Penn began his acting career in television, with a brief appearance in episode 112 of "Little House on the Prairie" on December 4, 1974, and directed by his father Leo Penn. Following his film debut in the drama "Taps" (1981), and a diverse range of film roles in the 1980s, including "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) and "Bad Boys" (1983). Penn garnered critical attention for his roles in the crime dramas "At Close Range" (1986), "State of Grace" (1990), and "Carlito's Way" (1993). He became known as a prominent leading actor with the drama "Dead Man Walking" (1995), for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination and the Best Actor Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Penn received another two Oscar nominations for Woody Allen's comedy-drama "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999) and the drama "I Am Sam" (2001), before winning his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 for "Mystic River" and a second one in 2008 for "Milk". He has also won a Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for the Nick Cassavetes-directed "She's So Lovely" (1997), and two Best Actor Awards at the Venice Film Festival for the indie film "Hurlyburly" (1998) and the drama "21 Grams" (2003).