Sean Penn’s Mom, Actress Eileen Ryan, Passes Away At 94
Oct. 10 2022, Published 4:47 p.m. ET
Actress Eileen Ryan, mom of legendary actor Sean Penn, has passed away at the age of 94, RadarOnline.com has learned.
While the actress led an incredible career in Hollywood in her own right, she was famously the mother to composure and songwriter, Michael Penn, as well as actors Sean and Chris Penn.
Ryan died at her home on Sunday. A cause of death has not yet been released at this time.
Ryan was born in New York City in 1927. Thirty years later, she married actor and director Leo Penn in 1957 after meeting during rehearsals for The Iceman Cometh. The couple shared three children together and remained married until his death in 1998.
Ryan lived a life of entertainment legacy that spanned six decades in the industry. During that time, she starred in reoccurring bit roles, as well as cameos, for classic hits like The Twilight Zone, Little House On The Prairie, Grey’s Anatomy, Matlock, and CSI to name a few.
Ryan’s final on-screen appearance was for the HBO series Getting On in 2014.
During her career, she was fortunate to also share the screen with her sons, Chris and Sean, in the 1986 film At Close Range.
In the 1986 film, Ryan portrayed the grandmother of a family of criminals. Her sons acted as brother’s attempting to join the unruly family hustle.
Ryan was also known for starring in the 1988 drama, Judgement at Berlin. The drama, again, starred her son Sean. It was directed and co-written by her husband, alongside Martin Sheen, who also starred in the film.
Her work supporting and starring in the family’s entertainment ventures continued when she appeared in the 1995 film, The Crossing Guard. Sean wrote and directed the film. Chris also appeared on the screen alongside his mother, as well as Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston.
Ryan also served in a role for cult-classic director Paul Thomas Anderson for his film Magnolia.
The heartbreaking news of his mother’s passing comes after Sean's divorce from Leila George. The couple finally reached a settlement earlier in March, officially ending their short-lived one-year marriage.
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