Michael Sheen's Real Name: Michael Christopher Sheen

Quick answer: Michael Sheen's full name is Michael Christopher Sheen. He was born on February 5, 1969, in Newport, Wales, and grew up largely in Port Talbot. He is known for playing real people, including Tony Blair, David Frost, Kenneth Williams, and Brian Clough. He acts under his birth name (Library of Congress; BBC Cymru).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Sheen, Michael," with the citation "b. Michael Christopher Sheen, February 5, 1969 in Newport, Gwent, Wales." A 2010 BBC Cymru profile, written in Welsh, gives the same name and date. It says his parents, Irene and Meyrick, both worked in human resources. When he was five, the family, including his younger sister Joanne, moved to Liverpool for three years. They then returned to Wales and settled in Baglan, near Port Talbot. The BBC notes that the family is of Irish descent and that the name was originally Sheehan.

As a boy he was a keen footballer. The BBC says Arsenal's youth team offered him a place at 12, but his father turned it down because it would have meant moving to London. He found acting at Glanafan comprehensive school, joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales, and trained at the Bristol Old Vic and RADA in London.

Career highlights

While still at RADA he won a role opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced (1991). He built a stage career with acclaimed performances in Peer Gynt (1994), Henry V (1997), Peter Hall's Amadeus (1998), and Look Back in Anger (1999). His film work began with Lodovico in Othello (1995), followed by Mary Reilly, Wilde, Gladiator, and The Four Feathers.

In 2003 he played the werewolf Lucian in Underworld. He has a daughter, Lily, born in 1999, with actress Kate Beckinsale. That same year he played Tony Blair in Peter Morgan's TV drama The Deal, the start of a long partnership with Morgan. He played Blair again in The Queen (2006) and The Special Relationship (2010), and played David Frost in Frost/Nixon on stage and in Ron Howard's 2008 film. BAFTA-nominated TV turns came in Dirty Filthy Love and as Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa! He played Brian Clough in The Damned United (2009), the vampire Aro in the Twilight films, and Castor in Tron: Legacy (2010). In 2011 he directed and starred in National Theatre Wales's The Passion in Port Talbot.

Name notes for searchers

Sheen is his family surname. According to BBC Cymru, it was originally Sheehan in earlier generations. Searches for "Michael Sheen real name" lead back to his birth name, Michael Christopher Sheen.