Sheen played an incarcerated serial killer surgeon inFox's drama seriesProdigal Son (2019–2021), Aziraphale in theBBC/Amazon Studios fantasy comedy seriesGood Omens (2019–present), and appeared asChris Tarrant inQuiz (2020). He played himself in the quarantine comedy showStaged (2020–2022) with his friend andGood Omens co-starDavid Tennant throughout theCOVID-19 lockdown. Sheen is known for his political and social activism, and renounced hisOBE in 2017.
Michael Christopher Sheen was born on 5 February 1969[4] inNewport, Wales,[5] the son of Irene, a secretary, and Meyrick, aBritish Steel Corporation personnel manager.[6] His family name, Sheen, is an Irish surname that is derived from his great-great-great grandfather Edward Sheehan, who lived inWaterford, Ireland, before moving to Wales in 1850 with his wife, Catherine Hickey.[7] Sheen has one younger sister, Joanne.[6] The family had already been living inLlanmartin for seven years prior to his birth.[8] When he was five, the family moved toWallasey for work,[9] but settled in his parents' home town ofPort Talbot,Glamorgan, three years later.[10][11]
A keen footballer, Sheen was scouted and offered a place onArsenal'syouth team at the age of 12, but his family was unwilling to relocate to London. He later said he was grateful for his parents' decision, as the chances of forging a professional football career were slight.[12]
Sheen was raised in a theatrical family; his parents were both involved in local amateur operatics and musicals[13] and, later in life, his father worked as a part-time professionalJack Nicholson lookalike, which took him across the world and as an after-dinner speaker.[14][15] In his teenage years, Sheen was involved with the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre and, later, the National Youth Theatre of Wales.[13][16][17] He was influenced by the performances ofLaurence Olivier and the writings of theatre criticKenneth Tynan.[18][19]
In 1984, at the age of 15, Sheen, along with his friendCharles Uzzell-Edwards and Charles' fatherJohn Uzzell Edwards, helped salvage the iron and steel gate leading to the terrace ofDylan Thomas Boathouse inLaugharne; they discovered it stuck in themud below the boathouse during a walk and dug it out.[20] The gate was kept in the Uzzell-Edwards family garden before Charles auctioned it off at a 2014 event marking the 100th anniversary ofThomas's birth.[21][22]
He considered studying English at university but instead decided to attend drama school.[13] He moved to London in 1988 to train as an actor at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),[13] having spent the previous year working in a Welsh fast-food restaurant called Burger Master to earn money.[6] Sheen was granted theLaurence Olivier Bursary by theSociety of London Theatre in his second year at RADA.[23][24] He graduated in 1991 with aBA in Acting.[6]
Sheen worked predominantly in theatre in the 1990s and has since remarked that he will always feel "slightly more at home" on stage. "It's more of an actor's medium. You are your own editor, nobody else is choosing what is being seen of you."[25] His first professional role, while still in his third and final year at RADA, was inWhen She Danced at theGlobe Theatre in 1991.[26] He later described the role as "a big break. One day, I was at RADA doing a movement class, the next I was at a read-through withVanessa Redgrave andFrances de la Tour."[27]Milton Shulman of theEvening Standard praised an "excellent" performance[28] whileThe Observer wrote of "a notable West End debut".[29] In 1992, Sheen's performance inRomeo and Juliet at theRoyal Exchange received aMEN Theatre Award nomination[30] and led theatre criticMichael Coveney to declare him "the most exciting young actor of his generation ... a volatile, electrifying and technically fearless performer".[15][31] His 1993 turn as Perdican inAlfred de Musset'sDon't Fool With Love at theDonmar Warehouse was nominated for theIan Charleson Award.[32][33] and was described byThe Independent as "quite thrilling".[34] Also in 1993, Sheen appeared in the world premiere ofHarold Pinter'sMoonlight at theAlmeida Theatre[35] and made his television debut in the 1993 BBC mini-seriesGallowglass.[36]
Sheen played the title role inPeer Gynt in 1994. TheYukio Ninagawa production was staged in Oslo, Tokyo and at theBarbican Centre, London.The Times praised Sheen's "astonishing vitality"[37] whileThe Independent found him "sensationally good" and noted that "the Norwegian press were grudgingly captivated by the mercurial Welsh boyo".[38] In other 1994 work, Sheen appeared inLe Livre de Spencer at theOdéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Paris[39] and starred in the cross-dressing farceCharley's Aunt at the Royal Exchange.[40] In 1995, he appeared oppositeKate Beckinsale in a production ofThe Seagull at theTheatre Royal, Bath[41] and, with the encouragement ofThelma Holt,[42] directed and starred inThe Dresser at theTheatre Royal, Plymouth. In addition, Sheen made his film debut that year, appearing oppositeKenneth Branagh inOthello.[43] 1996 saw Sheen at theNational Theatre forThe Ends of the Earth, an original play byDavid Lan.[44] A minor role inMary Reilly marked the first of three film collaborations with directorStephen Frears.[45] Sheen's most significant appearance of 1997 was the title role inHenry V, staged by theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at theirStratford-upon-Avontheatre, which earned him a second Ian Charleson Award nomination.[46]The Times praised "a blisteringly intelligent performance".[47] Also in 1997, he appeared in a revival of Harold Pinter'sThe Homecoming at the National Theatre, directed byRoger Michell,[48] and directedBadfinger, starringRhys Ifans, at the Donmar Warehouse.[49][50][51] The latter was staged by the Thin Language Theatre Company, which Sheen had co-founded in 1991, aiming to further Welsh theatre.[42][52] He then appeared in the biographical filmWilde, playingRobbie Ross toStephen Fry'sOscar Wilde.[53] In early 1998 Sheen formed a production company, The Foundry, withHelen McCrory andRobert Delamere to promote the work of emerging playwrights,[52] and producedA Little World of Our Own at the Donmar Warehouse, which gaveColin Farrell his West End debut.[54]
The Old Vic, where Sheen starred in a successful revival ofAmadeus in 1998. The play later transferred to Broadway.
