The star of the “West Wing” is happy that he was able to convince his son Emilio Esteves not to change his name.
When Martin Sheen began his acting career in the early 1960s, he made a crucial choice that would follow him for the rest of his life. Then the young actor, who was raised by a Spanish father and an Irish mother, decided to give up his name Ramon Esteves and use the stage name Martin Sheen as a way to get more work done.
The move came true as Shin managed to build a very successful acting career that included roles in films such as Apocalypse Now, and iconic TV characters including President Jed Bartlett onWest wing”And Robert Hanson on“ Grace and Frankie ”. And at 81, the actor is still getting stronger, as he is currently preparing for the lead role with his son Charlie in the new show Doub Elina “Ramble On” by the creator of “Entourage”.
However, looking back on his career, Shin regrets it. In a new interview with Closer weeklythe actor has indicated that he would like to pursue an acting career under his original name.
“It’s one of my regrets,” Shin said. “Officially, I never changed my name. This is still Ramon Esteves in my birth certificate. This is in my marriage certificates, passport, driver’s licenses. Sometimes you are persuaded when you lack the understanding or even the courage to stand up for what you believe in and you pay for it later. But, of course, I speak only for myself. “
All of Shin’s children were making acting careers, and he advised them to keep the Spanish names. Some, like Emilio Esteves, listened to their father’s advice. But others, such as Charlie Sheen, followed in his footsteps and adopted his stage alias as their own. While Shin acknowledges that everyone can make their own choices in life, he is grateful that his son Emilio did not change his last name to Shin.
“The only influence I had on Emilio was keeping his name,” he said. “When he started, his agent advised him to change his name to Shin, and he didn’t do that. And I thank God I didn’t. “
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