Martin Sheen was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez on August 3, 1940. He is a critically acclaimed actor and the father of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, who followed in their dad’s footsteps and also pursued careers in Hollywood. Martin has two other children as well, Ramon and Renee Estevez, and has been married to his beloved wife Janet Templeton since 1961.

As an actor, Martin’s work has given his sons much to live up to. Some of his early films include “The Subject Was Roses” and “Badlands.” He became a household name with his performance in the film “Apocalypse Now” and on the TV series “The West Wing.” On “The West Wing,” Martin portrayed the role of President Josiah Bartlet and won a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance. Martin is currently starring in the series “Grace and Frankie,” playing the character Robert Hanson.

Martin was born in Dayton, Ohio, to a Spanish father and Irish mother. Tragically, his mother passed away when he was 11, and from then on, Martin and his siblings were raised by only his dad. The actor has spoken at length about the great respect he has for his father, who fought to keep the family together, and it has no doubt influenced the way he parents his own children.

On December 23, 1961, Martin married the love of his life, and he and Janet have been blissfully in love ever since. However, that does not mean life has been easy for the couple. Martin has faced health problems, including a quadruple heart bypass in December 2015 as well as overcoming his addiction to alcohol. Keep reading to learn more about Martin and his relationship with his wife.

Martin Sheen (1988). (Daniel SIMON/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)

Having a difficult childhood helped shape Martin into the man he is today, and this can be seen in his love for his family. After his mother died, Martin had to adjust to being solely raised by his dad, who he adored. “It is very hard for a child when a parent dies, particularly a mother….There was talk of us being split up, put in homes, but my father refused,” he shared.

As a teen, Martin and his brothers worked as caddies at a local golf course. “I came quickly to see there were two very different Americas. Privileged and underprivileged,” he explained and added that the white-collar workers he interacted with turned him off to that lifestyle. “I saw their behavior when their hair was down, and very few of them made me envy them. On the contrary, I had little respect for them. I certainly didn’t want to become one of them” Even as a successful actor, Martin sees himself as a man of the people.

While filming “Apocalypse Now,” Martin dipped his toe into the method style of acting and was led by director Francis Ford Coppola. Martin described the experience, saying, “I brought to that part everything I was, wanted to be, wasn’t. Francis saw my false self. He saw the gap between the real me and this macho guy, this worldly actor. That’s what a great director does. And he said, ‘Get rid of the image, play the reality’. That’s what he wanted, this lonely guy, completely isolated in himself. And that’s what you saw.”

Janet Sheen, Martin Sheen (1980). (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images)

While filming “Apocalypse Now,” Martin was under such extreme stress that he suffered a cardiac event. He was alone in the cabin he was renting with his wife and kids when it happened. “I knew that if I didn’t make it to the road I would not be found until it was too late,” he shared about the harrowing experience. After being taken to a hospital, Janet met Martin there and told her husband: “It’s only a film, babe.”

Janet has stuck by Martin’s side through everything, and it is her honesty and integrity that attract him the most. “I was fortunate enough to marry the scariest woman I’d ever met,” he said. “She did not know how to lie. It was impossible. For me, the truth was a sometimes thing. For her, it was an eternity. She would always call me out, thank God.”

Because of Janet’s honesty, Martin feels she has helped him become a better person. “I’ve never met a person with more integrity in my life,” he said. “I honestly couldn’t keep up with her. It’s taken me a long time to be as even and direct with her as she has been, always, with me. And that’s the relationship. I honestly don’t have a clue who she is because when I get to the point where I’ve caught up with her, she’s gone”

Even after his heart surgery in 2015, Janet was able to keep the star’s spirits up and never left his side. “She was there the whole time and I laughed my way back,” Martin said. “It was very serious, and she handled it like a pro. She had me laughing in the most dire circumstances. She said, ‘Don’t take yourself so seriously.'”

Martin Sheen, Janet Sheen (2006). (Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images)Martin Sheen, Janet Sheen (2017). (Stefanie Keenan/ Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images)

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