Christopher Shannon Penn (October
10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American
film actor. He was the son of noted director Leo Penn
and actress Eileen Ryan (born Eileen Annucci), and
the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael
Penn. He dated and lived with Steffiana De La Cruz
from 1993 to 1999.
Career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Penn started acting
at the age of 12 at the Loft Studio and made his film
debut in 1979’s Charlie and the Talking Buzzard.
In 1983, he was featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s
youth drama Rumble Fish and appeared in a small role
in the high school football drama All the Right Moves
starring Tom Cruise. He also appeared in the hit dance
musical Footloose in 1984, played a villain in the
Clint Eastwood western Pale Rider (1985), and co-starred
with his brother, Sean, and mother Eileen Ryan in
At Close Range (1986).
Penn was typically cast as a supporting
actor, featured as a villain or a working-class lug,
or in a comic role. Two of his more memorable performances
came in Reservoir Dogs as Nice Guy Eddie (the only
one who doesn't wear a suit) and True Romance. In
1996 he won the best supporting actor at the Venice
Film Festival for The Funeral. In Robert Altman’s
ensemble film Short Cuts, Penn played a troubled pool
cleaner who is disturbed by his wife’s profession;
she is a telephone sex worker who takes calls from
clients at home, to which Penn’s character is
obliged to listen. The dramatic ending of the film
features the climactic response of Penn’s character
to this pent-up sexual frustration and feeling of
powerlessness.
Penn was featured on Law and Order:
Criminal Intent during the 2004-2005 season. During
that time, he was featured on the 2004 video game
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as the voice of Officer
Eddie Pulaski and played himself on a 2005 episode
of Entourage. He also appeared in The Darwin Awards,
which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival one
day after his death.
Death
The actor was found dead in his Santa Monica condominium
on January 24, 2006.
Although Penn had used multiple drugs
in the past, Los Angeles County Medical examiners
performed an autopsy on January 25 and a statement
was released by the county coroner’s office
on February 13 which gave the primary cause of death
as "nonspecific cardiomyopathy", with the
prescription drug promethazine with codeine playing
a lesser role (there were only minor traces of marajuana
in his system).
There is conflicting information about
Penn’s age at the time of death. His birthdate
has been officially indicated as October 1965, which
would mean he was 40 at the time of his death. However,
several sources have also reported his age as 43.
He is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California.
Selected filmography
Aftermath (2007)
Holly (2006)
King of Sorrow (2006)
The Darwin Awards (2006)
After the Sunset (2004)
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Murder by Numbers (2002)
Corky Romano (2001)
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2000)
Cement (1999)
Rush Hour (1998)
The Funeral (1996)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Fist of the North Star (1995)
Short Cuts (1993)
True Romance (1993)
Josh and S.A.M. (1993)
Beethoven’s 2nd (1993
Beethoven’s 2nd (1993)
Best of the Best 2 (1993)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Best of the Best (1989)
At Close Range (1986)
Pale Rider (1985)
Footloose (1984)
The Wild Life (1984)
All the Right Moves (1983)
Rumble Fish (1983)
Charlie and the Talking Buzzard (1979)
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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