Eileen Ryan, mother of actor Sean Penn, died on Sunday October 9 at the age of 94. Comedian of television and cinema, the spectators had in particular been able to see her in The Little house on the prairie or in Magnolia.
Sean Penn is in mourning. This Sunday, October 9, the mother of the American actor, Eileen Ryan has died aged 94, a few days before his birthday. “We lost mum yesterday”, reacted on Twitter Michael Penn, brother of Sean, and one of the three children of the actress. Chris Penn, the youngest son of the siblings and also an actor, died in 2006 at the age of 40 from heart disease and drug abuse. We could see it in particular in Rusty James and Reservoir Dogs.
Born on October 16, 1927 in New York, Eileen Ryan was an actress like two of her sons, and is appeared in many series. She notably obtained roles in the Twilight Zone in 1959, The Little House On The Prairiein 1974 or in Bonanza in 1961, 1962 and in 1972. More recently, viewers had been able to see her in Emergency room, Ally McBeal, New York Police Blues, Providence or FBI: Missing.
Eileen Ryan had acted in several films of her son Sean
On the cinema side, Eileen Ryan has starred in films like My mother me and my motherwith Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon, in 1999 or Magnolia, by Paul Thomas Anderson, the same year. His last role on the big screen dates from 2016in Warren Beatty’s film The exception to the rule.
The actress also had shot in several films by his son Sean Penn : The Indian Runner in 1991, Crossing Guards in 1995, as well as The Pledge in 2001. In 1986, she also played alongside two of his three sonsSean and Chris Penn, in the film by James Foley like a rabid dog, where she played… their grandmother. 15 years later, she again held a role alongside Sean in Sam, I’m Sam, released in 2001.
Eileen Ryan was married to Leo Penn until the latter’s death in 1998. After meeting in 1957 during rehearsals for the play The ice cream man passed, the couple had three children together: Michael, Sean and Chris. Actor and director, Leo Penn had notably directed the film A man called Adama musical drama released in 1966, and in which we find the famous musicians Sammy Davis Jr and Louis Armstrong.