Martin Sheen Net Worth

Martin Sheen is an American actor best known for his roles in The West Wing, The Departed, and Apocalypse Now. Since starting his career in Hollywood in 1961, Sheen has more than 260 acting credits to his name.

Though, it’s not just his acting career that has contributed to his success over the years. Martin Sheen’s net worth has also been impacted by his work as a producer and director, as well as his real estate investments. Continue on to discover Sheen’s most successful and profitable projects and follow his career from the early 1960s until now.

Early Life

Born on August 3, 1940, in Dayton, Ohio, Martin Sheen’s given name was Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez. He was the seventh out of ten siblings born to Francisco Estevez Martinez and Mary-Ann Phelan.

Sheen’s mother passed away when he was only 11 years old. At that time, Dayton’s Holy Trinity Catholic Church stepped in to help the family and to keep the young children from being sent to foster homes. Sheen graduated from Chaminade High School and soon developed an interest in acting.

When he was in his early 20s, Sheen moved to New York City to pursue acting despite his father’s misgivings. And while in New York, he quickly noticed hesitation from people when he gave his name. So, he tried going by the name Martin Sheen, which he derived from the director Robert Dale Martin and the Catholic archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. It worked to his advantage, so he kept using it. However, he never changed his name officially.

Acting Career

Martin Sheen’s acting career began on stage. In the early 1960s, he started a theater company, hoping for recognition by appearing in productions with a few other actors. He appeared in numerous roles in various television shows in the 1960s including Route 66, The Outer Limits, Flipper, NYPD, and Mission: Impossible.  

In 1964, Sheen played one of the lead characters in the Broadway play The Subject Was Roses. Four years later, he appeared in the same role, this time for a film adaptation of the play. Sheen received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

Badlands

One of his earliest major film accomplishments happened in 1973 in the crime drama Badlands. While the movie didn’t have a notable impact on Martin Sheen’s net worth, his performance as Kit Carruthers did draw positive attention from critics. It also won him the Best Actor award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Box office performance was not that fantastic, though, with earnings of only $54,396 against a reported budget of $450,000.

In 1974, for instance, he received his second Emmy nomination for his role in The Execution of Private Slovik. His third nomination came in 1978 as he played the lead role in Taxi. Sheen also continued to appear in a variety of film roles during this period, like The California Kid, Sweet Hostage, and The Cassandra Crossing.

Apocalypse Now

In 1979, Sheen snagged a role in the Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now. With Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall leading the cast, the film received eight Academy Award nominations and won Best Sound and Best Cinematography. Sheen himself received a nomination at the BAFTA for Best Actor. The war drama film, which had a budget of $31.5 million, was also a massive blockbuster, earning more than $104.7 million at the box office.

The early stages of filming were done in the jungles of the Philippines. During this time, Sheen was not in the best health, and he suffered from a minor heart attack during filming. To help keep the production going, his younger brother Joe Estevez took his place for long shots. Joe also did some voice overs for Sheen at the time, since they sound very much alike.

Sheen continued to deliver award-worthy performances on television. Shortly after the release of Apocalypse Now, he was once again nominated for an Emmy for Blind Ambition. In 1983, he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Kennedy. He then appeared in films like Firestarter, A State of Emergency, and The Believers.

Wall Street

Sheen’s next big hit would be the 1987 Oliver Stone drama film Wall Street, with Michael Douglas in the lead role. This is one of the many films where Sheen co-stars with his son Charlie Sheen. The film received much critical praise, but it did not perform extremely well at the box office. Nevertheless, it closed its theater run with gross earnings of $43.8 million.

In the 1990s, Sheen had a very busy acting schedule, appearing in more than 40 films. It began with Cadence in 1990, where he starred with two of his sons, Charlie Sheen and Ramon Estevez. Sheen also directed the film, which unfortunately did not do well at the box office, only grossing $2 million against a budget of $4 million.

JFK

He appeared in several blockbusters during the decade. For starters, Sheen was the narrator in the film JFK, where Kevin Costner played the title role. It made more than $205 million worldwide. The Oliver Stone-directed film had a budget of $40 million and also starred Vincent D’Onofrio, Gary Oldman, and Sissy Spacek.

