In THE TIMESHIFTERS, Martin Sheen plays Grifasi, the head of the futuristic Thrill Seekers organization that sends people back through time to witness history's deadliest disaster first hand.

Sheen began his acting career at the off-Broadway Living Theatre. His big break came in 1964, when he played a leading part in the Broadway production of "The Subject Was Roses," a role he later repeated in the 1968 screen version.

Sheen made his feature film debut in 1967 in "The Incident" and went on be named Best Actor at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his performance in Terrence Malick's "Badlands," a gripping thriller loosely based on the Starkweather-Fugate spree killings. Sheen's other films include "Gandhi," "That Championship Season," "The Dead Zone," "Wall Street" and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now." He co-executive produced "Da" and "Judgment in Berlin" in which he also starred, and he made his feature film directorial debut with "Cadence." More recently, Sheen has earned high marks for his performances in the epic "Gettysburg" and the romantic comedy "The American President."

Sheen's prolific TV experience includes portraying the title role in "The Execution of Private Slovik," Robert Kennedy in the mini-series "Kennedy" and John Dean in the mini-series "Blind Ambition." He made his directorial debut with the television special "Babies Having Babies" for which he won an Emmy. This fall, Sheen will star in Aaron Sorkin's new drama series "West Wing."