The Execution of Private Slovik is a nonfiction book by William Bradford Huie, published in 1954, and an American television movie that aired on NBC on March 13th, 1974. The film was written for the screen by Richard Levinson, William Link and director Lamont Johnson; the film stars Martin Sheen (a performance for which he received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Lead Actor), Ned Beatty, Gary Busey, and also a 9-year-old Charlie Sheen in a small role. The book and the film tell the story of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American military serviceman executed for desertion (during World War II) since the American Civil War.