Martin Sheen's Lookalike Son Emilio Purposely Chose Not to Use Dad's Stage Name Yet They Are Still Close

• "Gracie and Frankie" star Martin Sheen is 86 years old and is still hard at work.

• The actor is a father of four, and all his children have followed in his footsteps.

• Sheen was proud when his oldest son Emilio refused to use his stage name.

Martin Sheen, a longtime Hollywood actor, recently wrapped up his final season in the beloved Netflix series "Gracie and Frankie," and is proud to still be hard at work at 86 years old. He's also thrilled at his children's success in show business.

Sheen and his wife, Janet, have been married since 1961 and have four children together, who have all followed in their father's footsteps.

The couple's firstborn, Emilio Estévez, arrived in 1962, a year after Sheen and Janet tied the knot. Emilio was one of the Brat Pack's members, a nickname that was given to teenage actors who frequently appeared in famous coming-of-age movies.

Being part of the Brat Pack earned Emilio his first big role in the legendary TV show, "The Breakfast Club," where he played Andrew Clark in 1985, which only took his career to higher heights.

Sheen's second son, Ramon, was born in 1963 and led a career in show business. Ramon has acted in the series "Zorro," "The Sandman" and "Gracie and Frankie."

The third of Sheen and Janet's sons, Carlos Irwin, professionally known as Charlie Sheen, was born in 1965. Charlie is one of the most well-known actors among his siblings. He started making strides in the '80s with acting credits in "Red Dawn," "Platoon," and "Wall Street."

In 1994 Charlie was added to the Hollywood walk of fame, then joined the last two seasons of "Spin City" before he got his lead role in the famous TV show, "Two and a Half Men."

Janet and Sheen had their last and only daughter, Renée, in 1967, who also became an actor. She appeared in the TV show "Growing Pains" and "MacGyver." She also worked with her brothers as a writer on "Anger Management."

As a family in the limelight, Janet kept the family together and grounded as they navigated the highs and lows of fame. Since Emilio and Charlie are the most famous actors in the family, the eldest of the Sheen siblings was asked if his relationship with the "Two and a Half Man" alum had changed over the years.

But Emilio emphasized that his parents always instilled the importance of family and how integral it was for them to stick together at all times, so throughout their growing careers as actors, Sheen and his wife of 62 years have managed to keep their brood glued.

However, in 2021, Sheen revealed a secret that his son Emilio had kept for over 30 years. While the 86-year-old was filming "Apocalypse Now," alongside Laurance Fishbourne, Emilio built a close relationship with his co-star.

Therefore, Fishbourne and Emilio went on a boat ride but along the way they got stuck, so Emilio took the initiative to go down and clear up the area.

However, Emilio started to sink into the mud, and Fishbourne had to pull him up to the board quickly. Sheen confessed that he called his co-star and thanked him for saving his son's life, who was about 12 or 13 years old at the time.

Emilio Estévez on Rejecting His Stage Name and Embracing His Latin Heritage

The world of Hollywood can be brutal, and most actors tend to caution their children before they step into the industry, but surprisingly, Sheen said he was not aware of how much his kids were attracted to acting.

The 86-year-old actor confessed that he was focused on providing for his family and did not realize his children's growing interest in show business.

It became clear when Emilio showed up to one of his sets, and he thought he was there for a visit, only to find out they would be working on the same show.

However, one mistake that Sheen made and did not want his kids to repeat was changing their stage names. Sheen's birth name is Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez, but he changed it to Martin Sheen when he got into acting.

Emilio revealed that his grandfather was disappointed that Sheen had changed his name, but when his agent advised him to do the same, his father warned him not to let history repeat itself.

Nonetheless, Emilio still admitted that the thought of using a different name did cross his mind, but he realized how much it meant to his family and the rest of the Latin community for him to embrace his heritage.

"The Breakfast Club," the star said; people stopped him and shared how honored they were to see his Latin name on billboards and movie credits, which only brought him more joy and pride.

Emilio and Martin Sheen's Close Relationship

Emilio shared that his mother always taught him to go where his family was and never give up on his loved ones and he and his father's relationship embodies that commitment to being a close-knit family.

Sheen and his eldest son have worked on a few sets together, but one movie in particular, "The Way," inspired the father and son to reflect on their relationship.

"The Way" is a film about a father on a journey to find his son's body after he attempted a pilgrimage to Spain, and along the way, he discovers things about himself and his son.

After working on the film together and discovering the hidden complications of a father-son relationship, Emilio and Sheen decided to collaborate on a Memoir. "Along the Way—The Journey of a Father and Son."

The book was initially meant to reflect their experience while creating "The Way," but it quickly grew into something bigger. Sheen gave an honest account in the memoir of how his son always let him off the hook and how he got so used to it that he took it for granted.

But the "Gracie and Frankie" star realized that his son accepted him for all his flaws, allowing them to work on their relationship continuously.

Emilio also did not hold back about how it was to see his father struggle with alcohol abuse and even said his drunken state made him look weak.

However, that shared honesty made them stronger and close, and Sheen and Emilio hoped their book would also inspire other father-son relationships.

Additionally, Emilio confessed that working with his father was a privilege. It made him respect his father as an actor more. He said realized that Sheen sacrificed working on bad films for the sake of his family, so Emilio felt that collaborating with his father was a way to pay him back.

Another perk of working with family is that "you know which buttons to push because you helped build the machine," said Sheen.

But Emilio did not mind being provoked; he appreciated how Sheen could switch between being a director and a father because it made the moments on set more special.

Sheen also found himself in a tough place as a parent when he discovered that his son, Charlie was a drug addict. The actor realized he had to apply tough love to get this son back on track.

As a father, Sheen knew that Charlie was between life and death, and his intervention needed to be fearless. So, he went to the point of reporting his son to the authorities.

Sheen was aware that his tough love would strain his relationship with Charlie, but he was not concerned about how much he would hate him or the bad names that would come from his anger. Despite the difficulties, Sheen did not give up on fighting for Charlie's well-being.

At the peak of the pandemic, Sheen and Janet celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Even though Emilio wanted to throw a party to honor them, he had to keep it small and adhere to the restrictions.

So, Emilio and his girlfriend created a private restaurant with a reception desk, a detailed menu, a chef, and servers. They did their best to give their parents a memorable anniversary.