From 1998 to 1999, Sheen starred asMozart in a successful revival ofAmadeus.[55] ThePeter Hall-directed production was staged atthe Old Vic, London, and later transferred to theMusic Box onBroadway.Ben Brantley, chief theatre critic forThe New York Times, was particularly vocal in his praise. He noted that "Mr. Sheen elicits a real poetry from the role" and felt that, while watching him, "you start to appreciate the derivation of the term star. This actor is so luminous it's scary!"[56]The Independent found him "quite stunning as Mozart. His fantastically physical performance convinces you of his character's genius and the play catches fire whenever he's on stage."[57] Sheen was nominated for aLaurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance and anOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor.[32][58][59] In 1999, Sheen explored the role of Jimmy Porter in the National Theatre's production ofLook Back in Anger. In 2003, Sheen described the production as "the most enjoyable thing I've ever done ... everything came together".[60] "Sheen has cornered the market in explosive energy", saidThe Independent, "but this thrilling performance is his finest yet."[61] TheFinancial Times noted: "As Jimmy Porter, a role of staggering difficulty in every way, Michael Sheen gives surely the best performance London has yet seen from him ... You hang on every word he utters ... This is a dazzlingly through-the-body performance."[62] He was nominated for aLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and anEvening Standard Award for Best Actor.[63]
At this point in his career, Sheen began to devote more time to film work.[64]Heartlands, a little-seen 2002 film about a naive man's road trip in theMidlands, was his first leading film role.[65] WhileThe Guardian dismissed the "cloying bittersweet-regional-lottery-Britfilm", it noted that "Sheen himself has a childlike,Frank Spencer-ish charm".[66] "It was great to do something that was so different," Sheen has said of the role. "I usually play very extreme characters."[67] Also in 2002, he had a minor role in the action-adventure filmThe Four Feathers.[68] In 2003, Sheen appeared inBright Young Things, the directorial debut of hisWilde co-star, Stephen Fry. An adaptation ofEvelyn Waugh's novelVile Bodies, the film followed high society partygoers in decadent, pre-war London. Sheen played a gay aristocrat in an ensemble cast which includedJames McAvoy,Emily Mortimer,David Tennant,Dan Aykroyd,Jim Broadbent andPeter O'Toole. While theLos Angeles Times said he "shone",[69]The Guardian felt the role "drastically under-uses his talents".[70] Sheen described his character as "possibly the campest man in cinema history" and relished a scene "where I do drugs with [a then 95-year-old]Sir John Mills."[71] In other 2003 film work, Sheen portrayed the werewolf leaderLucian inUnderworld[72] and made a brief appearance in the sci-fi filmTimeline.[73]
Sheen returned to the stage in 2003 to play the title role inCaligula at the Donmar Warehouse, directed byMichael Grandage. It was the first of just three stage appearances during the 2000s; his young daughter was now based in Los Angeles which made more frequent stage runs in Britain impractical.[74]The Independent's critic declared it "one of the most thrilling and searching performances I have ever witnessed"[75] andThe Daily Telegraph described him as an "outrageously charismatic actor" with "an astonishing physical presence".[76]The Times praised a "riveting performance"[77] andThe Guardian found him "highly impressive ... at one point he attacks hiscourt poet with a single hair-raising leap across a chair and table".[78] Sheen won anEvening Standard Award for Best Actor and aCritics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor, and was again nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.[79][80]
Sheen's breakthrough role was as British politicianTony Blair in 2003'sThe Deal. TheChannel 4 film explored the so-calledGranita pact made by Tony Blair andGordon Brown prior to the1994 Labour Party leadership election, and was the actor's first collaboration with screenwriterPeter Morgan. Director Stephen Frears cast him because "he was inMary Reilly and I knew he was brilliant."[81] Filmed while he was playingCaligula nightly on stage, Sheen has remarked, "It's interesting that in searching for monsters to play, you often end up playing leaders."[82]The Daily Telegraph praised his "earnest, yet steely, portrayal"[83] whileThe Guardian found him "excellent. This is intelligent and honest casting."[84] In 2004, Sheen starred inITV'sDirty Filthy Love, a comic film about a man dealing withOCD andTourette's after a marital separation. Sheen spoke of "treading a fine line" because "a lot of the symptoms are intrinsically comical".[79] He was nominated for aBAFTA Award for Best Television Actor and aRTS Best Actor Award.[85][86] Also in 2004, Sheen played a pompous rock star in the romantic comedyLaws of Attraction[87] and produced and starred inThe Banker, which won aBAFTA Award for Best Short Film.[88][89]
In 2005, Sheen starred in the National Theatre's production ofThe UN Inspector, aDavid Farr adaptation ofThe Government Inspector.The Times wrote of "a scathingly brilliant and inventive performance"[90] whileVariety noted that the actor "adds comic finesse to his apparently ceaseless repertoire".[91]The Evening Standard, while conceding that the performance was "technically brilliant", expressed bemusement as to why "one of the most mercurial and inspiring actors we have seems set on impersonatingRik Mayall throughout".[92] Also that year, Sheen took part in the Old Vic's24 Hour Play,[93] in whichThe Daily Telegraph felt he "dazzled".[94] In 2005 film work, Sheen starred inDead Long Enough, a small-budget Welsh/Irish film, with his longtime friend,Jason Hughes.[95][96] In addition, he had a supporting role inRidley Scott'sKingdom of Heaven,[97] made a cameo appearance inThe League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse[98] and starred in the short filmThe Open Doors.[99]
