Chris Penn found dead
January 24, 2006 6:56 PM   Subscribe

Chris Penn found dead. The 43 year old actor was found dead in a Santa Monica residence.
posted by super_not (84 comments total)
 
That's "stop pointing that gun at my dad" Chris Penn - right?
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:06 PM on January 24, 2006


At first I flashed Penn Teller in my head and though, "somebody offed that guy." Then I quickly realized my mistake.

It's unfortunate, he was still really young. Did he have a family?
posted by Pollomacho at 7:09 PM on January 24, 2006


Aw, man. I always liked him.
posted by jrossi4r at 7:10 PM on January 24, 2006


While he didn't have the chops of his brother, he did have a Golden Globe and two Volpi awards (from the Venice FIlm Festival) on his mantle. I particularly liked his work in the short-lived TV series "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire" and his early work in "Pale Rider".
posted by solid-one-love at 7:12 PM on January 24, 2006


Well, Pollomacho... he has a brother.
posted by super_not at 7:12 PM on January 24, 2006


Did he have a family?

Yeah, Sean is his brother.

oops beat me.
posted by Jikido at 7:14 PM on January 24, 2006


Haven't seen him around town lately. I figured he was Andy's doppleganger. I suspect Chris' death is simply a clever way for Andy to avoid admitting his alter ego on the streets of Santa Monica. Westsiiiiiiiide!

Or rather,

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posted by filchyboy at 7:14 PM on January 24, 2006


Michael's his brother, too.

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posted by padraigin at 7:17 PM on January 24, 2006


I meant wife, kids... oh never mind.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:18 PM on January 24, 2006


Chris played "Nice Guy Eddie" in one of my favorite films: Resevoir Dogs. I agree he didn't have the "chops" of his brother, but I think it had less to do with talent, and more to do with the fact that he was not nearly as good looking as his bro.
posted by super_not at 7:21 PM on January 24, 2006



Damn. That's sudden. But it's a testament to that film that the first thing I thought of was "STOP POINTING THAT GUN AT MY DAD!"

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posted by cavalier at 7:22 PM on January 24, 2006


Aw, too bad. I like all those Penn boys.
posted by scody at 7:24 PM on January 24, 2006


Damn.

Fare the well, Nice Guy Eddie.
posted by jonmc at 7:25 PM on January 24, 2006


I was gonna say, "Never heard of 'im" (well, I wasn't gonna say it here, because that would be mean), but then I looked at the IMDb and holy shit, Sheriff Dollard! From Wong Foo! Receiver of the immortal line, "Get your hands off my dick!" from Patrick Swayze!

Which is to say,

.
posted by Gator at 7:26 PM on January 24, 2006


I thought he had really good chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson in GTA: San Andreas, his delivery was great in that game.
posted by bobo123 at 7:29 PM on January 24, 2006


more to do with the fact that he was not nearly as good looking as his bro.

Sean is considered good looking?

Maybe a touch of the Steve Buscemi syndrome (although Buscemi is an a far far stronger actor).
posted by PurplePorpoise at 7:34 PM on January 24, 2006


Damn, I'm a huge fan of ... well, his family.
And there's a passing small chance we're related.
posted by dhartung at 7:35 PM on January 24, 2006


I always remembered him, fondly, from Short Cuts and, strangely, The Wild Life, which, shockingly, I have have now discovered through that imdb link, was written by Cameron Crowe?
posted by ghastlyfop at 7:35 PM on January 24, 2006


Sean is considered good looking?
Well, more good looking than Chris anyway.
posted by super_not at 7:37 PM on January 24, 2006


Wow, you are all a bunch of assholes.
posted by ghastlyfop at 7:40 PM on January 24, 2006


Huh? Why?
posted by Gator at 7:44 PM on January 24, 2006


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posted by djeo at 7:46 PM on January 24, 2006


Just let him rest in peace--don't call out the fact that you barely remember him.

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posted by ghastlyfop at 7:49 PM on January 24, 2006


If that were how I felt, I would have kept it to myself. As it happens, when I looked him up, I realized he was in one of my favorite movies, and said so. That okay with you, hoss?
posted by Gator at 7:51 PM on January 24, 2006


I meant wife, kids... oh never mind

I have a same-sex partner, brother, sister, mom, four dogs and cat...are we a famil.....oh never mind.
posted by Jikido at 7:52 PM on January 24, 2006


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posted by Jikido at 7:52 PM on January 24, 2006


Cintra Wilson on Chris Penn from Salon (registration or watching an ad required):
But then came the jewel in the crown of Christopher Penn's acting career, and this was Abel Ferrara's "The Funeral" (1996), where Chris plays a mentally ill suicidal gangster. Either Chris Penn has the best imagination ever captured on film, or the Penn boys' emotional color wheels are naturally so supremely black that they make Sylvia Plath's look like sample chips for baby's bedroom. Chris was able to inhabit a Jungian shadow-self that any sane angel would fear to tread, in such a hardcore and chilling performance it makes it impossible not to presume that he has actually endured some bone-splinteringly dark nights of the soul.

