RECENT CREDITS
Milk (FILM)  Nov. 26, 2008
What Just Happened? (FILM)  Oct. 17, 2008
VH1 Rock Honors: The Who (TV)  Jul. 17, 2008
Persepolis (FILM)  Dec. 25, 2007
Iconoclasts (TV)  Oct. 25, 2007


HIGHLIGHTS
2009 Nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (“Milk”)
2008 Portrayed San Francisco city supervisor and gay rights activist, Harvey Milk in the Gus Van Sant directed "Milk"
2008 Nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead (“Milk”)
View all Highlights


All Credits

Film Name / TV Show Name (Episode Name)
Role
Category

The People Speak   -Cast
Actor
TV


Actor
Film


Fair Game   -Ambassador Joseph Wilson
Actor
Film


Actor
Film


The Tree of Life   -Adult Jack
Actor
Film


Executive Producer, Narrator
Film


Actor
Film


Producer
Film


Actor
Film


Actor
Film


Milk  2008 -Harvey Milk
Actor
Film


What Just Happened?  2008 -Himself
Actor
Film


Actor
TV


Persepolis  2007 -Marjane's Father Ebi
Voice
Film


Into the Wild  2007
Director, Producer, Screenplay
Film


All The King's Men  2006 -Willie Stark
Actor
Film


Iconoclasts  2005 -Cast
Actor
TV
Expand


The Interpreter  2005 -Tobin Keller
Actor
Film


The 77th Annual Academy Awards  2005 -Presenter
Actor
TV


The Assassination of Richard Nixon  2004 -Samuel Bicke
Actor
Film


Actor
TV


It's All About Love  2004 -Marciello
Actor
Film


Pauly Shore is Dead  2004 -HimselfCameo
Actor
Film


This So-Called Disaster  2004 -Himself
Actor
Film


Actor
TV


21 Grams  2003 -Paul Rivers
Actor
Film


Mystic River  2003 -Jimmy Markum
Actor
Film


Two and a Half Men  2003 -Himself
Actor
TV
Expand


September 11  2003
Director, Screenplay
Film


Actor, Narrator
TV


The Weight of Water  2002 -Thomas Janes
Actor
Film


Fast Times At Ridgemont High  2002 -Jeff Spicoli
Actor
Film


I Am Sam  2001 -Sam Dawson
Actor
Film


The Pledge  2001
Director, Producer
Film


Narrator
Film


Beaver Trilogy  2001 -Groovin' Larry
Actor
Film


Before Night Falls  2000 -Cuco Sanchez
Actor
Film


Up At the Villa  2000 -Rowley Flint
Actor
Film


Sweet and Lowdown  1999 -Emmet Ray
Actor
Film


Special Thanks
Film


The Thin Red Line  1999 -1st Sergeant Welsh
Actor
Film


Hurlyburly  1998 -Eddie
Actor
Film


Loved  1998 -MichaelMan on the Hill
Producer, Actor
Film


U-Turn  1997 -Bobby Cooper
Actor
Film


Hugo Pool  1997 -The Leprechaun
Actor
TV


The Game  1997 -Conrad
Actor
Film


She's So Lovely  1997 -Eddie
Actor, Executive Producer
Film


Actor
TV


Dead Man Walking  1995 -Matthew Poncelet
Actor
Film


The MTV Interview  1995 -Interviewee
Actor
TV


Director, Producer, Screenplay
Film


Inside the Actors Studio  1995 -Interviewee
Actor
TV


Ellen  1994
Actor
TV


The Last Party  1993 -Himself
Actor
Film


Carlito's Way  1993 -David Kleinfeld
Actor
Film


Actor
TV


Director, Screenplay
Film


State of Grace  1990 -Terry
Actor
Film


We're No Angels  1989 -Jim
Actor
Film


Casualties of War  1989 -Meserve
Actor
Film


Narrator
Film


Judgment in Berlin  1988 -Guenther X
Actor
Film


Colors  1988 -Danny McGavin
Actor
Film


Shanghai Surprise  1986 -Glendon Wasey
Actor
Film


At Close Range  1986 -Brad Whitewood Jr
Actor
Film


The Falcon and the Snowman  1985 -Daulton Lee
Actor
Film


Racing With the Moon  1984 -Henry "Hopper" Nash
Actor
Film


Crackers  1984 -Dillard
Actor
Film


Bad Boys  1983 -Mick O'Brien
Actor
Film


Taps  1981 -Alex Dwyer
Actor
Film


The Killing of Randy Webster  1981 -Don Fremont
Actor
TV


Friends  2001 -Eric
Actor
TV
Expand


Actor
Film




To suggest updates to this information, click here

Highlights

2009 Nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (“Milk”)
2008 Portrayed San Francisco city supervisor and gay rights activist, Harvey Milk in the Gus Van Sant directed "Milk"
2008 Nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead (“Milk”)
2008 Nominated for the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (“Milk”)
2008 Nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (“Milk”)
2007 Directed "Into the Wild," a drama based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the life and death of Christopher McCandless; also adapted the screenplay; earned a DGA nomi
2006 Played corrupt politician Willie Stark in the big-screen adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel, "All the King's Men"
2005 Starred opposite Nicole Kidman in Sydney Pollack's "The Interpreter"
2004 Starred opposite Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle and Jack Thompson in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" based on a true story about a man who tried to hijack a jet and crash it into the White House during
2003 Starred in the emotional drama "Mystic River" directed by Clint Eastwood; received a SAG nomination for Best Actor
2002 Had small role in the romance "It's All About Love"
2001 Narrated the documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys"; screened at Sundance (released theatrically in US in 2002)
2001 Directed the feature film "The Pledge" starring Jack Nicholson
2001 Had a recurring guest role on the NBC sitcom "Friends"
2001 Starred as a mentally challenged man fighting for custody of his daughter in "I Am Sam"; earned third Best Actor Oscar nomination
2000 Acted in Kathryn Bigelow's "The Weight of Water"
2000 Made a cameo appearance as a Cuban peasant in Julian Schnabel's "Before Night Falls"
2000 Returned to stage acting opposite Nick Nolte in Sam Shepard's play "The Late Henry Moss"
1999 Cast as the world's second best guitar player in Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown"; received second Best Actor Academy Award nomination
1998 Reprised his stage role of Eddie for the screen version of "Hurlyburly"; fifth film with wife
1998 Acted in Terrence Malick's return to directing after an absence of 20 years, "The Thin Red Line"
1997 Co-starred with Robin Wright Penn in "She's So Lovely"; directed by Nick Cassavetes from a script by the late John Casavetes
1997 Executive produced the Los Angeles stage production of "Remembrance" starring his parents
1995 Portrayed a killer on death row in "Dead Man Walking"; received first Best Actor Academy Award nomination
1995 Producing debut, "The Crossing Guard"; starred Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston; Penn also wrote and directed
1993 Returned to the screen in a supporting role in De Palma's "Carlito's Way"
1991 Film directing and writing debut, "Indian Runner"; claimed to have retired from acting
1990 First film with future wife Robin Wright, "State of Grace"
1989 First film with director Brian De Palma, "Casualties of War"; scripted by Rabe
1988 Starred opposite Robert Duvall as L.A. street cops in "Colors"; film directed by Dennis Hopper
1988 Directed by father Leo in "Judgment in Berlin" (shown on TV as "Escape to Freedom")
1988 Acted in the Los Angeles stage production of David Rabe's "Hurlyburly"
1986 Starred opposite then-wife Madonna in the misfire, "Shanghai Surprise"
1986 Acted with brother Christopher in "At Close Range"; mother Eileen Ryan played their grandmother
1985 Delivered standout performance as a desperate, amoral, drugged-out kid in "The Falcon and the Snowman"
1983 Returned to Broadway to co-star with Val Kilmer, Jackie Earle Haley and Kevin Bacon in "The Slab Boys"
1983 Earned favorable reviews as a troubled youth in "Bad Boys"
1982 Breakthrough feature role, playing stoner Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
1981 Made Broadway debut in "Heartland" (show closed after two months)
1981 Had a supporting role in the CBS movie, "The Killing of Randy Webster"
1981 Film acting debut in "Taps"; played a rebellious cadet at a military school
1979 Made professional acting debut in the CBS series "Barnaby Jones"
1970 Family settled in Malibu, CA and he became friendly with Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Rob Lowe
Raised in the San Fernando Valley, CA
Apprenticed for two years with the Group Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles
Formed Clyde Is Hungry Productions


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Recently Worked With...

Josh Brolin and Minnie Driver
Milk
Released: Jan. 30, 2009

Robert DeNiro at the 18th Annual BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, CA. 11-05-09
What Just Happened?
Released: Oct. 31, 2008

Persepolis
Released: Dec. 25, 2007

Emile Hirsch at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA. 02-21-09
Into the Wild
Released: Oct. 19, 2007

War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
Released: Mar. 14, 2007


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