From fame to infamy: Charlie Sheen unleashes his darkest secrets in a raw memoir

Charlie Sheen has lived much of his life in public. After starring in some of the biggest films of the 1980s and 1990s, he found a new following in the early 2000s through television comedies.

But his career was soon overshadowed by years of substance abuse, public breakdowns and an HIV diagnosis.

For a time, both Hollywood and Sheen doubted whether he would live to see 60. Now, with his 60th birthday behind him, Sheen is preparing to tell his story in his own words.

His memoir “The Book of Sheen" comes out on Tuesday, September 9, followed the next day by a two-part Netflix documentary charting his life and career.

Sheen explained his motivation for writing the memoir in a statement shared by his publisher: “My stories have been told for far too long through the eyes and pens of others. I think you’ll agree, it’s time to finally read these stories directly from the actual guy.”

The publisher described the book as an unflinching account. In its announcement, Simon & Schuster wrote: “Of all the Hollywood bad boys in history, Charlie Sheen might be the baddest of them all. Now nearly eight years sober, for the first time, and in his own words, Charlie - who wrote the book himself - will truly tell all."

"He writes of his childhood on film sets with his father Martin Sheen, to his teen years making home movies with the Penn brothers, to early fame with roles in ‘Platoon’, ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’, to his breakout sitcom role on ‘Spin City’, and his controversy-riddled time coping with the chaos of divorces and drugs on the set of ‘Two and a Half Men’.

"Charlie Sheen should not be alive to tell these stories.”

The statement continued that it “is a memoir of the mistakes we make and the demons we can’t shake. It is a candid portrait of the complicated, controversial and one-of-a-kind Charlie Sheen.”

Sheen’s path to stardom was rapid.

In 1986, he appeared in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" as a teenage troublemaker. That same year, he starred in Oliver Stone’s “Platoon", which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The following year, Stone cast him in “Wall Street" as Bud Fox, a young trader navigating the cutthroat world of finance.

As the 1990s progressed, Sheen moved between film and television. His comedic timing became a defining trait, particularly when he joined “Spin City" in 2000. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award and paved the way for his most commercially successful project: “Two and a Half Men”.

But while Sheen thrived on screen, his off-screen life spiralled. Years of substance abuse, turbulent relationships and public outbursts eventually led to his dismissal from “Two and a Half Men" in 2011. At the height of his troubles, Sheen declared himself “winning” and became a fixture of tabloid headlines.

Reflecting now, Sheen admitted that he did not expect to reach this stage of his life. In a recent post on Instagram, he wrote: “One thing I can guarantee: you will not be bored reading this. It’s been a helluva ride, and I’m honoured to finally share the journey in my own words - even the naughty ones.”

Sheen acknowledged that his survival, let alone his sobriety, is something of a surprise.

“I should not be alive to tell these stories,” he said in the publisher’s note. But now, he insisted, is the right moment to share them.

The memoir also touches on his personal relationships, including his marriage to actor Denise Richards, with whom he has two daughters.

His family life, like his career, was often lived under intense scrutiny. In “The Book of Sheen”, he revisits those years with what he describes as “candour and humour.”