This is the apotheosis of Chris Penn. He is an Italian gangster hovering over the open casket of his little brother (Vincent Gallo, an ideal corpse). His face paints an entire road map of emotions. He grabs Gallo's suit. "My baby brother," he whimpers, his mouth grimacing in despair. He dissolves into tears. Then, he remembers himself: He's a mobster. The tears turn ugly. He starts hacking out involuntary grief noises that get louder and louder until they escalate into a screaming, spitting, casket-pounding fury. Christopher Walken and other black-clad, sallow-eyed Italo-actorini try to restrain him. Chris Penn's bloodshot eyes go momentarily wide and satanic -- a murderous plot appears in his brain like a fever blister. Then -- he knows it won't help -- he dissolves into blubbering grief again. Then, with a swallow, he snaps his head, pulls himself together, wipes his face, wetly kisses Walken on the face. He is drained, he's wrecked, but he is OK to go to the buffet table.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:02 PM on January 24, 2006


Yes, Jikido, of course you're a family. If you died and there was a post I might ask the same thing though.

He was a young guy, potentially he could have young kids, no? I was just thinking of them (if they exist). Notice I put ellipsis on the end of the sentence, that signifies there are more options other than wife and kids, but that I just cut off the sentence there.

He could have a mail order Thai bride and a parrot at home or a 75 year old masseur named Gunther for all I care, I was just thinking of the people he may have been supporting at home, whomever they may be, I don't know, that's why I asked. The article already mentioned Sean if I didn't already know that much.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:08 PM on January 24, 2006


Damn, Astro, I might have to check that one out.

Sad news.
posted by codeofconduct at 8:08 PM on January 24, 2006


Dang...he died awful young.

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posted by UseyurBrain at 8:11 PM on January 24, 2006


The article already mentioned Sean if I didn't already know that much.

cool.

sad news, and he was very young. I hope that everyone that loved him will remember him for a long time and not forget whatever they shared.

I lost a brother (to cancer) when I was 23 and he was sixteen. It hurt. Bad.
posted by Jikido at 8:12 PM on January 24, 2006


Well, yeah, I remember him, but really, who gives a damn? He was the weakest actor in Reservoir Dogs.

Tony Franciosa dies, and not a peep, but Sean Penn's brother dies and we all get to read a pageful of dots?

Screw that. He's no Joan Maynard. He's not worthy of a period.



There. He got a pixel. Happy now?!
posted by insomnia_lj at 8:14 PM on January 24, 2006


Wow, you are all a bunch of assholes.

Wha...?
posted by qwip at 8:17 PM on January 24, 2006


I will always remember him doing that off-time goofy-ass half-walk half-strut while Kevin Bacon led him around trying to teach him to dance in Footloose.

Ah, we were all so young then.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:18 PM on January 24, 2006


That sucks.

I liked Chris Penn.
posted by bwg at 8:18 PM on January 24, 2006


Weird. We were just watching Short Cuts tonight (until we were inundated with phone calls). We've seen it before, and Chris Penn's character completely creeped out my wife. (Also, he's my age.)
posted by booth at 8:22 PM on January 24, 2006


Wow, you are all a bunch of assholes.

I believe that, before the $5.00, it was the only qualification necessary for becoming a member.
posted by spock at 8:35 PM on January 24, 2006


Wow, you are all a bunch of assholes.

I blame Bush.


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posted by Balisong at 8:37 PM on January 24, 2006


Pollomacho: According to this page he has a girlfriend. No mention of any kids (but who knows?)
posted by super_not at 8:48 PM on January 24, 2006


On closer inspection, it looks like he HAD a girlfriend... in 1985.
posted by super_not at 8:50 PM on January 24, 2006


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posted by Penks at 8:51 PM on January 24, 2006


During the post Clerks/Tarantino Independent-and-then-progressively-less-so Movie era, Chris seemed to be everywhere. Short Cuts and Reservoir Dogs as already mentioned, but also movies like Deceiver and True Romance. One's memory can certainly exaggerate this sort of thing, but according to IMDB, he did in fact have roles in seven (count em; seven) films released in 1993.

