<div><p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winner Sean Penn, as infamous for problems with paparazzi as he is famous for acting, has been charged with two crimes after a run-in with a photographer last year and could face jail time if convicted, Los Angeles prosecutors said on Friday.</p><p>Penn, 49, was charged with misdemeanor battery and vandalism after allegedly kicking a photographer in the leg and breaking his camera last October at an upscale shopping center in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, the city attorney's office said.</p><p>The incident was caught on video and shown on celebrity news website TMZ.com.</p><p>Penn, who won Oscars for his roles in "Mystic River" and the 2008 movie "Milk," faces a maximum of 18 months behind bars if convicted, city attorney's office spokesman Frank Matelijan said. He is due to make a first court appearance on March 22.</p><p>Los Angeles County prosecutors had earlier declined to file charges against Penn, saying they did not believe the case merited felony charges.</p><p>Penn has long been an adversary of the paparazzi, and is well-known for allowing his temper to flare. In 1987, he served more than 30 days in jail for assaulting an extra on a film set. In 2006 he attacked a paparazzo at his brother's funeral.</p><p>He also faced a domestic assault complaint during his marriage to pop star Madonna, which ended in divorce in 1989.</p><p>Penn made news last year after breaking up with his wife, actress Robin Wright Penn, briefly reconciling and then being served with divorce papers in August 2009.</p><p>(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Todd Eastham)</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=69738892&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>
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