Sean Penn’s mother, Eileen Ryan, a renowned actress, passed away at age 94
A representative for the famed Ryan family confirmed on Monday that Eileen Ryan had passed away on Sunday at her home in Malibu, California. She was 94 years old.
Later this month, she would have become 95 years old.
Her cause and method of death were unknown at the time of publication.
The iconic actress was the mother of musicians Michael Penn, 64, and Sean Penn, 62, as well as actors Chris Penn, who died in 2006 at the age of 40.
Ryan was married to actor and director Leo Penn for 41 years. They first met in 1957 when they were both working on “The Iceman Cometh” in New York. They were married not long after they met and stayed so until Leo’s death in 1998.
In addition to his work in “Comes a Day” (1958) and “Sing Till Tomorrow” (1953), Ryan appeared in other Broadway productions around this time.
The gifted actress and singer has worked for decades and appeared in more than 60 films and TV series.
Her films were “Feast” (2005), “Parenthood” (1989), “Eight Legged Freaks” (2002), “Magnolia” (1999) and “All the King’s Men” (2006), though she also appeared in several of her sons’ projects, including “At Close Range” (1986), “I Am Sam” (2001), “The Indian Runner” (1991) and “The Crossing Guard” (1995).
As a guest star, she was a force to be reckoned with on such TV staples as “The Twilight Zone,” “Bonanza,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “NYPD Blue,” “ER,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Private Practice,” “Ally McBeal,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” to name just a few.