Sean Penn and his wife, actress Robin Wright Penn

Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn has filed for a legal separation from his wife Robin Wright Penn after an attempt to reconcile apparently failed.

According to court papers filed last week in Marin County, near San Francisco, Penn asked for the legal separation from his wife of 13 years on April 23 on grounds of irreconcilable differences.

The couple started divorce proceedings in December 2007 but got back together again a few months later. The couple have two children aged 18 and 15.

Penn, 48, won his second best actor Oscar in February for his role as slain gay activist Harvey Milk in the movie "Milk". Robin Wright Penn starred in the 1999 romantic drama "Message in a Bottle" and is currently appearing in the investigative reporting thriller "State of Play."

(Reuters April 29, 2009)