Actor Sean Penn turns 63, L&#39;Officiel compiles a list of the ten best films of the acclaimed actor from Milk.

The bad boy turned American actor, producer and director. Despite a youth full of drama, problems with justice and toxic love affairs (his relationship with singer <a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/music/vetements-designs-the-costumes-for-the-world-celebration-tour-of-madonna" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madonna</a>) Sean Penn has managed to establish himself as one of the best actors on the <a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/culture/the-official-and-the-cinema-a-love-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cinema</a> scene, with critically acclaimed performances in films such as Mystic River and Milk . He has two <a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/fashion/best-looks-2023-oscars-after-parties" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscars</a> and several major nominations to his credit. Reclaimed from his previous life, Penn has been engaged in political and social activism, at the forefront of numerous humanitarian jobs (such as helping survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Haiti earthquake). The actor's career began with a cameo in Little House On The Prairie . He soon achieved critical acclaim for his performance in At Close Range (1986), before quitting acting for a few years after becoming embittered by the film industry. Famous (and often controversial) are many of his phrases regarding Hollywood, such as " If there is anything disgusting in the world of cinema, it is the prostitution of my peers " or " There is a lot of mediocrity that is celebrated and many wonderful things are ignored or discouraged ". He then returned to the stage with an <a href="https://www.lofficielibiza.com/culture/oscar-2023-candidates-where-to-see-them-and-guests-of-the-evening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar-nominated</a> performance in Dead Man Walking (1995).
On its sixty-third birthday, L'Officiel collects Sean Penn's ten best films.

Directed by <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/clint-eastwood-compleanno-91-anni-attore-regista-carriera-film" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clint Eastwood</a> in 2003. Based on a novel by Dennis Lehane , the film investigates the psychological damage in adults caused by childhood trauma. Penn is an ex-con, Jimmy Marcus . He and his friends suffered terrible abuse and those wounds never really healed. For his incredible performance, Sean Penn won <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/premio-oscar-dove-lo-tengono-le-star-in-bagno" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his first Academy Award</a> for Best Actor.

Mystic River

2008 movie. Sean Penn&#39;s portrayal of Harvey Milk , California&#39;s first <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/film-serie-tv-gay-lgbtq-da-vedere-piu-belli" target="_blank" rel="noopener">openly gay</a> elected official, sees him deliver the best performance of his career . The biographical drama presents the imperfect society we live in and the prejudices that are omnipresent. This film earned the actor his second <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/eventi/oscar-2020-migliori-look-red-carpet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Academy Award</a> for Best Actor.

Milk

2003 film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sean Penn plays the role of Paul Rivers , a seriously ill mathematics professor who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. The director uses non-linear narrative styles to highlight how our lives intersect. Penn ended up receiving a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rivers.

21 Grams

By Terrence Malick, 1998, the film boasts a stellar cast of the caliber of Adrien Brody , Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/george-clooney-60-anni-compleanno-eta-film-piu-belli-da-vedere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Clooney</a> , John Cusack and Woody Harrelson. Penn is Sergeant Welsh, a cynical soldier who doesn&#39;t believe in the war he&#39;s fighting.

The thin red line

By Terrence Malick , a story that begins in the dawn of time and ends in the afterlife. In between is the story of three young boys in 1950s Texas, with an overbearing father ( <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/brad-pitt-migliori-film-compleanno-attore-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Pitt</a> ) and a loving mother ( Jessica Chastain ) who represent the epic struggle between nature and grace . Penn plays the eldest son, Jack , as an adult haunted by his brother&#39;s death, trying to reconnect with his parents after years of harboring old grudges. A Palme d&#39;Or winning masterpiece.

The tree of life

Penn shot to stardom with this comedy, which served as a stepping stone for many future champions. He plays Jeff Spicoli , a stoner who spends his days surfing and chasing girls, leaving no time for studies. “Out Of Mind” is actually a hidden exposé of Southern California teen life written by Cameron Crowe . Directed by Amy Heckerling, it features some of the most candid discussions about sex, love and intimacy

Out of mind

An extraordinarily powerful work of cinematic and social activism, Tim Robbins &#39; &quot;Dead Man Walking&quot; is damning evidence against capital punishment. Based on a true story, it features Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean , a nun who forms a special bond with death row inmate Matthew Poncelet (Penn), who has been locked up for a violent murder. Robbins and company never take sides , but present the story fairly and objectively, right up to its devastating conclusion. Sarandon won <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/oscar-2021-intervista-massimo-cantini-pinocchio-film" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Academy Award</a> for Best Actress , while Penn earned his first Best Actor nomination .

Dead Man Walking - Sentenced to death

Jazz has always been an off-camera character in Woody Allen &#39;s oeuvre, this film pays tribute to the musical genre. Penn plays Emmet Ray, an extremely self-confident 1930s jazz guitarist (the actor plays the guitar perfectly in the film) who lives, however, in the shadow of Django Reinhardt . The plot revolves around the love story with a cheerful deaf girl ( Samantha Morton ), who remains by his side despite his clashes with the mafia and numerous betrayals, including with Uma Thurman. Both Penn and Morton were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Agreements and disagreements

James Foley&#39;s film is a gritty and daring thriller but not only that, it also examines in depth the toxic bond between neglectful fathers and needy children. Based on a true story, it provides Penn with one of his best debut roles as Brad Whitewood Jr., a teenager who lives in poverty with his mother, grandmother and younger brother (played by Sean&#39;s late brother Chris Penn) . His father, Brad Sr. (Christopher Walken), is a hardened criminal who leads a rough life that his impressionable son hopes to one day emulate.

At close range

If you are a fan of Scarface, then &quot;Carlito&#39;s Way&quot; is for you. With Al Pacino as the protagonist: a Puerto Rican ex-con trying to start a clean life again. But trouble awaits him when his lawyer (Penn) brings him back into the criminal underworld. It is an elegant and entertaining thriller with a climax set in New York. Penn is particularly good in a different role than usual. He won a <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/golden-globes-2021-lista-vincitori-look-fashion-foto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden Globe</a> for Best Supporting Actor.

The most beautiful (and unmissable) films of Sean Penn

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