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"I've always operated under the notion that audiences don't always know when they're being lied to, but that they always know when they're being told the truth." Sean Penn has made a career out of playing the good guy, the bad guy, and the guy who isn't sure which one of those he really wants to be. That has sometimes mirrored his personal life and some of the struggles he's faced, which has only served to make what he offers to fans more believable no matter what kind of character or role he plays. He started acting when he was a teenager, and has since won two Academy Awards and appeared in many critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. But where did Penn get started, and what does he plan to do next? Here's what you need to know.

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Growing Up in California and His Early Years

Penn was born in Santa Monica, California. His parents were actors, and his father was also a director. He has an older brother who is a musician, and a younger brother who died in 2006. He went to Santa Monica High School, and he started making short films at that time with his friends. A couple of those friends went on to be famous actors in their own right, including Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. In 1974, Penn's father directed some of the episodes of Little House on the Prairie and cast his son as an extra in one of them. Then in 1981, Penn made his film debut with Taps. In that film he played a military high school cadet. One year later, in 1982, he was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which was a wildly successful movie with the masses.

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The drama Bad Boys (1983) set Penn apart as a serious actor, and jump started his career in a way the other movies had not. Then 1985 saw him with a role in The Falcon and the Snowman. He was in At Close Range (1986), and then he decided he was going to stop acting for several years. He wasn't happy with the Hollywood industry and scene at the time, and he decided that he wanted to make his debut with directing. Once he returned to acting, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Dead Man Walking (1995). He was again nominated for Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and I Am Sam (2001). He continued to act, and made several other movies throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Later Career and Personal Values

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In 2006, Penn was in All the King's Men, which did poorly at the box office and with critics, as well. Then he starred as Harvey Milk in Milk (2008). He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for that role. He continued to act, but also focused on directing. His directorial debut was made in 1991, with The Indian Runner. But it wasn't only films he directed. He also worked on music videos for Peter Gabriel, Shania Twain, and Lyle Lovett. He has directed three more films, which were The Crossing Guard (1995), The Pledge (2001), and Into the Wild (2007). His fifth directorial film, The Last Face (2016), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. In March of 2018 Penn's first novel, Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, was published by Atria Books. 

Penn has said, "We've let the blade of our innocence dull over time, and it's only in innocence that you find any kind of magic, any kind of courage." He has found both his magic and his courage in all the acting and directing he did, along with the writing he became involved in. When his book was published he stated that he was no longer interested in the generic making of movies, and he would rather write for the foreseeable future. He went on a press tour that was widely publicized, and has been very outspoken for many social and political causes. His passion for the things that matter to him has sometimes clashed with the passions of others, but Penn has remained an advocate for what he values in life, often unapologetically.

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Penn's personal life has had its ups and downs. He has been married to Robin Wright, and Madonna. He has also been engaged to Elizabeth McGovern and Charlize Theron. Penn went to New Orleans in 2005 to help with the rescue of people from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was criticized as a public relations stunt, but Penn denied that was the case. He is interested in activism and wanted to help people who were struggling. Penn has founded relief organizations and continues to work with people who are marginalized and need help. Fans will likely enjoy much more from Penn in the future, even if he doesn't return to acting any time soon, or at all. His writing and activism work will help fans connect with him, as well.