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Leo Z. Penn (August 27, 1921—September 5, 1998) was an American actor and director, and father of actor Sean Penn.

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 Spanish ancestry, as his father's surname was originally "Piñon".^[1]

Penn served as an officer and bombardier in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Politics

Penn advocated U.S. neutrality in the war in Europe during the period of time where the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact created a non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. After Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, Penn urged that America enter the war.^{[citation needed]}

Penn was an open communist who supported the Hollywood trade unions^[2] 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.^[3] He found acting work in television, but CBS ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting.^[4] Barred from acting in film or TV, he became a director.^[5]

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 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.

Personal life

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 Los Angeles, California and was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.

References

External links

• Leo Penn at the Internet Movie Database
• Leo Penn at Find a Grave