Sheen came to international attention in 2006 for his portrayal of Tony Blair inThe Queen. The film focused on the differing reactions of theBritish royal family and the newly appointed Prime Minister following thedeath of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997; it was Sheen's third collaboration with director Stephen Frears and his second with screenwriter Peter Morgan. He enjoyed reprising his role because Blair, at this point in his career, had "a weight to him that he didn't have before".[19] When asked to discuss his personal opinion of Blair, Sheen admitted that the more time he spent working on the character, the "less opinion" he has of the politician: "Now when I watch him on TV or hear his voice, it's sort of like a cross between a family member, a friend and seeing a really old embarrassing video of yourself."[100]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone praised "a sensational performance, alert and nuanced"[101] whileEmpire spoke of an "uncanny, insightful performance".[102] Sheen was nominated for aBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[103] His second film appearance of 2006 was a supporting role inBlood Diamond as an unscrupulous diamond dealer.[104]
From 2006 to 2007, Sheen starred as the television broadcasterDavid Frost inFrost/Nixon at both the Donmar Warehouse andGielgud Theatre in London and theJacobs Theatre on Broadway. The play, written byPeter Morgan, directed by Michael Grandage and co-starringFrank Langella, was a critical and commercial success[112] but Sheen initially accepted the role as a favour to his friends and "never thought it was going anywhere".[113]The Guardian said the actor "exactly captures Frost's verbal tics and mannerisms while suggesting a nervousness behind the self-assurance".[114] "He's got the voice, the mannerisms, the blaze," said theFinancial Times, "but, more than that, Sheen – as viscerally exciting an actor as any in Britain today – shows us the hunger of Frost's ambition .. and fox-like instinct for the hunt and the kill."[115] Sheen was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and aDrama League Award for Distinguished Performance.[116][117] Sheen next appeared in the 2007 filmMusic Within as a political activist withcerebral palsy. He spoke of having a "responsibility" to accurately portray the condition.[118]Variety said his performance was "remarkable.. utterly convincing",[119]USA Today found him "outstanding"[120] while theLos Angeles Times felt he was "reminiscent ofDaniel Day-Lewis inMy Left Foot, bringing a vibrancy and wit to the role".[121] Also that year, Sheen starred in the short filmAirlock, or How To Say Goodbye in Space withDerek Jacobi[122] and was invited to join the actors' branch of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.[123]
Sheen reprised the role of David Frost in 2008'sFrost/Nixon, a film dramatisation ofThe Nixon Interviews of 1977. Despite appearing in the originalstage production in a part written for him by Peter Morgan, Sheen was surprised to have been cast in the film: "Peter said he'd only be prepared to give the rights to someone who would cast me as Frost, which was very nice, but when the studios get their hands on something... Right up until we started filming I was prepared to be disappointed".[124]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times asserted that Sheen embodied his character in a "compelling, intense" performance[125] whileThe Wall Street Journal felt he was "a brilliant actor" who "grows his character from a bright-eyed social butterfly to a gimlet-eyed interrogator".[126] However,The New York Times felt "the likable, watchable Mr. Sheen has been pitted against a scene-stealer" in Frank Langella's Nixon.[127] Frost himself later said it was "a wonderful performance".[128] Sheen was the recipient of the Variety Award at theBritish Independent Film Awards 2008.,[129] while Langella was nominated for an Academy Award.
Sheen at the81st Academy Awards in 2009. He was invited to join the actors' branch of the Academy in 2007.
In 2009, portrayed another public figure; he starred inThe Damned United as the outspoken football managerBrian Clough. TheTom Hooper-directed film focused on Clough's disastrous 44-day tenure as manager ofLeeds United and marked Sheen's fifth collaboration with writer Peter Morgan. He said Clough is the real-life character he enjoyed playing most.[130]The Guardian, writing in 2009, declared it the "best performance of his big-screen career"[131] whileThe Times found him "magnificent".[132]Entertainment Weekly asserted that, despite American audiences' unfamiliarity with Clough, "what's lost in translation is recovered easily enough in Michael Sheen's astonishing performance".[133]Variety noted that his "typically scrupulous channelling of Clough gets the tics and mannerisms right, but also carves a moving portrait of a braggart suddenly out of his depth".[134] Also in 2009, Sheen reprised his role as a werewolf inUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans, a prequel to the original film. Of his decision to take part, Sheen has said: "My rule of thumb is that I want to do things I'd like to go and see myself."[135]The New York Times felt he was "the movie's greatest asset ... [taking] a lively break from his usual high-crust duties to bring wit, actual acting and some unexpected musculature to the goth-horror flick".[136]Variety said he hit "all the right notes in a star-powered performance that will amuse, if not amaze, anyone who only knows the actor as Tony Blair or David Frost"[137] whileRichard Corliss ofTime noted that he "tries bravely to keep a straight face"[138]
