American actor whose original fame was for his marriage to pop star Madonna on 16 August 1985. For 27 months they made news for fighting with the press, the public and each other. They met in February 1985 and they were together from the first as a couple. The wedding was turned into a nightmare by the intrusion of the press who then gave them increasingly bad reviews for their childish rude manners and exhibitionism, finally breaking up in December 1987.
Building his reputation as an actor for a large body of film, his most noted works are “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “The Falcon and the Snowman,” Shanghai Surprise,” 1986, “Dead Man Walking,” 1995, which was nominated for an Oscar. He wrote and directed a film “The Indian Runner” in 1991 which received acclaim at Cannes.
With an unpredictable character, he is known for outbursts of temper, attacks on people and drinking and driving, which led to 33 days in jail in 1987. Insecure and insanely jealous, his relationships have included, the famed Madonna and Robin Wright whom he met in 1988 and they have one daughter, Dylan, 1991, and one son, Hopper, 1994. He married Robin on 27 April 1996 in Santa Monica.
Penn won a Golden Globe on 25 January 2004 for Best Actor in a Leading Role –Drama. Penn secured the honor for his compelling performance in “Mystic River,” based on the book by Dennis Lehane and directed by Clint Eastwood. On 29 February 2004 he captured an Academy Award for Best Leading Actor for the same role. On 22 February 2009, Penn was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role for his performance in the biopic “Milk.”
On 24 January 2006 at about 4:00 PM, the actor’s brother Chris, also an actor, was found dead at a condominium near the beach in Santa Monica, California. The cause was not immediately clear but on 13 February 2006 the death was ruled accidental, caused by an enlarged heart and prescription medications. He and his wife Robin Wright Penn announced their separation and pending divorce in late December 2007. Penn and his wife put a halt to their divorce proceedings in April 2008. A year later on 24 April 2009, he filed for divorce in Marin County, California, citing irreconcilable differences.

Link to Wikipedia biography