Michael Sheen, full name Michael Christopher Sheen, was born on February 5, 1969 in Newport, near British Wales, into a close-knit family of workers involved in personnel management. In addition, his father Meyrick Sheen from time to time did quite well as a professional look-alike of Jack Nicholson. Besides Michael, his sister Joanne was also raised in the family. The family changed their place of residence when Michael was five years old, moving to Liverpool.

In Liverpool, Michael Sheen became an avid footballer; as a winger, he became a lifelong fan of the Liverpool football club. After three years in Liverpool, the family moved to Port Talbot, where the boy not only began attending Glan Afan Comprehensive School, but also played football for the children's youth team of the Baglan club, showing great sporting promise.

However, Michael Sheen was not destined to become a great forward; he rejected the opportunity to become a professional footballer. The young man chose the fate of an actor, following in the footsteps of his idols Daniel Day-Lewis and Patrick Stewart. And he was not mistaken! After entering the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, while a second-year student, he became the recipient of the prestigious Laurence Olivier Bursary for outstanding performance in key roles in Martin Sherman's play "When She Danced" alongside film legend Vanessa Redgrave.

Michael Sheen's visible film debut took place in 1994 in the science fiction film "Mary Reilly." The role of Dr. Jekyll's footman, in partnership with John Malkovich and Julia Roberts, did not bring the aspiring actor recognition, as the film was released only in 1996, but it made film producers pay attention to the young actor. In the same 1994, he played a mentally ill man who turned out to be involved in a child abduction case in the BBC film "Gallowglass," which was also shown in the USA on the PBS channel "Mystery!" only in 1995. But even this small participation made its positive contribution to Michael Sheen's career. Also in 1995, Michael Sheen first noticeably appeared on the big screen in Kenneth Branagh's "Othello."