Sean Penn

Sean Penn Headshot

Actor • Director • Writer • Activist

Birth Date: August 17, 1960

Age: 63 years old

Birth Place: Santa Monica, California

Parents: Eileen Ryan

Children: Hopper Penn

Siblings: Chris Penn, Michael Penn

Hailed as one of the finest actors of his generation, Sean Penn earned multiple Oscar nominations for his onscreen intensity and proved a powerful filmmaking talent at the helm of his own character-driven dramas like "The Crossing Guard" (1995) and "The Pledge" (2001) - all the while remaining the ultimate Hollywood outsider. Penn originally broke through with his iconic turn as stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), but he established himself as a serious actor with "Bad Boys" (1983), only to be hounded by paparazzi due to his high-profile, short-lived marriage to Madonna, which resulted in the box-office dud "Shanghai Surprise" (1985) and violent run-ins with photographers. He entered a long and slightly less turbulent marriage to Robin Wright, while earning acclaim as a smarmy lawyer in "Carlito's Way" (1993) and a death row inmate in "Dead Man Walking" (1995). After "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999) and "I Am Sam" (2001), Penn won the Oscar for his portrayal of a streetwise father out to avenge his daughter's murder in "Mystic River" (2003). Meanwhile, he traded his bad-boy persona for political outspokenness, which included calling for the impeachment of President Bush while rankling conservatives for hobnobbing with reviled world leaders. Still, Penn continued to deliver onscreen with "Milk" (2008), though his refusal to play the Hollywood game earned him an unshakable reputation as hostile and arrogant. Despite such opinions, no one could deny that Penn's work was consistently of the highest caliber, making him a modern-day Marlon Brando.

Credits

C*A*U*G*H*T

Actor
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2023

Black Flies

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Gene Rutkovsky
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2023
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SuperpowerStream

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2023
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SuperpowerStream

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2023
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Strijelcevo iskupljenje

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2022

GaslitStream

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John Mitchell
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2022
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CBS Mornings

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2021

Flag Day

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John Vogel
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2021

Flag Day

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2021

Licorice PizzaStream

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Jack Holden
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2021
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Why Are We (Not) Creative?

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2021

Citizen PennStream

Self
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2020
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I Am Sam

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2019

The Professor and the Madman

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Dr. William Chester Minor
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2019

Today 3rd Hour

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2018

The FirstStream

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Tom Hagerty
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2018
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Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

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2018

The Angry Birds Movie

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Terence
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2016

The Last Face

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2016

The Daily Show with Trevor NoahStream

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2015

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

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2015

The Gunman

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Jim Terrier
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2015

The Gunman

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2015

The Gunman

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2015

Sweet Micky for President

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2015

The Three Hikers

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2015

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

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2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

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2014

Woody Allen: A Documentary

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2013

Gangster Squad: Extras

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2013

The Secret Life of Walter MittyStream

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Sean O'Connell
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2013
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The Human Experiment

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2013

The Human Experiment

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2013

Gangster Squad

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Mickey Cohen
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2013

Person to Person

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2012

CBS This Morning

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2012

The Tree of Life

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Jack
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2011

This Must Be the Place

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Cheyenne
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2011

ConanStream

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2010

Overheard With Evan Smith

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2010

Between Two Ferns with Zach GalifianakisStream

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2010

Fair Game

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Joseph Wilson
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2010

Deflating the Elephant: Framed Messages Behind Conservative Dialogue

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2009

David Sheehan's Holiday Movie Magic

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2008

Madonna: The Name of the Game

Self
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2008

What Just Happened?

Actor
Sean Penn
Movie
2008

MilkStream

Actor
Harvey Milk
Movie
2008
93%

Witch Hunt

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2008

Witch Hunt

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2008

Into the Wild

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2007

Into the Wild

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2007

Into the Wild

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2007

Into the Wild

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2007

War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

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2007

etalk

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2006

All the King's MenStream

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Willie Stark
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2006
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The Colbert Report

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2005

The InterpreterStream

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Tobin Keller
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2005
86%

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

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2004

Tavis Smiley

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2004

Pauly Shore Is Dead

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2004

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

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Samuel Byck
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2004

Two and a Half MenStream

Guest Star
Sean Penn
Series
2003
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Real Time With Bill MaherStream

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2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

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2003

Mystic RiverStream

Actor
Jimmy Markum
Movie
2003
88%

21 GramsStream

Actor
Paul Rivers
Movie
2003
81%

It's All About Love

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Marciello
Movie
2003

This So-Called Disaster

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Himself / Ray
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2003

11-09-01: September 11

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2002

11-09-01: September 11

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2002

The PledgeStream

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2001
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The PledgeStream

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2001
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I Am SamStream

Actor
Sam Dawson
Movie
2001
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Dogtown and Z-Boys

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2001

The Beaver Trilogy

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Groovin' Larry (segment Beaver Kid 2)
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2001

Up at the Villa

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Rowley Flint
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2000

Before Night FallsStream

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Cuco Sanchez
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2000
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The Weight of Water

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Thomas
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2000

Family Guy

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1999

Family GuyStream

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Himself
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1999

Sweet and LowdownStream

Actor
Emmet Ray
Movie
1999
77%

Hurlyburly

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Eddie
Movie
1998

The Thin Red LineStream

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Sgt. Welsh
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1998
80%

The ViewStream

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1997

Hugo Pool

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Strange Hitchhiker
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1997

She's So Lovely

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Eddie Quinn
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1997

She's So Lovely

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1997

Loved

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Man on the Hill
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1997

Loved

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1997

U-Turn

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Bobby Cooper
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1997

The GameStream

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Conrad Van Orton
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1997
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Access Hollywood

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1996

The Crossing GuardStream

Director
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1995
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The Crossing GuardStream

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1995
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The Crossing GuardStream

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1995
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Dead Man WalkingStream

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Matthew Poncelet
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1995
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FriendsStream

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Eric
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1994
79%

Extra

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1994

Inside the Actors Studio

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1994

Late Show With David Letterman

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1993

Carlito's WayStream

Actor
David Kleinfeld
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1993
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The Larry Sanders ShowStream

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1992
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Charlie Rose

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1991

The Indian Runner

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1991

The Indian Runner

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1991

The Indian Runner

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1991

State of Grace

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Terry Noonan
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1990

Casualties of War

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Meserve
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1989

We're No Angels

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Jim
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1989

ColorsStream

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Officer Danny McGavin
Movie
1988
74%

Cool Blue

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Phil the Plumber
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1988

Judgment in BerlinStream

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Guenther X
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1988
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At Close RangeStream

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Brad Whitewood Jr.
Movie
1986
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Shanghai Surprise

Actor
Glendon Wasey
Movie
1986

The Falcon and the Snowman

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Daulton Lee
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1985

Adiós a la Inocencia

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1984

Crackers

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Don Dillard
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1984

Racing With the Moon

Actor
Henry 'Hopper' Nash
Movie
1984

Bad Boys

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Mick O'Brien
Movie
1983

Les Délinquants

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1983

Fast Times at Ridgemont HighStream

Actor
Jeff Spicoli
Movie
1982
78%

Entertainment Tonight

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1981

The Killing of Randy Webster

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Don Fremont
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1981

TapsStream

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Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer
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1981
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CBS News Sunday Morning

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1979

Good Morning America

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1975

Saturday Night LiveStream

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1975

Little House on the PrairieStream

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1974

Barnaby JonesStream

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1973

60 MinutesStream

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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonStream

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1962

TodayStream

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Sean Penn