The American President

Then, in 1995, Sheen once again appeared with Michael Douglas in The American President, which grossed $108 million. The film, which also starred Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss, had a budget of $62 million.

Spawn

In 1997, he co-starred in the superhero film Spawn, which made $87.8 million from theaters on a budget of $40 million. The movie, which wasn’t a hit with audiences or film critics, also starred Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, and D.B. Sweeney.

No Code of Conduct

Martin Sheen’s net worth got another small boost in 1998, when he starred in No Code of Conduct opposite Charlie Sheen. He was paid $250,000 for his work in the flick.

Sheen ended the decade starring in Storm and A Texas Funeral.

The West Wing

At almost 60 years old, Martin Sheen’s net worth would have a significant boost starting in 1999. He landed the lead role as President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet on the much acclaimed television series The West Wing. For the first to the fourth seasons, it’s reported that Martin received a salary of $150,000 per episode. 

Ratings kept rising as the series continued in seasons five through seven. Because of this, his paycheck increased to $300,000 per episode. All in all, Sheen earned more than $33 million for his acting work in the series. In addition, he might also have gotten a cut from the show’s profits, especially in the latter seasons.

For his performance in the series, Sheen won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in 2001. He also won the Screen Actors Guild Award twice. Additionally, he was also nominated at the Emmy Awards for five consecutive seasons, as well as in the final season.

Catch Me If You Can

In 2002, Sheen joined a powerhouse cast in the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. With Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in the lead roles, the movie became Sheen’s third highest grossing films to date. It made $352.1 million at the global box office against a budget of $52 million.

The Departed

Sheen’s next big movie would be the 2006 Martin Scorsese crime thriller The Departed. Leonardo DiCaprio was in the lead role once again, leading a stellar cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, and many others. The film was another commercial success with gross earnings of $291.5 million.

The Amazing Spiderman Movies

In 2012, Sheen would be chosen to play the iconic role of Peter Parker’s uncle, Ben Parker, in The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield. The film would be Sheen’s highest-grossing film so far, with box office numbers at $757.9 million globally against a budget of $230 million.

In 2014, Sheen reprised the role (although uncredited) in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With a budget of $200 million, the film grossed more than $709 million worldwide. As of 2023, this flick is Sheen’s second-highest-grossing film.

Recent Work

Among Sheen’s most recent work was his portrayal of Robert Hanson, one of the lead characters in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie. The very successful comedy series ran for seven seasons from 2015 to 2022. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Sam Waterston also starred in the streaming series.

Additionally, Sheen also appeared as Matthew Cuthbert in the TV film Anne of Green Gables in 2016 and 2017.

Other Ventures

Although it doesn’t play much into Martin Sheen’s net worth, it’s worth mentioning his enthusiastic stance in public activism. He is a known liberal supporter and an active participant in many nonviolent protests, and has actually been arrested 66 times because of this passion.

Real Estate

Also adding to Martin Sheen’s net worth is his real estate investments. Back in 1970, Sheen and his wife Janet invested in a home in Malibu, shortly after moving to Los Angeles from New York City. It was where they raised their four children. And they still own it to this day.

For purposes of practicality, Sheen bought a Santa Monica pied-a-terre. It was initially supposed to be just a temporary abode to compensate for the terrible traffic on his Los Angeles commute. However, with his wife Janet at the helm, it was soon transformed into a cozy and stylish abode. The couple spends most of their time in this home these days.

Personal Life

Martin Sheen has been married to actress Janet Templeton since 1961. The couple had four children together, who all became actors – Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Renee Estevez. As of today, they have ten grandchildren.

Over the years, Sheen had collaborated many times with his sons in film and television projects, often playing the father of their character.

Martin Sheen’s Net Worth Today

As of 2024, Martin Sheen’s net worth is valued at $60 million. While most of that comes from his acting career, his work as a producer and director along with his real estate investments also impact his net worth.

Fans of Sheen can look forward to seeing him next in the documentary Lunch with Archer King, which is in post-production. He’ll also narrate the upcoming documentary A Rush to Judgment, which is also in post-production.

Sheen is also tied to three additional upcoming projects, including Rush to Judgement 2, To Be Free, and Wounded World, all of which are in various stages of development.