Sheen, who also appeared in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 war drama Apocalypse Now, stated that he lacked “insight” before making the decision.
The actor continues, “Sometimes you get persuaded when you lack the wisdom or fortitude to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later.”
The hero of the critically acclaimed White House drama The West Wing, in which he portrayed President Jed Bartlet, stated that he never legally changed his name and rather adopted it as a stage name.
Ramon Estevez is his true name.
“Ramon Estevez is still on my birth certificate,” he told Closer Weekly in an interview.
“I never legally changed my name. My name appears on my marriage license, passport, and driver’s license”.
Sheen, who also appeared in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 war drama Apocalypse Now, stated that he lacked “insight” before making the decision.
He told the magazine, “Sometimes you are persuaded when you lack the wisdom or fortitude to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later”.
Nevertheless, I can only speak for myself.
His son, the actor Emilio Estevez, who starred in The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and The Outsiders, did not follow in his father’s footsteps.
Sheen said: “The only impact I had on Emilio was preserving his name.
“When he first began his career, his agent advised him to alter his name to Sheen, but he refused. And I praise God that he didn’t”.
Sheen is also the father of Two and a Half Men actor Charlie Sheen, whose birth name is Carlos Estevez and who is 56 years old.
Regarding his time on The West Wing, Sheen revealed that he receives messages from “people who are just finding it”.
He continued, “Many young people were motivated to enter public life as a result”.
Sheen’s father did not want him to enter the entertainment industry.
He stated, “You couldn’t blame him.” “My parents were both immigrants. My father was Spanish, while my mother was Irish. My real name is Ramon Estevez.
“My father was pragmatic. Most of his adult life was spent as a factory worker, and he wanted me to attend college to increase my prospects of earning a better livelihood than he did. We had some extremely, extremely traumatic confrontations about that”.
