- - Martin Sheen Reveals He ‘Begged’ Son Emilio Estevez to Keep His Birth Name

Devon ForwardNovember 4, 2025 at 10:20 PM

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While many movie fans are well aware that Emmy-winning actor Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen are father and son, the connection between Martin and one of his other sons, Emilio Estevez, isn't always made due to their different names.

Now, Martin revealed in a new interview that he pleaded with his eldest son to keep his given name when becoming an actor and not to adopt a stage name like he did. The Apocalypse Now actor opened up about the personal matter on the Oct. 31 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast during a guest appearance.

He recalled the moment Estevez was deciding on his professional name for his acting career, saying, "I remember when my children started coming into the profession and they were deciding whether or not to use Estevez. Emilio was on the verge of changing his last name to Sheen.”

According to the 85-year-old actor, Estevez was convinced to use his birth name after seeing "Emilio Sheen" written "in print," with Martin explaining, "It just doesn’t fit."

Martin then made a bold admission, declaring, "Frankly, I begged him to keep it.” Thankfully, Estevez did just that, and he went on to have a successful acting career using his real name, known for roles in major films like The Breakfast Club and The Mighty Ducks.

Related: The Breakfast Club Cast Reunites for 40th Anniversary—See What They Look Like Now

Unlike Estevez, one of Martin's other sons, Charlie, followed in his father's footsteps and adopted the stage name Charlie Sheen, instead of his birth name, Carlos Estevez.

Reflecting on his own decision to use a stage name at the start of his career, Martin stated that he "deeply regrets" the decision. Talking about why he did it, he said, "I arrived at a time and a place where it was hard to get a job as an actor when I started in 1959 in New York City."

"To have a Hispanic surname at that time was not an advantage because unfortunately, there was great prejudice in the city against the Puerto Rican community," he went on.

But Martin also noted in the new podcast interview that, legally, he never changed his name, proclaiming, "I’m still Ramón Gerard Antonio Estevez, and I love my name.”

Like Charlie and Estevez, Martin's other kids, a son named Ramón and a daughter named Renée, also went into the entertainment industry, with both of them almost exclusively using their real last name. Martin shares all four of his children with his wife, Janet.

Related: Emilio Estevez Recalls Laurence Fishburne Saving His Life From Freak Accident as a Teen

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”