Leo Penn
| Leo Penn | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 27, 1921 Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | September 5, 1998 (aged 77) Santa Monica, California United States |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Television director, actor |
| Years active | 1946-1995 |
| Spouse | Olive Deering (?-1952, divorced) Eileen Ryan (1958-1998, his death) |
| Children | Michael Penn Sean Penn Chris Penn (deceased) |
| Relatives | Aimee Mann (daughter-in-law) |
Leo Z. Penn (August 27, 1921 — September 5, 1998) was an American actor and director, and father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn.
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[edit] Early life
Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Elizabeth (née Melincoff) and Maurice Daniel Penn. Leo Penn may have had distant Sephardic ancestry, as his father's surname was originally "Piñon."[1]
Penn served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a B-24 Liberator bombardier with the 755th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, stationed in England as part of the Eighth Air Force.[2]
[edit] Politics
Penn supported the Hollywood trade unions[3] and refused to accuse others to the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was blacklisted, and Paramount refused to renew his contract. As a result Penn was not able to work as a movie actor.[4] He found acting work in television, but CBS ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting.[5] Barred from acting in film or TV, he became a director.[6]
[edit] Career
In 1954, Penn won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the play The Girl on the Via Flaminia. Later, Penn would find work as a television director for shows such as Star Trek, I Spy, Starsky and Hutch,Custer, St. Elsewhere, Kojak, Cagney & Lacey, Columbo, Trapper John, M.D. and Father Murphy. Penn later resumed some acting roles. On March 3, 1961, he co-starred with Peter Falk and Joyce Van Patten in the episode "Cold Turkey" of the ABC legal drama series The Law and Mr. Jones starring James Whitmore. About this time, he also appeared on Pat O'Brien's ABC sitcom Harrigan and Son.
In the 1961-1962 television season Penn acted in the TV series Checkmate episode The Button-Down Break and starred as Jerry Green in Gertrude Berg's CBS's sitcom Mrs. G. Goes to College renamed at mid-season as The Gertrude Berg Show. In 1983, Penn was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for The Mississippi.
[edit] Personal life
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His first marriage, to Olive Deering, was dissolved in 1952. He was married in 1957 to actress Eileen Ryan, and became the father of singer Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. He died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California on September 5, 1998 at the age of 77, and was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.
[edit] References
- ^ Kelly, Richard T. (2004), Sean Penn: His Life and Times, New York: Canongate Books, pp. 9–10, ISBN 1841956236
- ^ "Famous B-24/PB4Y Crew Members". B-24 Best Web. 2011. http://www.b24bestweb.com/b24bestweb-Famous.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ New York Times obituary of Leo Penn
- ^ Hilden, Julie at FindLaw.com In Defense of Sean Penn's Speaking Out dated Tuesday, January 18, 2005
- ^ [ reminiscence by Leo Penn] quoted on p.26 of Kelly, Richard T. (2004), Sean Penn: His Life and Times, New York: Canongate Books, p. 26, ISBN 1841956236, http://books.google.com/?id=gBb3v9GZMPQC
- ^ Elia Kazan—Genius or Informant?
[edit] External links
- Leo Penn at the Internet Movie Database
- Leo Penn at Find a Grave
- 1921 births
- 1998 deaths
- Actors from Massachusetts
- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- American television directors
- Jewish actors
- Deaths from lung cancer
- People from Los Angeles, California
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Cancer deaths in California
- People from Lawrence, Massachusetts
- United States Army Air Forces officers
- American military personnel of World War II
- Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
