The man who once stood alongside Hollywood legends, experienced a tumultuous career marked by fame, addiction, and legal troubles. From early success to a dramatic decline, his story serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of celebrity and personal excess.

Tom Cruise (left), Johnny Depp (right)

Once hailed as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, he stood shoulder to shoulder with icons like Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise, commanding a staggering $40 million annually. His career was a dream—until it unravelled into a nightmare.

Behind the glitz and glamour was a shocking story of excess, controversy, and legal battles that sent his life spiralling out of control.

Who is he? What caused this meteoric fall from grace? The answers reveal a cautionary tale of fame’s darkest side.

Charlie Sheen and the rise to stardom

18-year-old Charlie Sheen was catapulted into stardom with the 1984 hit Red Dawn, marking the start of a meteoric rise.

Son of actor Martin Sheen, Charlie quickly solidified his place in Hollywood with memorable roles in Platoon (1986) and Wall Street (1987). By the mid-80s, he was widely seen as the most promising young actor. Still a newcomer, Johnny Depp played a minor role in Platoon, while Charlie seemed poised for even greater things.

The downfall

With the 90s came the rise of other actors like Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise, who began to outpace Charlie. Though he had hits like The Rookie and Cadence, his peers were leading massive blockbusters.

However, Charlie’s first fall from grace began when he was named a client of a high-end escort agency. Later, in 1998, the actor was hospitalised after he suffered a stroke due to a cocaine overdose. His marriage to actor Denise Richards also ended in 2002 with accusations of drug abuse and domestic violence staring him in the face.

Roles dried up, and Charlie had to move to television, working in sitcoms.

However, Charlie did well in TV and became the highest-paid TV star of his time.

In 2003, he restarted his career with CBS’ Two and a Half Men. Over the next few years, the sitcom dominated the primetime ratings, reviving Charlie’s career.

By 2009-10, when the show’s 7th season aired, it was earning $1.8 million per episode, $40 million per season. But again, the high did not last.

Legal woes for Charlie Sheen

In 2009, Charlie Sheen was arrested for assaulting his third wife, Brooke Mueller, shortly after she filed for divorce. Despite keeping his acting job initially, he was fired from Two and a Half Men in 2011 following a drug relapse and insults toward creator Chuck Lorre.

At the same time, Brooke filed a restraining order and got their two sons removed by police.

In 2015, Charlie revealed he had HIV and had paid $10 million to extortionists to keep it secret. Two years later, he was investigated for threatening to kill his former fiancée, Scottine Ross.

His last role was a supporting one in the 2017 film 9/11. Sheen resides in Los Angeles.