Sheen had a supporting role in 2009'sThe Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second film in the highly popular vampire series.[139] In its review,Rolling Stone said: "Late in the film, a real actor, Michael Sheen, shows up as the mind-reading Aro, of the Italian Volturi vampires, and sparks things up. You can almost hear the young cast thinking, 'Is that acting? It looks hard.' So Sheen is quickly ushered out."[140] WhileThe New York Times said he "preens with plausible menace",[141]USA Today felt that he "plays the character with more high-pitched giddiness than menace".[142] He was named Actor of the Year atGQ magazine's annual Men of the Year ceremony.[143] Sheen made two one-off stage appearances in 2009; he performed a scene fromBetrayal as part of a Harold Pinter tribute evening at the National Theatre[144] and performed improvisational comedy as part ofThe Groundlings'Crazy Joe Show in Los Angeles.[145]
In 2010, Sheen had a supporting role in the science fiction sequelTron: Legacy. Referring to hisDavid Bowie-esque character, Sheen has said, "I was paid to show off basically".[105]The Wall Street Journal found little fun in the movie "except for a gleefully campy turn by Michael Sheen"[146] whileThe New York Times said he "shows up to deliver the closest thing to a performance in the movie".[147]The Daily Telegraph felt his "lively hamming as a cane-swishing nightclub owner merely underlines how impersonal—how inhuman—much else here is".[148] However,USA Today felt his "scenery-chewing performance ... is meant as comic relief, but this movie thunders along so seriously that the attempt at humor feels jarring".[149] In other 2010 film work, Sheen voiced Nivens McTwisp, theWhite Rabbit, inTim Burton'sAlice in Wonderland[150] and Dr. Griffiths inDisney'sTinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue[151] and appeared as a terrorist inUnthinkable.[152] On television, Sheen's performance in the third instalment of Peter Morgan'sBlair trilogy,The Special Relationship, was nominated for anEmmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or Movie.[153] TheHBO film examined the "special relationship" between the US and the UK in the political era of Blair andBill Clinton. It was the sixth collaboration between Sheen and Peter Morgan; both parties have since said they will not work together again "for the foreseeable future".[27][154] Sheen also made a guest appearance in four episodes ofNBC's30 Rock as Wesley Snipes, a love interest forTina Fey's Liz Lemon. Fey, the sitcom's star and creator, has said that "he was so funny and delightful to work with".[155][156] In November 2010, Sheen received theBAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year.[157]
In 2011, Sheen starred in and was creative director ofNational Theatre Wales'sThe Passion, a 72-hour secularpassion play staged in his hometown ofPort Talbot, Wales.[158] In addition to a professional cast, over one thousand local amateurs took part in the performance and as many more volunteers from local charity and community groups were involved in preparations in the months leading up to the play.[159][160] The event was the subject of both aBBC documentary andThe Gospel of Us, a film by directorDave McKean.[161][162] Sheen has described it as "the most meaningful experience" of his career.[163]The Observer declared it "one of the outstanding theatrical events not only of this year, but of the decade".[164]The Independent's critic described it as "the most extraordinary piece of community-specific theatre I've ever beheld".[165] WhileThe Daily Telegraph bemoaned the large-scale production's logistical problems, "overall I found it touching, transformative and, in its own wayward way, a triumph."[166]The Guardian felt it was "so much more than just an epic piece of street theatre..transforming and uplifting".[167] Sheen and co-director Bill Mitchell were jointly honoured as Best Director at theTheatre Awards UK 2011.[168] In 2013, Sheen won Best Actor atWelsh BAFTA for the production.[169][170]
Sheen's most notable film appearance of 2011 was a supporting role inWoody Allen'sMidnight in Paris.[171] Allen noted that "Michael had to do the pseudo-intellectual, the genuine intellectual, the pedant, and he came in and nailed it from the start".[172] Sheen enjoyed playing "someone who's just absolutely got no sense that he's overstepping the mark or that he's being a bore."[173] The film opened the2011 Cannes Film Festival and became Allen's highest-grossing film to date.[174] Also in 2011, Sheen starred inBeautiful Boy, an independent drama focusing on the aftermath of a school shooting,[175] voiced the enigmatic and mysterious villain House in theDoctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife" written by his friendNeil Gaiman[176] and made cameo appearances inThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1[177] andResistance.[178] In 2012 film work, Sheen starred oppositeToni Collette in the independent comedyJesus Henry Christ[179] and reprised his role as the vampire Aro in the final installment ofThe Twilight Saga.[180][181]
Sheen played the title role inHamlet at theYoung Vic in late 2011 and early 2012,[182] a role he first explored in a 1999BBC Radio 3 production.[183] While there had been tentative plans over the years for both Peter Hall and Michael Grandage to direct Sheen in the play,[184][185][186] he eventually askedIan Rickson.[144] Rickson's production was set in the secure wing of a psychiatric hospital and featured original music byPJ Harvey.[187] TheEvening Standard declared Sheen's performance "an audacious achievement" that "will live in the memory"[188] whileThe Independent praised "a recklessly brilliant and bravura performance."[189]The Daily Telegraph felt that Sheen "could be right up there among the great Hamlets",[190] were it not for Rickson's "mindlessly modish" staging, whileThe Times found him "unbearably moving".[191][192]The Guardian described him as "fascinating to watch ... intelligent, inventive and full of insights ... [he] delivers the "What a piece of work is a man" passage with a beautiful consciousness of human potential."[193]The Observer declared him an actor "always worth crossing a principality to see and hear" whose"'To be, or not to be' is a marvel."[194]
