Who Is Martin Sheen’s Wife? All About Actress Janet Sheen

Martin Sheen has one of the most extensive careers in Hollywood, but his relationship with his wife, Janet Sheen, is equally long-lasting.

Both Ohio natives, the pair met in the early '60s in New York City and got married in 1961. They went on to welcome four children together: sons Emilio Esteves, Charlie Sheen and Ramón Esteves and daughter Renée Estevez, all of whom followed in their father's footsteps and pursued acting. The couple have since become grandparents to 10 children.

As for the secret to his and Janet's enduring union, the Grace and Frankie actor said he “[has no] clue,” telling The Guardian in 2011, “I really don’t. I’ve never met a person with more integrity in my life, though ... It's taken me a long time to be as even and direct with her as she has been, always, with me.”

For Martin, this type of honesty is one of the most important aspects of a happy relationship. “I was fortunate enough to marry the scariest woman I’d ever met,” he told The Washington Post in 2015. “She did not know how to lie. It was impossible." He added: “She would always call me out, thank God.”

Speaking with The Guardian, in 2017, he named Janet as the person he admires most. “She is the most scrupulously honest human being I have ever encountered,” he said.

So, who is Martin Sheen’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Janet Sheen and her relationship with the actor.

She was born in Ohio

Both Martin and Janet were born and raised in Ohio, however, the pair didn't until meet years later in N.Y.C.

Martin (whose real name is Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez) was born to immigrant parents (his mother is from Ireland and his father is from Spain) in Dayton, Ohio, while Janet (née Templeton) was born in Dayton and grew up in Cincinnati.

She met Martin in 1960

In 1959, Martin moved to N.Y.C. to pursue a career in theater. The following year, while sleeping on a friend’s couch, he met Janet, an art student at the New School.

Speaking of his time in the city to Closer Weekly in 2022, Martin said: “I was there for 10 years. Jan and I met there, were married there, and all our children were born there. Those 10 years were vital in my life as a husband, father, an activist and an actor.”

She and Martin got married in 1961

Shortly after they began dating, the two moved in together. They married the following year after Janet became pregnant.

In his dual-memoir, Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son (co-written with Emilio), Martin wrote: “Even though Janet and I were both so incredibly young, starting a family seemed to make sense, as if this was what two people who loved each other naturally did next.”

The couple married on Dec. 23, 1961, in a short, 15-minute ceremony in New York. “I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day,” Martin wrote of their wedding.

She and Martin have four children

Less than six months after tying the knot, Martin and Janet welcomed their first child, Emilio Estevez, in May 1962. The following August, their second son, Ramón Estevez, was born. In September 1965, the couple welcomed their youngest son, Carlos Estevez — better known by his stage name, Charlie Sheen. Two years later, their only daughter, Renée Estevez, was born.

As Martin pursued a career in Hollywood, travel was a big part of life for the family. “My parents believed that, for the family to stay together, the family had to literally stay together,” Emilio wrote in The Washington Post. “My father insisted that any film deal requiring him to travel must also include airfare and accommodations for my mom and his four children.”

All four of their children went on to follow in their famous father's footsteps, with Emilio and Charlie becoming household names in their own right.

“It was surprising to me,” Martin told The Guardian in 2011 of his kids’ decision to pursue careers in entertainment. “But when I saw [Emilio] acting, I realized how talented he was. I was so relieved.” He went on to add, “Each of my children [is] an individual talent. They didn’t get anything by favor — nothing, not once.”

In his 2022 interview with Closer Weekly, the actor shared that his “only influence” on his eldest son's career was convincing him to keep his given surname. “When [Emilio] started out, his agent was advising him to change his name to Sheen and he wouldn’t do it. And I thank God he didn’t,” he said, adding that he regrets his own decision to adopt a stage name.

Of his children, Charlie is the only one who chose to take the Sheen stage name professionally. All four of them, however, have worked alongside their famous father.

She’s an actress and producer

Acting has become a family affair for the Sheen/Esteves clan. Martin has not only shared the screen with all four of his children but he's also costarred with Janet.

She appeared in the television mini-series Kennedy with her husband and also acted as a producer on The Way, a 2010 film directed by Emilio and starring Martin.

On the topic of working with his family, Martin told The Guardian in 2011: "From my point of view there's nothing better."

She and Martin are grandparents

Martin and Janet’s family has continued to grow over the years, and they now have 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Emilio and his ex-girlfriend, Carey Salley, share two kids, son Taylor and daughter Paloma, as well as a grandchild. Ramon has three adult children: Katherine, Christopher, and Luis Jr.

Finally, Charlie is a father of five. He shares two daughters, Sami and Lola Rose, with ex-wife Denise Richards, and two sons, twins Max and Bob, with ex-wife Brooke Mueller. He also has a grandchild of his own, Luna, from his eldest daughter, Cassandra Estevez, whom he shares with his high school girlfriend, Paula Speert.

She was by Martin's side when he suffered a heart attack

While filming Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, a notoriously difficult shoot, the actor suffered a heart attack at age 37 and a nervous breakdown.

“I completely fell apart. My spirit was exposed,” he told Rolling Stone in 1979. “I cried and cried. I turned completely gray — my eyes, my beard — all gray. I was in intensive care."

He noted that his wife never left his side: "Janet slept on the floor beside me."

"She called a therapist in New York and I talked to her every day and those two ladies pulled me through," he said.

Speaking to Closer Weekly years later, Martin reflected on the experience and Janet's support. "It was very serious, and she handled it like a pro. She had me laughing in the most dire circumstances. She said, 'Don't take yourself so seriously,' " he recalled, adding: "Every day is a celebration with this dame."