Richardson Campaign Press Release - Martin Sheen to Campaign with Bill Richardson in Iowa on December 30-31

Sheen Officially Endorses Richardson for President

SANTA FE, NM-- Actor and activist Martin Sheen today officially endorsed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for President. He will campaign in Iowa with Richardson on Sunday, December 30 and Monday, December 31, during the final days before the state's Democratic caucuses.

Well-known for his portrayals of iconic fictional and real-life Presidents on television, Sheen is also a respected and energetic activist for a number of humanitarian causes.

"Bill Richardson has the proven record of success and the real-world experience that this country needs in our next President: he is ready for prime time," Sheen said. "In this, the most important Presidential election of our time, with so much on the line, I believe that Bill Richardson is the only one who can create the change that we so desperately need to restore America's standing in the world and to get our country back on the right path at home."

In addition to the popular television show The West Wing, Sheen has appeared in dozens of feature films and on Broadway. Sheen's record of activism is as extensive and varied as his acting career. He has been active in the peace, civil rights, and environmental movements for decades, and he has campaigned extensively for Democratic candidates for public office.

"Martin Sheen effectively uses his celebrity and acting success to bring attention to important grassroots causes to create positive change," Governor Richardson said. "He has demonstrated on behalf of nuclear disarmament, and he has walked with Cesar Chavez. I am inspired by his activism and am proud that he is supporting my campaign. Martin is used to backing the underdog in the fight, and I am confident that his participation will put the exclamation point on my grassroots campaign and help me finish very strongly in Iowa.

"I am looking forward to Martin showing me around the White House, and I hope that I can serve as many terms in the White House as his characters have."

Sunday, December 30, 2007-- Central Time

WHEN: Sunday, December 30 at 3:30 PM

WHAT: Final Presidential Job Interview with Special Guest Martin Sheen

WHERE: People's Court, 216 Court Avenue, 3rd Floor, Des Moines, IA

WHEN: Sunday, December 30 at 7:00 PM

WHAT: Final Presidential Job Interview with Special Guest Martin Sheen

WHERE: Best Western Starlight Inn, Zodiac Ballroom,1518 3rd Avenue NW, Fort Dodge, IA

Monday, December 31, 2007-- Central Time

WHEN: Monday, December 31 at 8:30 AM

WHAT: Final Presidential Job Interview with Special Guest Martin Sheen

WHERE: Location in Ames, IA TBD

Below is Martin Sheen's biography:

Actor and activist Martin Sheen was born Ramon Estevez on August 3, 1940, in Dayton, Ohio. He is the son of Spanish and Irish immigrants, both of whom immigrated to the United States. His father was a machinery inspector.

Martin Sheen has been a prolific performer since the late 1960s. He landed his first major role on Broadway in The Subject Was Roses, which earned him a TONY nomination and later became a movie. A young and intense leading man, he has played over 70 roles, many of which were in well-known films such as Apocalypse Now, Badlands, Wall Street, The American President, Gandhi, Firestarter, and Catch Me If You Can, to name a few.

Martin Sheen also is no stranger to politics, both professionally and in real life. He has played U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the mini-series Kennedy: The Presidential Years; Robert F. Kennedy in Missiles of October; The White House Chief of Staff in The American President; and is perhaps best-known as President Josiah Bartlet in the acclaimed television drama The West Wing, for which he received a Golden Globe award and six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, including for the show's final 2005-2006 season. He picked up another nomination that year for a guest appearance on his son Charlie Sheen's hit comedy Two and a Half Men.

Also in 2006, Sheen appeared in the Academy Award-winning film The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. Also that year, he had a role in his son Emilio Estevez's film about the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, Bobby.

In addition to his acting, Sheen is known for his social and political activism. A tireless activist, he has campaigned against nuclear weapons and for workers' rights, as well as many other causes.

Sheen and his wife Janet live in Los Angeles. The couple has four children, all of whom have followed in their father's footsteps from time to time.