Chris Penn(1965-2006)
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Christopher Shannon Penn was born on October 10, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, the third son of actress Eileen Ryan (née Annucci) and director, actor, and writer Leo Penn. His siblings are musician Michael Penn and actor Sean Penn. His father was from a Lithuanian Jewish/Russian Jewish family, and his mother is of half-Italian and half-Irish descent.
Penn set out to follow in his parents' footsteps and started acting at age twelve in the Loft Studio.
While in high school he and his brother Sean made several shorts with
their classmates, which included such would-be stars as
Emilio Estevez and
Rob Lowe. Penn made his onscreen debut
in the Christopher Cain movie,
Charlie and the Talking Buzzard (1979).
After a few years Penn caught the eye of acclaimed director
Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him
in a supporting role in the teen drama
Rumble Fish (1983). Although the film
was a flop critically and commercially, Penn's career was well under
way.
That same year he acted in
All the Right Moves (1983), a
high school drama film starring a young
Tom Cruise. The next year Penn gave a
performance in Footloose (1984),
starring Kevin Bacon and dealing
with a small town which bans rock & roll music. The movie was a smash
hit, and remains a classic to this day. Penn followed this up with a
villainous role in Clint Eastwood's
Pale Rider (1985), and the crime movie
At Close Range (1986), starring
Christopher Walken.
Penn acted in a few smaller productions until he was cast as Travis
Brickley in the sports drama
Best of the Best (1989). Penn's
character is a martial arts fighter who joins the other main characters
when they enter a taekwondo tournament against the Korean team. The
movie spawned several sequels, though Penn only appeared in the first
and second films. A few more jobs followed until Penn landed what is
known as his most famous movie:
Quentin Tarantino's
Reservoir Dogs (1992). The indie
crime film concerned a heist gone wrong, as the criminals search for a
rat in their midst. Penn played the role of Nice Guy Eddie, the son of
the old gangster that arranges the heist. The film continues to receive
acclaim as a classic movie and as the start of Tarantino's directing
career. Penn also acted in the Tarantino-scripted
Tony Scott crime movie
True Romance (1993), albeit in a
much smaller role. Penn also took a supporting role in the ensemble
film Short Cuts (1993) by
Robert Altman.
After participating in these acclaimed films, Penn took on several
smaller projects, including a role as the villain in the second
"Beethoven" movie. In this period of time, Penn acted in such films as
the crime film
Mulholland Falls (1996), set in
the 1950s. Penn then gave one of his greatest performances in the
Abel Ferrara crime drama
The Funeral (1996). The movie starred
Christopher Walken, Penn, and
Vincent Gallo as three brothers who are
involved in the world of crime, even as it threatens to take them all
down. Penn plays Chez, the middle brother, who has a very short temper.
Penn also sang a song in the film as his character. While the film was
well received critically and Penn received an award for Best Supporting
Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his excellent performance,
The Funeral (1996) went largely
unseen. Penn followed up with the Canadian film
The Boys Club (1996), the crime
thriller One Tough Cop (1998), and
a supporting role in the hit comedy
Rush Hour (1998).
Following his latest success, Penn acted in the drama-comedy
The Florentine (1999), the English
comedy
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001),
and the crime thriller
Murder by Numbers (2002). Penn
was also one of the many stars that acted in the box office failure
Masked and Anonymous (2003),
starring Bob Dylan. The last few years of his
career mainly featured supporting roles in such movies as
After the Sunset (2004),
Starsky & Hutch (2004), and the
Canadian crime film
King of Sorrow (2007), his last
film appearance. Throughout his life Penn had had battles with heart
disease and multiple drug use. He was found dead in his home on January
24, 2006. He was only forty years old.
Penn left behind a career that featured many roles in small,
independent productions as well as several very well-known films. Penn
worked with several esteemed directors and fellow actors, lending his
talent to both television and film. Although he never received nearly
as much attention or as many awards as his brother Sean, Chris Penn will always
be remembered by those who watch movies and appreciate his work.
Penn set out to follow in his parents' footsteps and started acting at age twelve in the Loft Studio.
While in high school he and his brother Sean made several shorts with
their classmates, which included such would-be stars as
Emilio Estevez and
Rob Lowe. Penn made his onscreen debut
in the Christopher Cain movie,
Charlie and the Talking Buzzard (1979).
After a few years Penn caught the eye of acclaimed director
Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him
in a supporting role in the teen drama
Rumble Fish (1983). Although the film
was a flop critically and commercially, Penn's career was well under
way.
That same year he acted in
All the Right Moves (1983), a
high school drama film starring a young
Tom Cruise. The next year Penn gave a
performance in Footloose (1984),
starring Kevin Bacon and dealing
with a small town which bans rock & roll music. The movie was a smash
hit, and remains a classic to this day. Penn followed this up with a
villainous role in Clint Eastwood's
Pale Rider (1985), and the crime movie
At Close Range (1986), starring
Christopher Walken.
Penn acted in a few smaller productions until he was cast as Travis
Brickley in the sports drama
Best of the Best (1989). Penn's
character is a martial arts fighter who joins the other main characters
when they enter a taekwondo tournament against the Korean team. The
movie spawned several sequels, though Penn only appeared in the first
and second films. A few more jobs followed until Penn landed what is
known as his most famous movie:
Quentin Tarantino's
Reservoir Dogs (1992). The indie
crime film concerned a heist gone wrong, as the criminals search for a
rat in their midst. Penn played the role of Nice Guy Eddie, the son of
the old gangster that arranges the heist. The film continues to receive
acclaim as a classic movie and as the start of Tarantino's directing
career. Penn also acted in the Tarantino-scripted
Tony Scott crime movie
True Romance (1993), albeit in a
much smaller role. Penn also took a supporting role in the ensemble
film Short Cuts (1993) by
Robert Altman.
After participating in these acclaimed films, Penn took on several
smaller projects, including a role as the villain in the second
"Beethoven" movie. In this period of time, Penn acted in such films as
the crime film
Mulholland Falls (1996), set in
the 1950s. Penn then gave one of his greatest performances in the
Abel Ferrara crime drama
The Funeral (1996). The movie starred
Christopher Walken, Penn, and
Vincent Gallo as three brothers who are
involved in the world of crime, even as it threatens to take them all
down. Penn plays Chez, the middle brother, who has a very short temper.
Penn also sang a song in the film as his character. While the film was
well received critically and Penn received an award for Best Supporting
Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his excellent performance,
The Funeral (1996) went largely
unseen. Penn followed up with the Canadian film
The Boys Club (1996), the crime
thriller One Tough Cop (1998), and
a supporting role in the hit comedy
Rush Hour (1998).
Following his latest success, Penn acted in the drama-comedy
The Florentine (1999), the English
comedy
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001),
and the crime thriller
Murder by Numbers (2002). Penn
was also one of the many stars that acted in the box office failure
Masked and Anonymous (2003),
starring Bob Dylan. The last few years of his
career mainly featured supporting roles in such movies as
After the Sunset (2004),
Starsky & Hutch (2004), and the
Canadian crime film
King of Sorrow (2007), his last
film appearance. Throughout his life Penn had had battles with heart
disease and multiple drug use. He was found dead in his home on January
24, 2006. He was only forty years old.
Penn left behind a career that featured many roles in small,
independent productions as well as several very well-known films. Penn
worked with several esteemed directors and fellow actors, lending his
talent to both television and film. Although he never received nearly
as much attention or as many awards as his brother Sean, Chris Penn will always
be remembered by those who watch movies and appreciate his work.