In 2013, Sheen appeared in a supporting role as the boyfriend ofTina Fey in the comedyAdmission, with Stephanie Zacharek ofThe Village Voice describing the character as "a whiskery, elfin academic who chuckles to himself as he reads the Canterbury Tales prologue aloud in bed, in Middle English, no less. (Sheen is scarily good at this.)"[195] In 2014, he starred in the fantasy children's filmMariah Mundi and the Midas Box.[196] R. Kurt Osenlund ofSlant Magazine said "the ever-versatile Sheen brings an artful hamminess to his role"[197] but Matt Pais ofRedEye found him "insufficiently zany" in "a part that Robert Downey Jr. would nail but never accept."[198] His second film role of 2014 was a minor role in the political thrillerKill the Messenger.[199] Also in 2014, he starred inIFC's six-episodeThe Spoils of Babylon, a television parody of classic, sweeping miniseries, in which he played the husband ofKristen Wiig's character.[200]
In 2015, Sheen starred oppositeCarey Mulligan in the romantic dramaFar from the Madding Crowd as prosperous bachelor William Boldwood. His performance was well received.[201][202][203]Anthony Lane ofThe New Yorker remarked: "How you prevent such a fellow, crushed by his own decency, from sagging into a beardedAshley Wilkes is no easy task, yet Sheen succeeds, and Boldwood's brave smile grows dreadful to behold."[204] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofThe A.V. Club found the character "pitiful, and sometimes downright painful to watch. He's not Hardy's Boldwood, but he's a Boldwood. The only sad, genuine moment of the film belongs to him."[205] Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian remarked that Sheen's face "is etched with agony and an awful kind of abject adoration, forever trying to find ways to forgive the loved one in advance for rejection. When Sheen's Boldwood confides to Oak that he feels "grief" you really can feel his pain."[206] Stephanie Zacharek ofThe Village Voice also referred to the scene where Boldwood expressed his grief, commenting: "Sheen's performance is fine-grained, and the pure Englishness of his understatement is heartrending."[207] Also in 2015, Sheen had well-received comedic television performances inComedy Bang! Bang!,[208][209]The Spoils Before Dying[210][211][212][213] and7 Days in Hell.[214] Mary McNamara of theLos Angeles Times said his television host in7 Days in Hell was "played with damp lechery and cigarette-ash mastery."[215] Liz Shannon Miller ofIndiewire said he may have "stolen the show"[216] while John DeFore ofThe Hollywood Reporter described him as the "scene-stealer of the bunch".[217]
Between 2013 and 2016, Sheen starred in and producedShowtime'sMasters of Sex.[221] He andLizzy Caplan portrayed the 1960s human sexuality pioneersMasters and Johnson; the series chronicled "their unusual lives, romance and pop culture trajectory, which saw them go from a Midwestern teaching hospital to the cover ofTime magazine andJohnny Carson's couch".[222][223] David Sims ofThe Atlantic described Sheen's portrayal of Masters as "an intensely honest and unsympathetic one"[224] while Sonia Saraiya ofThe A.V. Club said that Sheen played the role "so seamlessly it's hard to remember that there's a British actor there who has played flamboyant news personalities and prime ministers."[225] Sean T. Collins ofThe Observer described Masters as "a singularly unappealing figure": "It's not that Michael Sheen is bad in the role. On the contrary! Sheen's skill in playing Masters as an asshole who oscillates between headache-inducing self-repression and volcanic rage renders him unpleasant to spend more than two minutes with at a time."[226] Tim Goodman ofThe Hollywood Reporter remarked: "Masters has never been very likable. In fact, it's a testament to Sheen's performance— and Caplan's nuanced Johnson offsetting Masters—that anyone still cares what happens to Masters on a personal level."[227] He received aGolden Globe nomination for his performance in late 2013.[228][229]
In May 2019, Sheen starred alongsideDavid Tennant inGood Omens, based onthe novel of the same name written byTerry Pratchett andNeil Gaiman and was cast asChris Tarrant inthe TV adaptation ofJames Graham's stage playQuiz.[241] From September 2019 through May 2021, Sheen played the role of Martin Whitly in the American television seriesProdigal Son on Fox.[242][243] In April 2020,Quiz was shown onITV. On 14 April, when theITV channel broadcast the second instalment, the continuity announcer introduced him as "Martin Sheen", a different actor. Sheen reacted to this by changing his Twitter handle to "Martin Sheen".[244] In June 2020, Sheen starred alongside David Tennant again in a six-part televisionlockdown comedy entitledStaged, which was made using video-conferencing software.[245] A second eight-episode series started airing in January 2021.[246] In June 2021, Sheen returned to the London stage, after its protracted period of Covid-19 shutdown, in Dylan Thomas'sUnder Milk Wood in theOlivier Theatre at the National Theatre. A new production ofAmadeus, scheduled for December 2022 at theSydney Opera House, was announced in July 2022 with Sheen as Salieri.[247] Sheen won Best Performer in a Play at the 2023 BroadwayWorld Australia – Sydney Awards for his performance.[248]
Continuing Sheen's professional partnership with Tennant, a third six-episode series ofStaged aired in its entirely on 14 November 2022,[249][250] while a second six-episode series ofGood Omens premiered on 28 July 2023.[251] In June 2023, Sheen starred in BBC One'sBest Interests, which won him Best Actor in International Competition at the 2023Series Mania.[252] In November 2023, Sheen was cast as the formerPrince Andrew, Duke of York for a limited series entitledA Very Royal Scandal.[253] Sheen will continue his partnership with Tennant in the finale episode forGood Omens, a 90-minute programme currently being filmed in Edinburgh.
