Celebrated Spanish movie maker Pedro Almodovar and actor Martin Sheen were among the celebrities taking part in peace rallies around the world on Saturday. Volver director Almodovar joined tens of thousands of people to protest the war in Iraq in Madrid, Spain, while Sheen took a break from his studies in Ireland to march in Los Angeles.

Almodovar's fellow protesters also called for the closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Activists flooded the streets of the Spanish capital, chanting "No to War." Almodovar told reporters he was protesting "the barbarities they have been committing in Iraq for the past four years", adding, "We're here for peace and for the closure of Guantanamo because it is a disgrace for civilization."

Sheen gave up his St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Dublin, where he's studying at Trinity College, to march in Hollywood - to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the Iraq War.

Elsewhere, there were also major peace demonstrations in Washington, D.C., Turkey and Athens, Greece.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)