Hollywood enthusiasts were handed a shock on Sunday, October 11, 2022, when news of seasoned actress Eileen Ryan’s death broke out. Following her death, a statement was issued by her son, Sean Penn, which revealed that Ryan, 94, died at her home in Malibu, California.

Ryan’s death comes only a few days before her 95th birthday, which she would have celebrated on October 16. However, at the moment, her cause of death is yet to be announced.

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One of America’s most popular television actresses over the years, Ryan worked in more than 60 shows in her long career. However, she is widely known for her roles in Eight Legged Freaks, Feast, Magnolia and I Am Sam.

Who was Eileen Ryan?

Eileen Ryan was an American actress best known for her roles in several television series and mother to Into The Wild, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty actor Sean Penn. Ryan was the widow of accomplished director Leo Penn, as well as the mother to actor Chris Penn and popular singer Michael Penn.

She was born on October 16, 1927, in New York City to Rose Isabel and Amerigo Giuseppe Annucci. Her father worked as a dentist, whereas her mother was a nurse. Ryan was of Irish descent from her mother’s side, while she also had Italian links through her father.

Ryan married Leo Penn in 1957, who was an emerging actor and union member at the time. They stayed together for more than 40 years before Leo died in 1998. The couple had three children together, Sean, Chris and Michael.

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All of her sons barring Michael works in the Hollywood film industry, and Ryan appeared in a film named At Close Range (1986) with them, where she played the role of the pair’s godmother. Some of her other memorable films are Judgement in Berlin, The Crossing Guard and Give ‘Em Hell, Malone.

However, she is known more widely for her television career and some of her most notable works came in The Detectives, Bonanza, NYPD Blue and Grey’s Anatomy.