Leo Penn Biography

Leo Penn was an American actor and director, better known as the father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. Born in Massachusetts, US, Leo served in the ‘United States Army’ during the Second World War, and following the culmination of the war, he began his career as an actor. He started with theatrical plays and switched to playing supporting/key roles in the early era of TV. Some of Leo’s earliest appearances in TV series were for ‘Crossroads’ and ‘Navy Log.’ Apart from being a seasoned actor, he was also known as a talented director and had directed many episodes of series such as ‘I Spy,’ ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Lost in Space,’ and ‘Father Murphy.’ His excellent direction in the series ‘The Mississippi’ earned him a nomination for the ‘Emmy Award’ for ‘Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series’ in 1983. Penn had been a lifelong supporter of the trade unions of Hollywood. He got blacklisted from acting in films, and later in TV series, owing to the ‘Red Scare,’ a term used to indicate infiltration of Hollywood by communist forces. Following this, he took to directing and enjoyed a fairly successful career as a director, too, until he died from lung cancer at the age of 77.