Quinn enlists actor Martin Sheen to champion minimum wage hike

The bromance between Gov. Pat Quinn and actor Martin Sheen continues.

The two have a joint appearance planned Thursday in Chicago to highlight Quinn’s bid to increase Illinois’ $8.25-an-hour minimum wage, an issue that figures to be a cornerstone of the Democratic incumbent’s 2014 re-election bid and a likely topic state lawmakers will take up after the March 18 primary.

Sheen, a long-time human-rights activist and death penalty opponent, was among the glitterati who personally lobbied Quinn in early 2011 to sign legislation that abolished Illinois’ death penalty.

Later that year, Quinn paid homage to Sheen and his son by declaring Aug. 19, 2011, “Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez Day” in Illinois to coincide with Sheen being honored by the Chicago International Film Festival for a long career that has included leading roles in the Academy Award-winning “Apocalypse Now” and the television series, “The West Wing.”

Sheen heaped praise on Quinn at that event.

“You’ve got this guy in the middle of it all in Illinois who’s a progressive, who’s deeply humane, extremely bright and so practical and he’s just one of my heroes and I adore him,” Sheen told WLS-TV, Channel 7.

Here’s the video from Thursday’s appearance: