Martin Sheen’s Top 10 Roles, According To IMDb

Martin Sheen is a highly prolific actor who starred in various films and television shows over the years. He started acting as far back as the ’50s and hasn’t slowed down since, with one of his most recognizable roles being President Bartlet on The West Wing. 

But Sheen has been in much more than that including war and dramatic films, and is currently starring in Netflix’s television series Grace and Frankie.  With those out of the way, it’s now time to revisit some of the legendary actor’s best roles according to IMDb!

10 Gettysburg (1993) – 7.6

The war epic Gettysburg tells the story of the American Civil War battle of the same name. The film follows both the Union and Confederate sides of the wars leading up to the legendary battle at Gettysburg, with Sheen portraying the Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

In its over four hour runtime, it tries to be as realistic as possible by going as far as recruiting Civil War reenactors to be in the film. Visually, the effort paid off.

9 The Incident (1968) – 7.7

This tense and suspenseful crime thriller follows a pair of young criminals (Martin Sheen and Tony Musante) looking for an adrenaline rush when they decide to hold a subway train car hostage late at night.

The passengers are of various ages and races, but most are more concerned with their own issues and selfishly hope they’re not next to be terrorized instead of banding together against the two toughs.

8 Badlands (1973) – 7.8

Badlands is inspired by a real-life story of a pair of serial killers. The film follows Kit (Martin Sheen) and Holly (Sissy Spacek) who start a turbulent romance. Kit becomes obsessed with the underage Holly and begins a killing spree when he’s not able to be with her. His actions allow them to go on the run and be together.

It’s an oddly balanced film between the subject matter and the two characters’ relationship. Martin Sheen does a fantastic job portraying the psychotic Kit.

7 Princess Of The Row (2019) – 8.0

Princess of the Row is a recent Indie film that follows a young woman who is determined to live with her father although he is homeless after suffering a traumatic brain injury in Iraq on duty. She runs away with him to try to get out of L.A.’s skid row in hopes that he’ll get better.

Although Martin Sheen has a smaller role in this film compared to most of the others on this list, this heartwarming and at times heartbreaking movie is worth checking out.

6 Gandhi (1982) – 8.0

This biographical drama follows the life events of Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) and his peaceful fight for India’s independence from Britain. Gandhi jumps around different timelines to cover important moments in the historical figure’s life, including India’s eventual independence and the divisive split between India and Pakistan, leading to his eventual assassination.

Martin Sheen has a role as the fictional journalist Vince Walker who was based on the real-life journalist Webb Miller, who befriended Gandhi.

5 Catch Me If You Can (2002) – 8.1

Catch Me If You Can is based on the true story of the successful bank robber and conman (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who impersonated a doctor, a lawyer, and a pilot and the FBI agent tracking him (Tom Hanks).

The film follows their cat and mouse chase as DiCaprio’s character meets Amy Adams’ character and falls in love. She doesn’t know about any of his schemes and introduces him to her family, including her father (Martin Sheen).

4 Grace & Frankie (2015 – ) – 8.3

The Netflix show follows the lives of Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) after their husbands Sol (Sam Waterston) and Robert (Martin Sheen) reveal they’ve been having an affair with each other for decades.

Sol and Robert start a new life together as a couple and Grace and Frankie are left to navigate the new reality of their lives. The show boasts a stellar cast in its main four protagonists and in supporting characters

3 Apocalypse Now (1979) – 8.4

Apocalypse Now follows Martin Sheen’s Captain Willard as he goes on an increasingly dark journey to find and kill Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz, who’s said to have gone mad from the war.

The rest of Willard’s gang is made up of Robert Duvall’s surfing obsessed character, Dennis Hopper’s insane photographer, and a young Laurence Fishburne (who lied about his age to get the role). It’s a gritty and trippy war film that’s worth a watch if you’ve never seen it.

2 The Departed (2006) – 8.5

This Martin Scorsese film follows two simultaneous undercover stories, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s cop attempts to infiltrate an organized crime group and Matt Damon’s career criminal attempts to infiltrate the police department. Martin Sheen plays a police captain that may or may not be in cahoots with the criminal organization.

The Departed is a tense and engaging remake of the Infernal Affairs trilogy that keeps viewers guessing until the very end.

1 The West Wing (1999-2006) – 8.8

Martin Sheen starred in the political drama The West Wing as President Bartlet. The show followed him and his White House staff while they dealt with navigating political issues while serving the American people in their jobs.

More importantly, The West Wing also delved into the main characters’ personal lives. It was an engaging and fast-paced show with quick-witted dialogue and a classic in the genre of political fiction.

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