
- *The Weight of Water* (2001), as Thomas Janes
- *The Pledge* (2001), Producer, Director
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Sean Penn — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *Before Night Falls* (2000), as Cuco Sanchez
- *Beaver Trilogy* (2000), as "Groovin' Larry" Huff
- *Up at the Villa* (2000), as Rowley Flint
- *Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1999), Actor
- *Sweet and Lowdown* (1999), as Emmet Ray
- *Being John Malkovich* (1999), as Sean Penn (uncredited) — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/being-john-malkovich.md)
- *Family Guy* (1999), series, as Sean Penn (voice) — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/family-guy.md)
- *Hurlyburly* (1998), as Eddie
- *The Thin Red Line* (1998), as 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-thin-red-line.md)
- *Hugo Pool* (1997), as Strange Hitchhiker
- *Loved* (1997), as Man on the Hill (Michael) · Producer
- *U Turn* (1997), as Bobby Cooper
- *The Game* (1997), as Conrad Van Orton — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-game.md)
- *She's So Lovely* (1997), as Eddie Quinn · Executive Producer
- *Dead Man Walking* (1995), as Matthew Poncelet — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md)
- *The Crossing Guard* (1995), Writer, Producer, Director
- *Friends* (1994), series, as Eric — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/friends.md)
- *Carlito's Way* (1993), as David Kleinfeld — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/carlitos-way.md)
- *Cruise Control* (1992), Actor
- *The Larry Sanders Show* (1992), series, as Sean Penn — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-larry-sanders-show.md)
- *The Indian Runner* (1991), Director, Screenplay
- *State of Grace* (1990), as Terry
- *Cool Blue* (1990), as Phil the Plumber (uncredited)
- *Casualties of War* (1989), as Sgt. Tony Meserve
- *We're No Angels* (1989), as Jim
- *Judgment in Berlin* (1988), as Guenther X
- *Colors* (1988), as Danny McGavin
- *Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam* (1987), as (voice)
- *Shanghai Surprise* (1986), as Glendon Wasey
- *At Close Range* (1986), as Bradford 'Brad' Whitewood Jr.
- *The Falcon and the Snowman* (1985), as Daulton Lee — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-falcon-and-the-snowman.md)
- *Racing with the Moon* (1984), as Henry 'Hopper' Nash
- *Crackers* (1984), as Dillard
- *Risky Business* (1983), as Passenger in Car (uncredited) — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/risky-business.md)
- *Summerspell* (1983), as Buddy
- *Bad Boys* (1983), as Mick O'Brien
- *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982), as Jeff Spicoli — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/fast-times-at-ridgemont-high.md)
- *Taps* (1981), as Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/taps.md)
- *The Beaver Kid 2* (1981), as Groovin' Larry
- *The Killing of Randy Webster* (1981), as Don Fremont
- *Hellinger's Law* (1981), as Bit Part (uncredited)
- *Little House on the Prairie* (1974), series, as Boy (uncredited)
- *Snake Island*, Actor
- *Candles*, as Set Decoration
- *The Gun on Second Street*, Executive Producer
- *Untitled Sean Penn Film*, Director
- *Untitled Sean Penn Film*, Director, Writer, Producer
- *Untitled Jamal Khashoggi Project*, Producer, Director

## Gallery

- ![Sean Penn as Matthew Poncelet in Dead Man Walking (1995)](https://film.one/media/title/4402/still-32956b2f028f.jpg) Sean Penn as Matthew Poncelet in *Dead Man Walking* (1995) — Image via TMDB
- ![Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk (2008)](https://film.one/media/title/5478/still-08442396158f.jpg) Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in *Milk* (2008) — Image via TMDB
- ![Sean Penn](https://film.one/media/person/7948/gallery-839d2b220c36.jpg) Sean Penn — Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Superpower_%282023%29-60535.jpg/1280px-Superpower_%282023%29-60535.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sean Penn](https://film.one/media/person/7948/gallery-cd65ed3fd1da.jpg) Sean Penn — Image via TMDB
- ![Sean Penn](https://film.one/media/person/7948/gallery-2f981acd61a2.jpg) Sean Penn — Image via TMDB
- ![Sean Penn](https://film.one/media/person/7948/gallery-2573b10dc8cf.jpg) Sean Penn — Image via TMDB
- ![Sean Penn](https://film.one/media/person/7948/gallery-af93ae7472ac.jpg) Sean Penn — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 3 won, 3 nominated

- 2026: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2009: Best Actor (won), for *Milk*
- 2004: Best Actor (won), for *Mystic River*
- 2002: Best Actor (nominated), for *I Am Sam*
- 2000: Best Actor (nominated), for *Sweet and Lowdown*
- 1996: Best Actor (nominated), for *Dead Man Walking*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 2026: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won), for *One Battle After Another*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 2004: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (won), for *Mystic River*

### SAG Awards — 1 won

- 2026: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (won), for *One Battle After Another*

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1997: Best Actor (won), for *She's So Lovely*

### Other awards — 4 won, 2 nominated

- Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class 2022: Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class (won)
- Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award 2011: Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award (won)
- International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actor 2004: International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actor (nominated), for *Mystic River*
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor 2003: Volpi Cup for Best Actor (won), for *21 Grams*
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor 1998: Volpi Cup for Best Actor (won), for *Hurlyburly*
- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor 1987: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor (nominated), for *Shanghai Surprise*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sean-penn