The Way,Nye andA Very Royal Scandal (2024–present)
From 19 February to 4 March 2024 Sheen directed and starred in a three-part television series calledThe Way on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.[254] From February to June 2024, Sheen performed on stage asAneurin Bevan inNye, a play written byTim Price and directed byRufus Norris.[255][256] The play ran in theRoyal National Theatre from 24 February until 11 May,[257] and at theWales Millennium Centre from 18 May to 1 June.[258] Sheen was nominated for Best Performer in a Play at the2025 WhatsOnStage Awards for this role.[259] Following a sell-out run in 2024, Sheen reprised his role as Aneurin Bevan in the playNye in 2025. The second run was at theRoyal National Theatre from 3 July to 16 August 2025, and at the Wales Millennium Centre from 22 to 30 August 2025.[260][261]
In April 2024, Sheen guested on BBC'sThe Assembly forAutism Acceptance Week, and was praised for his "heartwarming" interaction withneurodivergent journalists.[262][263][264] Sheen answering a question from journalist Leo[265] was nominated for TV Moment of the Year at the Edinburgh TV Festival Awards.[266]The Assembly half-hour special with Sheen won Media Moment at the 2025Scope Awards.[267]
In June 2024, Sheen joined theBBC Radio 4's environmental documentary podcastBuried Series 2: The Last Witness as thehearsay witness who recorded dead witnessDouglas Gowan's final testimony.[268][269][270] Along with husband-and-wife journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, Sheen investigated the potential harm caused by chemical waste dumped in South Wales following reports from researcher Douglas Gowan, whom Sheen interviewed in 2017 and was mentioned in his 2017 AnnualRaymond Williams Memorial Lecture.[271][272][273]Buried Series 2: The Last Witness was named the third best podcast of 2024 byThe Guardian.[274] The podcast wasshortlisted in the 2025Amnesty International UK Media Awards for Radio & Podcasts,[275] but did not make it to the list of finalists.[276]Buried: The Last Witness won Grand Award at the 2025New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Documentary: Environment & Ecology category,[277][278][279] won Best Podcast at the 2025 DIG Awards,[280] and was shortlisted in the 2025 True Crime Awards for Podcast: Impact For Change.[281]
On 10 March 2025, the documentaryMichael Sheen's Secret Million Pound Giveaway was aired onChannel 4, which explains why people are vulnerable to debt spirals, how debt-buying practices work, and how Sheen wrote off £1,000,000 of debt for 900 people in South Wales using £100,000 of his own money by secretly spending two years setting up a debt acquisition company.[283][284][285] The programme was well-received and Sheen's heist was hailed as inspiring and "Robin Hood-like", although questions remain as to whether it will get the UK government to pass the Fair Banking Act.[286][287][288][289][290]
On 10 January 2025, Sheen announced that he had launched a new national theatre for Wales named Welsh National Theatre[291] after theNational Theatre Wales was forced to close due to the company's £1.6m funding from the Arts Council of Wales being cut.[292][293][294] He would personally fund the Welsh National Theatre from the outset as well as taking on the role of artistic director.[295][296]
On 2 April 2025, Sheen's Welsh National Theatre (WNT) company revealed plans for their inaugural season with two plays:Thornton Wilder'sOur Town told from the Welsh perspective, and a new play byGary Owen calledOwain & Henry, aboutOwain Glyndŵr's rebellion against the rule ofHenry IV of England in the 15th century.[297][298][299] Sheen will star in both plays, as Stage Manager and Owain Glyndŵr respectively.[300][301][302]
On 18 June 2025, it was announced that the company’s first headquarters will be inSwansea’s civic centre, overlooking the beach ofSwansea Bay, where Sheen's theatrical journey began.[303][304][305][306]
Along with WNT, Sheen also founded Welsh Net – a talent scouting network across Wales to find and develop amateur and professional Welsh talent.[307] On 22 September 2025, it was announced thatBBC Studios would fund the recruitment of a team of top talent scouts for Welsh Net.[308][309]
On 25 September 2025,Matthew Rhys announced his return to the Welsh stage from 16 to 26 November 2025 in the acclaimed one-man playPlaying Burton, celebrating the 100th anniversary ofRichard Burton's birth and raising funds for the Welsh National Theatre.[310][311][312]
On January 8, 2026, Sheen toppedThe Stage 100 power list of 2026 for “putting Wales back on the theatre map in 2025”.[313][314] On January 15, 2026, it was reported that WNT had received funding from the Colwinston Charitable Trust, financed by royalties from the playThe Mousetrap, to support its opening season.[315][316]
On 5 June 2025, Sheen's debutpicture book on homelessness calledA Home for Spark the Dragon was published byPuffin Books.[317][318] £1 from every hardback sale and 50p from every paperback sale of the book in the UK and Ireland will be donated to the national housing and homelessness charityShelter.[319] Speaking about the book, Sheen said: "I feel very fortunate that I got to grow up in a safe and happy home, but knowing that, for many people, this isn't the case, has increasingly made me want to do what I can to help. I've always believed that telling stories is an important way to make change in the world, and, in the long run, stories for children can make the most change of all. For these reasons, I wanted to try to tell a story for young readers about a character who loses their home... I'm proud to be publishing Spark’s story in partnership with the charity Shelter, supporting the important work they do to fight the housing emergency."[320]
Sheen is honorary president of Wales Council for Voluntary Action, the lead national body for the voluntary sector in Wales. Accepting the role he explained, "I plan to use my role to actively challenge and support WCVA in their impact and role in supporting the community and keeping us focused on what matters locally as well as the need for national leadership". He is also an ambassador forTREAT Trust Wales, and is the Welsh ambassador ofInto Film, a charity which offers after-school film clubs tostate primary and secondary schools in an effort to improve literacy levels.[321] He is also an ambassador of the environmental charityKeep Wales Tidy.[322]
