Sean Penn is a film actor.
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk , who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California , as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors . Sean Justin Penn ( born August 17 , 1960 ) is an American actor , filmmaker , and political activist . He has won two Academy Awards , for his roles in the mystery drama Mystic River ( 2003 ) and the biopic Milk ( 2008 ) . Following his film debut in the drama Taps ( 1981 ) and a diverse range of film roles in the 1980s , including Fast Times at Ridgemont High ( 1982 ) , Penn garnered critical attention for his roles in the crime dramas At Close Range ( 1986 ) , State of Grace ( 1990 ) , and Carlito 's Way ( 1993 ) . He became known as a prominent leading actor with the drama Dead Man Walking ( 1995 ) , for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination and the Best Actor Award at the Berlin Film Festival .