Martin Sheen wishes he could go back in time and become famous by using his birth name instead of an Americanized moniker. The actor told Closer Weekly that he regrets not embracing Ramon Estévez while launching his career.
The 1968 Hamlet star told the publication that he had difficulty convincing his dad about his acting aspirations. “You couldn’t blame him. Both my parents were immigrants,” the actor explained. “My father was from Spain, and my mother was from Ireland. My real name is Ramon Estévez. My father was very practical. He was a factory worker for most of his adult life, and he wanted me to go to college and improve my chances of making a better living than he did. We had some very, very painful confrontations about it.”
© GettyImagesSheen later described his name situation as “one of my regrets.” He added, “I never changed my name officially. It’s still Ramon Estévez on my birth certificate. It’s on my marriage license, my passport, driver’s license. Sometimes you get persuaded when you don’t have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later. But, of course, I’m only speaking for myself.”
Despite having a rocky past with his father, when Sheen became a father, he allowed his sons Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen to become what their hearts desired.
© GettyImages“I honestly have to say I wasn’t aware of it,” he said. “I was so self-involved and trying to be a provider that I wasn’t aware of their inclination to being actors.”
Martin Sheen said he realized his sons were actors until he “was doing a show one time, and Emilio showed up. I thought he was there to visit me, but he’d gotten a part in the same show.”
Martin also said that “the only influence” his son “was to keep his name,” adding, “when he started out, his agent was advising him to change his name to Sheen, and he wouldn’t do it. And I thank God he didn’t.”
