Sean Penn Turns 50
Some folks can’t separate the actor from the activist. Neither can he.
by Bill Newcott, AARP The Magazine, September/October 2010 issue | Comments: 0
Related
- Sean Penn Honors Robert De Niro at the 2010 Movies for Grownups Gala. Watch
- Mystic River: 2003 Best Movie for Grownups. Read
More August Birthdays:
August 3: Martin Sheen (70)
August 5: Neil Armstrong (80)
August 7: David Duchovny (50)
August 10: Antonio Banderas (50)
August 16: Timothy Hutton (50)
August 24: Cal Ripken, Jr. (50)
August 25: Sean Connery (80)
August 26: Branford Marsalis (50)
August 30: Warren Buffett (80)
The Big 5-Oh: August 17
“How old would you feel,” Sean Penn asked our Movies for Grownups® Awards audience in Hollywood last February, “if I said Spicoli is 50 in August?” That would be Jeff Spicoli, the high-school stoner Penn played in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His comment not only highlighted the passing of time but also reminded everyone of his vast range of roles, from a 1974 cameo on Little House on the Prairie (directed by his dad, Leo) to Oscars for Milk and Mystic River, plus indelible turns in such films as Carlito’s Way and Dead Man Walking.
Still, at times Penn’s memorable performances have been overshadowed by gossip about his two marriages (to Madonna and Robin Wright) and his strident political and social activism. Penn bristled at the recent suggestion that his Haitian relief efforts were a publicity stunt, and he has a point: when was the last time Penn—who in March said he wished rectal cancer on some of his critics—seemed particularly concerned about his image?
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