- Leo Penn
Infobox actor
name = Leo Penn
birthdate = birth date|1921|8|27|mf=y
birthplace =Lawrence, Massachusetts ,United States
deathdate = death date and age|1998|9|5|1921|8|27|mf=y
deathplace =Los Angeles, California United States
spouse =Eileen Ryan
(1958-1998) (his death) 3 childrenOlive Deering
(?-1952) (divorced)
children =Michael Penn Sean Penn Chris Penn
yearsactive = 1963-1995
restingplace =Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City ,California ,United States
restingplacecoordinates = Plot: Section CC, Tier 54, Grave 20GPS (lat/lon): 33.99593, -118.38148
website =
awards =Leo Z. Penn (
August 27 ,1921 –September 5 ,1998 ) was an Americanactor and director.Biography
Personal life
Penn was born in
Lawrence, Massachusetts , the son ofRussia nJew ish immigrants Elizabeth (née Melincoff) and Maurice Daniel Penn. Leo Penn may have had distant Spanish ancestry, as his father's surname was originally "Piñon". [Citation | first = Richard T. | last = Kelly | title = Sean Penn: His Life and Times | publisher =Canongate Books | date = 2004 | location =New York | pages = 484 | isbn = 1841956236]Penn served as an officer and bombardier in the
United States Army Air Forces duringWorld War II .His first marriage, to
Olive Deering , was dissolved in 1952. He was married in 1957 to actressEileen Ryan , and became the father of singerMichael Penn and actorsSean Penn andChris Penn . He died of lung cancer onSeptember 5 ,1998 inLos Angeles, California and was interred at theHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City .Politics
Penn was a political supporter of
communism and advocated U.S. neutrality in the war in Europe during the period of time where theMolotov-Ribbentrop Pact created a Non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The moment Hitler violated that pact Penn urged that America enter the war.Fact|date=February 2008Penn supported the Hollywood trade unions [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E1D8113EF933A2575AC0A96E958260 New York Times obituary of Leo Penn] ] , and refused to accuse others to the
House Un-American Activities Committee . He was black-listed, and Paramount refused to renew his contract. As a result Penn was not able to work as a movie actor [ [http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hilden/20050118.html Hilden, Julie at FindLaw.com In Defense of Sean Penn's Speaking Out dated Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2005] ] . He found acting work in television, but CBS ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=gBb3v9GZMPQC&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=leo+penn&ots=routNnWCHJ&sig=84B8QVcJ_r9FEizrtZvBOy8r2_M&hl=en#PPA26,M1 reminiscence by Leo Penn] quoted on p.26 of Citation | first = Richard T. | last = Kelly | title = Sean Penn: His Life and Times | publisher =Canongate Books | date = 2004 | location =New York | pages = 484 | isbn = 1841956236] . Barred from acting in film or TV, he became a director. [ [http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kazan1.html Elia Kazan—Genius or Informant?] ]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 "", "I Spy ", "St. Elsewhere ", "Kojak ",Cagney & Lacey , "Trapper John, M.D. ", and "Father Murphy ". In 1983, Penn was nominated for anEmmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for "The Mississippi".References
External links
*imdb|0671984
*Find A Grave|id=6700139
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