Happy 50th Birthday to Sean Penn!

It’s been nearly 30 years since Sean Penn burst onto the scene as surfer-stoner Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High spouting lines like “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buds, and I’m fine.”

Loved him then and really love him now.

Since Ridgemont, there have been Oscar wins for Mystic River and Milk and memorable performances in Dead Man Walking, 21 Grams, I Am Sam, Sweet and Lowdown, Casualties of War, Colors, She’s So Lovely, Carlito’s Way and The Falcon and the Snowman, among many others.

During a three-year marriage to Madonna, Sean was at loggerheads with the spotlight but over the years, he has learned to use the spotlight for causes he finds important including Hurricane Katrina and the war in Iraq. He has long been a concerned citizen who is not afraid to step-up no matter what detractors say.

Never has this been more apparent than after the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year. He has basically moved to the devastated island nation and founded J/P Haitian Relief Organization which has been running a 55,000 person tent camp.

Sean’s desire to speak his truth has never meant more to me than on Oscar night 2009 when he won the Academy Award for best actor for his performance in Milk.

While accepting that award, he used the occasion to speak out as Harvey Milk surely would have: “I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.”