Sean Penn

Tom Cruise also made one of his first film appearances, as another cadet. A year later, Penn appeared in the hit comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in the role of surfer-stoner Jeff Spicoli, with his character helping popularize the word "dude" in popular culture. Read Less

He also directed music videos, such as Shania Twain's "Dance with the One That Brought You" and Lyle Lovett's "North Dakota" in 1993, and Peter Gabriel's "The Barry Williams Show" in 2002. He has since directed three more films, all of which were well received by critics: The Crossing Guard in 1995, The Pledge in 2001, and Into the Wild in 2007. Read Less

He also laid floral wreaths and paid respect at the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi.

In March 2010 he called for the arrest of those referring to Hugo Chávez of Venezuela as a dictator Read Less

And I hope that diplomats can establish true dialogue in order to solve the conflict as the world today cannot tolerate ridiculous demonstrations of colonialism. The way of dialogue is the only way to achieve a better solution for both nations." The comments evoked strong reactions in the British media, with one satirical article in The Daily Telegraph requesting that Penn "return his Malibu estate to the Mexicans." Penn described the deployment of Prince William to the region as a "provocation" and a message of "pre-emptive intimidation", citing war ships that would accompany him, and stated "My oh my, aren't people sensitive to the word colonialism, particularly those who implement colonialism." In a piece written in The Guardian, Penn wrote that the legalisation of Argentinian immigration to the "Malvinas/Falkland Islands is one that it seems might have been addressed, but for the speculative discovery of booming offshore oil in the surrounding seas this past year." Falklands War veteran and political activist, Simon Weston condemned Penn's actions by saying, "Sean Penn does not know what he is talking about and, frankly, he should shut up. His (Penn's) views are irrelevant and it only serves to fuel the ire of the Argentinians and get them more pumped up." Of the furor, Lauren Collins wrote in The New Yorker "As of today, Sean Penn is the new Karl Lagerfeld—the man upon whom, having disrespected something dear to the United Kingdom, the British papers most gleefully pile contempt". Read Less