Emilio Estevez is a writer, actor, and director who is currently prepping for a Mighty Ducks Reboot. His is a Hollywood career that other actors can only dream of. Not only that, but Estevez also happens to belong to a Hollywood family dynasty. It may not be obvious at first, but the actor happens to be brothers with Charlie Sheen, an actor who has been up to several things since leaving Two and a Half Men. And by now, you may be wondering why the brothers don’t share the same last name.
He Comes From Hollywood Royalty
Esteves and Sheen’s father is no less than Martin Sheen, a man who famously starred as President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet in the hit political drama The West Wing. Meanwhile, Estevez’s mother is actress and producer Janet Sheen. Aside from Charlie, his other siblings include Ramon Estevez and Renée Estevez. Everyone in the family had gone on to become actors, albeit with varying degrees of success.
Emilio Estevez Rose To Fame In The 80s
IMDb records reveal that Estevez has been working in the entertainment industry since 1973. Back then, he scored an uncredited role in the film Badlands. In the 80s, the actor went on to make several appearances in the tv series Insight. He also landed roles in tv movies such as In the Custody of Strangers and To Climb a Mountain. Around this time, Estevez also booked a role in the Francis Ford Coppola film The Outsiders. Here, he starred opposite Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, and the late Patrick Swayze.
Just a couple of years later, Estevez would go on to star in films such as The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. He followed this up with films such as Maximum Overdrive, Young Guns, and Stakeout. Meanwhile, Estevez directed and starred in the film Wisdom opposite actress Demi Moore.
He Became A Mighty Ducks Star Then Faded Years Later
He continued to star in more movies until he lands the part of coach Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks franchise. And it seems that he was the only actor considered to play the part. While speaking with Time, producer Jordan Kerner remarked, “Emilio is just — there’s nobody better than Emilio — kinder, more creative.”
Following his work on the franchise, Estevez went on to appear in several films and tv movies. Aside from these, he made an uncredited appearance on The West Wing as a young Jed Bartlet. Meanwhile, he also later appeared in Two and a Half Men as Andy.
Aside from this, Estevez would also go on to write, direct and star in the 2006 film Bobby, which revolves around the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. This film also boasts of a star-studded cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Laurence Fishburne, Harry Belafonte, Ashton Kutcher, and Joshua Jackson. The film earned two Golden Globe nominations.
Following this, Estevez would go on to star in just one more film, The Way, before seemingly fading from the spotlight. However, he does make a return to the big screen with The Public in 2018. Now, some may wonder if Estevez’s career could have gone a different direction if he chose to be called Emilio Sheen.
So, Why Didn’t He Choose To be Called Emilio Sheen?
Sheen was the family stage name. The decision was made to use it because it seems to be appeal better to the market at that time. And so, when Emilio chose to keep his actual last name, the family pretty much disagreed with him. “My decision was met with a lot of resistance at the time,” Estevez recalled during an interview with The Guardian.
Admittedly, Estevez could have gained an advantage by being directly associated to his famous father. However, he felt that he didn’t deserve the association. “It was abundantly clear to me that my father had earned his name and I hadn’t,” the actor further explained.
Later on, Charlie would go on to make Sheen his legal last name. his father would encourage him to go by his actual name to the world. On the other hand, Charlie decided to make Sheen his legal last name. In his brother’s defense, Estevez remarked, “I think Charlie felt he would get [questions about his name] either way. And he was always Charlie, never Carlos.”
How Is Emilio’s Relationship With His Father?
Over the years, the bond between the famous father and son has remained strong. In fact, they had worked on The Way together, which was shot in Spain where their family hails from. Estevez directed and Sheen played the leading role of Tom. And while Sheen is incredible onscreen, things can become rather challenging behind the scenes. “Martin has a tendency to want to play himself and in between takes he’s jumping into crowds and signing autographs and he’s speaking Spanish,” Estevez told Indie London. “He is a citizen of the world, whereas Tom isn’t, so I had to break him out of a lot of his habits.”
In the end, though, this father-son relationship is clearly doing well.