In 2014, Sheen designed a Shakespeare-themedPaddington Bear statue. Placed outsideShakespeare's Globe, it was one of fifty statues of Paddington located around London prior to the release of the filmPaddington, which were auctioned to raise funds for the NSPCC.[335] In 2017, Sheen founded the End High Cost Credit Alliance working to promote more affordable ways to borrow money.[336] That same year Sheen became a Patron ofSocial Enterprise UK, a charity which supports social projects which benefit local, environmental and co-operative causes.[337] In October 2018, Sheen andNatasha Kaplinsky became vice-presidents (an ambassadorial role) of theRoyal Society for Public Health (RSPH).[338] Sheen is a fundraising partner with the non-profit organization, The White Curl, which supports Welsh charities.[339] As of 2023, his campaigns with The White Curl raised over £110,000 for Welsh charities and causes.[340]
In 2019, Sheen sold his own houses to fund theHomeless World Cup in Cardiff when its £2,000,000 funding fell through at the last minute.[341][342][343][344][345] In 2020, he raised more than £33,000 to help people in Wales whose homes have been hit by flooding in the wake ofStorm Dennis.[346][347][348]
In 2021, Sheen invested £250,000 of his own money to launchMab Gwalia[349](meaningSons of Wales), a fund to fund community projects in Wales.[350] The organisation currently supports 16 projects, including Mothers Matter, GROW Cymru (Growing Real Opportunities for Women), ASD Rainbows, Cwm Taf People First, Escape Artists North Wales, Street Football Wales, and Mab Gwalia Welsh Drama Student Scholarship programme in partnership withManic Street Preachers.[351] Each academic year, the Mab Gwalia Welsh Drama Student Scholarship awards up to £15,000 to support up to three eligible students.[352] “Opportunity should not only be available to those who can afford it,” Sheen said.[353][354] He also funds theMichael Sheen Bursary for Welsh undergraduates atJesus College, Oxford, pledging £50,000 over five years.[355][356][357][358]
In December 2021, Sheen announced that he would be giving all of his future earnings to charities, declaring himself a "not-for-profit actor".[359] That same year, he co-foundedA Writing Chance, which gives new and aspiring writers from working-class and lower-income backgrounds resources and access to the writing industries.[360] The writers and their stories would then be introduced on theMichael Sheen: Margins to Mainstream podcast onBBC Radio Wales.[361][362]
In February 2024, Sheen donated £5,000 to a young boy inWrexham with a rare genetic condition calledTUBA1A through a fundraiser by Wrexham Police FC, commenting: "Very best wishes to the whole family."[363][364][365][366][367] In March 2024, he donated another £5,000 to theamateurfootball andfutsal clubFC United of Wrexham, which was struggling financially.[368][369][370] In November 2024, Sheen backed a charity football match to help victims of domestic abuse in North Wales organised by the Wrexham Police FC and North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT).[371][372][373]
In October 2024, it was reported that Sheen had used his own money to write off personal debts for hundreds of people in South Wales.[374][375] On 10 March 2025, the process of Sheen clearing £1,000,000 of debt for 900 people in South Wales with £100,000 of his own money was shown in Channel 4's documentaryMichael Sheen’s Secret Million Pound Giveaway.[376][377]
In May 2025, aliterary magazine and online platform calledThe Bee,[378] an extension of Sheen's earlier projectA Writing Chance and aims to "fight the increasing marginalisation of working-class writers, and of working-class people in publishing", was launched.[379][380][381][382]
On 5 June 2025, Sheen's debutpicture book on homelessness calledA Home for Spark the Dragon was published in association with the homelessness charityShelter.[384] PublisherPuffin Books and Sheen will donate £1 from every hardback sale and 50p from every paperback sale of the book in the UK and Ireland.[317][319][320]
Sheen is known for political and social activism. Examples include campaigning against high-cost credit agreements, crises in local journalism and describing himself as a not-for-profit actor due to his contributions to social causes.[385][386][387]
On 18 October 2013, Sheen published a full-page open letter to the local newspaper theSouth Wales Argus, in which he strongly condemned the "absurd and tragic" demolition of theChartist Mural.[388][389][390][391] On 2 November 2013, he spoke at a conference in Newport, and was invited by city council leader Bob Bright to advise a committee on a proposal to replace the mural.[392][393] 6 years later, on 4 November 2019, exactly 180 years since theNewport Rising, a new mural that is a replica of the original was unveiled in Newport.[394]
On 24 February 2015, to mark the 175th anniversary of the Chartist Rising in Newport, Sheen made theBBC Cymru Wales's documentaryMichael Sheen's Valleys Rebellion.[395] In it, he retraced the journey of 20,000Chartists who walked from the Gwent Valley to the centre of Newport, exploring Welsh attitudes to politics and social change in 2014, and why ordinary people and politicians seemed so far apart.[396][397]Michael Sheen's Valleys Rebellion was nominated for Best Single Documentary and Sheen himself was nominated for Best Presenter at the 2015BAFTA Cymru Awards.[398] The documentary was also nominated for a Torc Award at the 2016Celtic Media Festival.[399][400][401]
On 1 March 2015, Sheen joined the People’s March for theNHS inTredegar, the birthplace of the founder of the NHSAneurin Bevan, and gave a speech on the importance of the NHS and thewelfare state to a civilised, equal and compassionate society, opposing the privatisation of the NHS and opposing Conservative'sausterity cuts to the UK's health service.[402][403][404][405] His NHS speech wentviral, with many posting and sharing clips of him speaking at the march, lauding him as "an upcoming face in politics".[406][407] When asked by BBC News if he was surprised by the reaction to the speech, Sheen said: "I didn't know it was being filmed. It was a cold and very wet day. The fact that anyone turned up at all was amazing and that they stayed around was amazing."[408] Sheen also told BBC News that he was not affiliated to any political party and that "they're all doing terrible jobs on the whole", but that he would still speak out about what he witnessed whenever he got the chance.[409]
