Martin Sheen discusses his passion for activism and its necessary place in today's political, humanitarian, and social arenas.
Bio
Martin Sheen
Star of television's The West Wing and social activist, Martin Sheen has been a prolific performer since the late 1960s. He landed his first major role on Broadway in The Subject Was Roses, which later became a movie. A young, intense leading man, he has played over 70 roles, many of which were in well-known films such as Apocalypse Now, Badlands, Wall Street, The American President, Gandhi and Catch Me If You Can, to name a few. His most recent films include the Academy Award-winning movie The Departed; Bordertown and Bobby, a film written and directed by his son, Emilio Estevez.
Martin Sheen is also no stranger to politics, both professionally and in real life. He has played U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the mini-series, Kennedy: The Presidential Years; Robert F. Kennedy in Missiles of October; The White House Chief of Staff in The American President; and is perhaps best-known as President Josiah Bartlet in the acclaimed television drama The West Wing, for which he received a Golden Globe award. Martin Sheen is also known for his robust support of political causes and has remained a staunch activist throughout his life.
Voluntary, organized efforts intended for socially useful purposes. Philanthropic groups existed in the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, Greece, and Rome: an endowment supported Plato's Academy (c. 387 BC) for some 900 years; the Islamic waqf (religious endowment) dates to the 7th century AD; and the medieval Christian church administered trusts for benevolent purposes. Merchants in 17th- and 18th-century western Europe founded organizations for worthy causes. Starting in the late 19th century, large personal fortunes led to the creation of private foundations that bequeathed gifts totaling millions and then billions in support of the arts, education, medical research, public policy, social services, environmental causes, and other special interests. SeeAndrew Carnegie; B'nai B'rith; Bill Gates; George Peabody; Rockefeller Foundation; Straus family.
Martin Sheen is a great human being. He also happens to be quite the nice person. Once, many years ago, I met him in Santa Monica and asked him to help me find a writer for a film project I was working on. He called my home on Christmas day and spoke with my wife about a person he knew who might be interested. Thats a real person we are talking about.
Now many years later I am planning to write a book and screenplay about my experience working with Robert Kennedy's Advance team in California. Our group, THE SOUNDS OF TIME, traveled with Bobby Kennedy. I was the last person to speak with him at the Ambassador Hotel prior to his giving his last speech. The story will be about my effort to prevent his assassination which occured on my birthday, June 5th, and the awful pain that moment created for America.
It will be called : THE SOUNDS OF TIME. Martin Sheen , if your listening, I know you will appreciate this effort from the heart. Thanks for what you did for me many years ago.
I never realized how much of an advocate he was until now but I have immense respect for him. I think he is right on when he talks about how much homeless people are ignored. The Plymouth Housing Group is a great program, here is the site if interested in donating: http://www.plymouthhousing.org/donate/index.html