Martin Sheen's Wife Of Over 60 Years Pulled Him Through Multiple Life-Threatening Health Scares

Oct 31, 2022 by apost team

Martin Sheen was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez on Aug. 3, 1940. He is a critically acclaimed actor and the father of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, who followed in their dad's footsteps and also pursued careers in Hollywood. Martin has two other children as well, Ramon and Renée Estevez, and has been married to his beloved wife Janet Templeton since 1961. 

As an actor, Martin's work has given his sons much to live up to. Some of his early films include "The Subject Was Roses" and "Badlands." He became a household name with his performance in the film "Apocalypse Now" and on the TV series "The West Wing." On "The West Wing," Martin portrayed the role of President Josiah Bartlet and won a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance. Martin's most recent work was in the series "Grace and Frankie," where he played the character Robert Hanson. 

Martin was born in Dayton, Ohio, to a Spanish father and an Irish mother. Tragically, his mother passed away when he was 11, and from then on, Martin and his siblings were raised by only his dad. The actor has spoken at length about the great respect he has for his father, who fought to keep the family together, and it has no doubt influenced the way he parents his own children.

On Dec. 23, 1961, Martin married the love of his life, and he and Janet have been blissfully in love ever since. However, that does not mean life has been easy for the couple. Martin has faced numerous health problems, including a cardiac event in the 1970s and a quadruple heart bypass in December 2015, as well as overcoming his addiction to alcohol. Keep reading to learn more about Martin and his wife's relationship.

Having a difficult childhood helped shape Martin into the man he is today, and this can be seen in his love for his family. After his mother died, Martin had to adjust to being solely raised by his dad, who he adored. "It is very hard for a child when a parent dies, particularly a mother. … There was talk of us being split up, put in homes, but my father refused," he shared.

As a teen, Martin and his brothers worked as caddies at a local golf course. "I came quickly to see there were two very different Americas. Privileged and underprivileged," he explained and added that the white-collar workers he interacted with turned him off to that lifestyle. "I saw their behavior when their hair was down, and very few of them made me envy them. On the contrary, I had little respect for them. I certainly didn't want to become one of them." Even as a successful actor, Martin sees himself as a man of the people. 

While filming "Apocalypse Now," Martin dipped his toe into the method style of acting and was led by director Francis Ford Coppola. Martin described the experience as such: "I brought to that part everything I was, wanted to be, wasn't. Francis saw my false self. He saw the gap between the real me and this macho guy, this worldly actor. That's what a great director does. And he said, 'Get rid of the image, play the reality'. That's what he wanted, this lonely guy, completely isolated in himself. And that's what you saw." 

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While filming, Martin was under such extreme stress that he suffered a cardiac event. He was alone in the cabin he was renting with his wife and kids when he began to feel increasingly worse over the course of a weekend. Martin woke up at dawn the following morning and was shocked at his appearance.

"I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were down to here," he said as he pointed to his cheeks. He added, "I looked bad."

He began to feel "strange" and realized he needed help. 

"I knew that if I didn't make it to the road I would not be found until it was too late," he shared about the harrowing experience.

After managing to get dressed, Martin made it to the local bus stop and eventually to the film's production office. A priest was called to read him his last rites, but Martin knew that wasn't the end for him. He told Rolling Stone:

“I just wanted to get to Janet. I was lying there for hours. They were trying to decide if they should risk taking me up in a chopper. I said yes and we flew to Manila."

An ambulance met him at the hospital, where he was finally able to get the help he needed. Martin had suffered a heart attack and a nervous breakdown. He spoke about the difficult period of his life:

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

But through it all, Janet was by Martin's side. He revealed:

"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."

Martin continued:

"I knew I would never come back until I accepted full and total responsibility for what had happened to me. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to be there. I was there because I had a big ego and wanted to be in a Coppola film.” 

Meanwhile, Janet had wise words for her husband after she finally saw him in the hospital. She told him, "It's only a film, babe."

Janet has stuck by Martin's side through everything, and it is her honesty and integrity that attract him the most. "I was fortunate enough to marry the scariest woman I'd ever met," he said. "She did not know how to lie. It was impossible. For me, the truth was a sometimes thing. For her, it was an eternity. She would always call me out, thank God."

Because of Janet's honesty, Martin feels she has helped him become a better person. "I've never met a person with more integrity in my life," he said. "I honestly couldn't keep up with her. It's taken me a long time to be as even and direct with her as she has been, always, with me. And that's the relationship. I honestly don't have a clue who she is because when I get to the point where I've caught up with her, she's gone."

Even after his heart surgery in 2015, Janet was able to keep the star's spirits up and never left his side. "She was there the whole time and I laughed my way back," Martin said. "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.'" Martin added:

"Every day is a celebration with this dame.”

What do you think of Martin Sheen's relationship with his wife, Janet? Do you have a favorite film or TV show he has starred in? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family.