On 21 December 2015, Sheen started a petition calling on the Welsh Government to put an end to homeless teenagers being put into unsuitablebed and breakfast accommodation onChange.org following news of young people being murdered while staying in B&Bs with potentially dangerous ex-offenders.[410][411][412] The petition raised more than 115,000 signatures and Sheen presented the issue directly to the Minister for Communities and Tackling PovertyLesley Griffiths, who announced in March 2016 that the Welsh Government had issued stricter statutory guidance to local authorities to stop the use of B&B accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds once and for all.[413][414][415][416]
On 8 June 2016, the documentaryMichael Sheen: The Fight for My Steel Town was broadcast onBBC One Wales, in which Sheen returned to Port Talbot, the town where he grew up, to see for himself the impact on families of hundreds of jobs lost at the steelworks.[417]Michael Sheen: The Fight for My Steel Town wonBAFTA Cymru for News and Current Affairs.[418]
On 3 June 2017, Sheen delivered hisAneurin Bevan Lecture atHay Festival 2017 about "culture and society and the humane vision and tradition that Bevan inspires".[419][420][421]
On 16 November 2017, Sheen spoke at the AnnualRaymond Williams Memorial Lecture organised by Learning and Work Institute Wales and Open University in Merthyr, Wales.[272][422] His lecture "explored themes of Welsh culture and identity, its past and its present and to look again at the question Williams once asked – Who speaks for Wales?",[423]Brexit, the decline of local journalism in Wales, and the environmental threats to Wales fromPCBs pollution nearBrofiscin Quarry reported by researcherDouglas Gowan.[271][424] Sheen learned about Gowan's studies when he first read an article on Wikipedia, and was then invited to visit and record a seven-hour interview as evidence for his testimony.[273]
In June 2021,The Barry Horns released the bilingual single 'Cymru Rydd' for theUEFA Euro 2020, which "features a middle 8vocal sample kindly permitted by Michael Sheen” from his 2017 Annual Raymond Williams Memorial Lecture.[431][432][433]
In July 2022, Sheen made a documentary with BBC Wales Investigates calledMichael Sheen: Lifting the Lid on the Care System about the experiences of children in care and found that homeless young people are still staying in B&Bs and sleeping rough, six years after the Welsh government said it wanted to eradicate the practice.[434][435]
In May 2024, Sheen joined series 2 of BBC Radio 4's award-winning podcastBuried, calledBuried: The Last Witness, as thehearsay witness who recorded dead witnessDouglas Gowan's final testimony.[446][268][270] Together with presenters and investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, Sheen conducted a field investigation in South Wales and discovered the lasting impact of 'forever chemicals' on the environment, food chain and communities, and issued a warning for the future.[447][448][449][450][451]
In October 2024, Sheen called for a Fair Banking Act to help tackle the unaffordable credit crisis in the UK.[452][453][454] On 10 March 2025, in hisChannel 4 documentaryMichael Sheen’s Secret Million PoundGiveaway, he paid off the debts of 900 people in South Wales using his own money while continuing to call on the UK government to enact the Fair Banking Act.[455][456]
Sheen was in a relationship with English actressKate Beckinsale from 1995 until 2003. They met when cast in a touring production ofThe Seagull in early 1995,[41] and began living together shortly afterwards.[459][460] Their daughter was born in 1999 in London.[41] Their relationship ended in January 2003, soon after the couple moved toLos Angeles.[41] Beckinsale had persuaded directorLen Wiseman to cast Sheen inUnderworld;[461] but while on set, she and Wiseman began a relationship,[10] and subsequently married in 2004.[462]
Sheen had a long-distance relationship with English ballet dancer Lorraine Stewart from late 2004 until mid-2010.[463] He dated Canadian actressRachel McAdams from autumn 2010 to early 2013[464][465] and American comedian and actressSarah Silverman from early 2014 to early 2018.[466][467] He was also in a relationship with Irish comedian and actressAisling Bea at some point.[468][469][470]
Sheen moved fromLos Angeles back to his home town ofPort Talbot, Wales, around 2018.[468] He revealed in 2019 that he was in a relationship with Swedish actressAnna Lundberg, who is 25 years younger than him. She appeared as herself inStaged, and the couple have appeared together onGogglebox.[468][471][472] They have two daughters together, born in September 2019[473] and May 2022.[474][468]
After the death of his father Meyrick in 2025, Sheen described him as "an extraordinary character" and said he and his family had received "an outpouring of love and messages".[476]
Sheen was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2009 New Year Honours for his services to drama.[540] In 2020, Sheen revealed, during an online interview withOwen Jones, that he had "handed back" the medal after doing research for a lecture on the relationship between Wales and theBritish state, saying "I didn't mean any disrespect but I just realised I'd be a hypocrite if I said the things I was going to say in the lecture about the nature of the relationship between Wales and the British state".[541] Individuals who voluntarily renounce an honour continue to legally hold it unless it is annulled by the monarch.[542]
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^Sheen, Michael (Contributor), Lizzy Caplan (Contributor), Caitlin FitzGerald (Contributor), Teddy Sears (Contributor) (29 September 2013).Masters of Sex (Drama). Event occurs at 60 min.
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