Martin Sheen was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez in Dayton, Ohio, in 1940, to a Spanish father and Irish mother. He chose the stage name Martin Sheen early in his acting career for professional reasons. He has explained in interviews that he chose the first name Martin from CBS casting director Robert Dale Martin, who gave him his first big break and was a supportive figure, and also from his admiration for the then-popular actor Martin Sheen? Actually he combined it with a name he liked. The last name Sheen he took from Fulton J. Sheen, a famous Catholic archbishop and television personality who was very prominent in the 1950s and was an important figure to Sheen, who is a devout Catholic. He also felt that his birth name Estévez might limit his opportunities in Hollywood at a time when Hispanic actors faced discrimination and anglicized names were more marketable. He did not legally change his name and still uses Ramón Estévez on official documents. His sons Emilio Estevez kept the original family name, while Charlie Sheen adopted his father's stage name. Martin Sheen has said he regrets not keeping his original name professionally and has encouraged his children to embrace their heritage.
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