Christopher Penn

Chris Penn
Chris Penn in Corky Romano (2001)
Born	Christopher Shannon Penn (1965-10-10)October 10, 1965 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	January 24, 2006(2006-01-24) (aged 40) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Drug Related Cardiomyopathy
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, U.S.
Other names	Christopher Penn
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–2006
Parent(s)	Leo Penn (deceased) Eileen Ryan
Relatives	Michael Penn (brother) Sean Penn (brother) Aimee Mann (sister-in-law)

Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American film and television actor. Penn was typically cast as a tough character, featured as a villain or a working-class lug, or in a comic role and was known for his roles in such films as The Wild Life, Reservoir Dogs, The Funeral, Footloose, Rush Hour, Corky Romano, True Romance, Short Cuts, The Boys Club, All the Right Moves, At Close Range, Pale Rider, and in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Penn was found dead in his condominium on January 24, 2006, at the age of 40. An autopsy revealed the primary cause for his death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" (heart disease).

Penn was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of three boys born to Leo Penn, an actor and director, and Eileen Ryan (née Annucci), an actress. His paternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Lithuania and Russia, and his mother was a Roman Catholic of Italian and Irish descent. According to Penn's mother, Leo Penn may have had distant Sephardic ancestry, as the family's surname was originally "Piñón". His brothers are actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn.