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Sheen was born in Newport, Monmouthshire to Irene and Meyrick Sheen, both of whom worked in personnel management. His father is also a very successful part-time professional Jack Nicholson look-alike. Michael has one sibling, a younger sister named Joanne. The young Sheen was brought up in Port Talbot where he attended Glan Afan comprehensive school and joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales at sixteen, eventually training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Sheen soon established himself as one of the most promising talents on the theatrical scene, notably being cast as Mozart in Peter Shaffers play Amadeus, which was staged at the Old Vic theatre and directed by Sir Peter Hall.

His screen appearances include the BBC drama serial, Gallowglass (based on the novel by Ruth Rendell), and the films Wilde (1997) (in which he played Robert Ross) and Mary Reilly. However, he remains primarily a stage actor, having starred in high-profile productions of Henry V, Peer Gynt, The Dresser, Caligula and Look Back in Anger, among others.

In 2003, he appeared with Kate Beckinsale in the gothic horror-action film Underworld. Salon review Andrew O'Hehir commented that while the "... entire movie is full of campy overacting... Brolly and Sheen seem to have been selected for their talents in this regard. Sheen prances around giving one of those line readings where one word is ridiculously overstressed ("You're acting like a pack of wild DOGS!"), and he looks distressingly like the female-to-male backup singer in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Sheen has also appeared with Beckinsale in the season seven premiere of Punk'd.

He played Tony Blair in the Channel 4 drama The Deal and the film The Queen, as well as Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa! on BBC Four and H G Wells in H G Wells: War with the World on BBC Two.

At the 2005 British Academy Television Awards, Sheen was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the TV drama, Dirty Filthy Love, in which he played a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In 2007, he received two BAFTA nominations, this time for Best Supporting Actor in a Film, for his performance in The Queen, and for Best Television Actor, for his role in Fantabulosa; once again, he was unsuccessful in both cases. In 2006, he played the role of Emperor Nero in the BBC's Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. Later that year, he played David Frost in the much-acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon, which later transferred to the Gielgud Theatre before heading to Broadway. He reprised the role in the Broadway production in 2007.

In 2007, he read Paul Torday's novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. Also in 2007, Sheen was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Sheen is expected to play Brian Clough in Peter Morgan's forthcoming adaptation of David Peace's novel The Damned Utd, based on Clough's 44-day spell in charge of Leeds United.

On 2 October 2007, it was announced that Peter Morgan was working on a sequel to "The Queen", and that Michael Sheen will be reprising his role as Tony Blair. He will also be reprising his role as Lucian in the third Underworld, a prequel to the first; however, Len Wiseman will not direct or write, and Kate Beckinsale will not appear in the film.

Sheen and former longtime girlfriend, English actress Kate Beckinsale, have a daughter together; Lily Mo Sheen was born 31 January 1999. The long standing relationship ended when, during the filming of Underworld which they both starred, Beckinsale left him for the director of the film Len Wiseman, to whom she is now married. He understandably did not appear in the sequel except for flashbacks to the first film. He will star in the third Underworld, but Wiseman is not directing or writing and Beckinsale will not be appearing. After living for a time in the United States with Beckinsale, he returned to the United Kingdom when their relationship ended. Sheen and Beckinsale are co-parenting their daughter. He's a long time fan of Swansea City football club.

On the 15th July 2008 Michael was awarded the freedom of the borough of Neath Port Talbot, making him one of the youngest people to receive the honour and putting him amongst a very elite group of people including Sir Anthony Hopkins.

• Gallowglass 1993 Joe
• Othello_(1995) Lodovico
• Mary Reilly 1996 Bradshaw
• Wilde 1997 Robbie Ross
• Lost in France 1998 Owen
• Heartlands 2002 Colin
• The Four Feathers 2002 Trench
• Bright Young Things 2003 Miles
• Underworld 2003 Lucian
• The Deal 2003 Tony Blair
• Timeline 2003 Lord Oliver
• Laws of Attraction 2004 Thorne Jamison
• Dirty Filthy Love 2004 Mark Furness
• The Banker 2004 The Banker
• Dead Long Enough 2005 Harry Jones
• Kingdom of Heaven 2005 Priest
• The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse 2005 Jeremy Dyson
• Underworld: Evolution 2006 Lucian
• Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! 2006 Kenneth Williams
• The Queen 2006 Tony Blair
• Ancient Rome /The Battle for Rome 2006 Nero
• HG Wells: War with the World 2006 H. G. Wells
• Blood Diamond 2006 Simmons
• Music Within 2007 Art Honeyman
• Frost/Nixon 2008 David Frost
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 2009 Lucian
• Brian Clough The Damned United post-production
• Alice in Wonderland 2010 TBA