Personally, I thought he was a better actor than Sean. I hope the poor bastard rests in peace.
posted by Clay201 at 8:53 PM on January 24, 2006


I thought he was a fine actor, and am sorry to hear of his early death.

but...

this is hardly "Best of the Web". I toast Chris Penn's memory, and crap on this FPP.
posted by Aknaton at 9:00 PM on January 24, 2006


Wow... that is really weird- I was just watching that one calf implants episode of Entourage not 20 minutes ago via On Demand. Penn's character was working out in a boxing gym, saying "I'm gonna lose this weight!"; be a shame if he died of something weight-related, such as heart issues.
posted by hincandenza at 9:02 PM on January 24, 2006


I encountered him once in a non-pretentious, non-celebrity type situation and found him to be a nice fellow.
RIP, Chris.
posted by 2sheets at 9:40 PM on January 24, 2006


He was the weakest actor in Reservoir Dogs.

Hardly possible considered Tarantino acted in the film.

I was just watching that one calf implants episode

I just watched it last night--was surprised to see him on the show.

.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:49 PM on January 24, 2006


I always loved the scene in Reservoir Dogs where he is reunited with his old pal Michael Madsen in his father's (Lawrence Tierney) office.

"You know what, I think it's all that black semen been pumped up your ass so far, now it's backed into your fuckin brain, and it's coming out your mouth!"
posted by vito90 at 9:52 PM on January 24, 2006


His character in Short Cuts disturbed me plenty.

I loved his voice in San Andreas, too.
posted by Busithoth at 10:05 PM on January 24, 2006


Odd, I found this to be a very pleasant thread quite lacking in assholery (With the obvious exceptions). For a lot of folks, Chris Penn was a "Hey, it's that guy!" actor - always interesting, always memorable, but never the star. Hopefully/sadly, his death might prompt some of them to watch his lesser known work and appreciate what a talent he was.

Insomnia, they're our '.' to waste however we see fit. If you're seriously outraged, why not take that energy and make the asskickingest Joan Maynard or Tony Franciosa* FPP and teach us how to show our respect with the class and taste we're all so obviously lacking.

*I know he used to date Tom Waits' maw, but other than that I could give a fig about the guy.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:11 PM on January 24, 2006


Chris Penn's performance in "Short Cuts" was one of my favorites in a Robert Altman film. Very talented guy and one who I thought was destined for much bigger things. RIP.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:23 PM on January 24, 2006


FUCK!

43 years old. Shit. I liked Chris Penn. Crap. Talent, no talent, he seemed like just this guy who did pretty good, not as good as his brother, but ok, y'know?

I don't know, he just seemed more like a regular guy.

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posted by Smedleyman at 10:24 PM on January 24, 2006


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posted by Duncan at 10:45 PM on January 24, 2006


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posted by LeeJay at 11:14 PM on January 24, 2006


According to imdb.com (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001606/) he hasn't died yet (as of 11:59 PM PST Tue 1/24/2006). I wonder how long it is before they update an actor's death.

His character in Shortcuts creeped me out big time! I loved him most in Reservoir Dogs.

Trivia: Besides the close-range shoot-out he was in at the end of Reservoir Dogs he was also in close-range shoot-outs in True Romance and Corky Romano.

He's got two movies in post-production due out in 2006:

* Aftermath
* King of Sorrow

So hopefully we'll see a 4th and 5th close-range shoot-out. When I saw the head-line that Chris Penn died my first thought was that he died in a close-range shoot-out.
posted by patcoston at 12:07 AM on January 25, 2006


Astro's right, check out The Funeral, it's a masterpiece.

I liked him a lot -- Short Cuts, Reservoir Dogs, At Close Range, Rumble Fish...
and 43 is way too young.

.
posted by matteo at 12:24 AM on January 25, 2006


Shame, I always liked to see him pop up in a film. Even more of a shame that he died so young.
posted by Frasermoo at 1:18 AM on January 25, 2006


single period
posted by Hat Maui at 1:26 AM on January 25, 2006


He really was great in San Andreas.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:44 AM on January 25, 2006


Plus his current movie, The Darwin Awards just happens to have its debut at Sundance today, Wednesday January 25, 2006.
posted by TrinityB5 at 2:31 AM on January 25, 2006


Well that's possibly pretty ironic, TrinityB5. As always with this kind of sudden death of a celebrity, the suspicion of a drug-overdose pops into mind.

I believe that I might have mentioned this here before, 2sheets; I had the pleasure of meeting his brother Sean Penn some years back. Unlike his reputation, I found him to be polite and unassuming, about as level-headed and without ego as any other average person. Guess it ran in the family.

Too bad.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 3:32 AM on January 25, 2006


Goodbye Officer Pulaski.

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posted by graventy at 3:50 AM on January 25, 2006


No more Mr Nice Guy. (Eddie)
posted by RokkitNite at 4:55 AM on January 25, 2006


Aw, crap. The Wild Life. "It's casual."
posted by steef at 5:49 AM on January 25, 2006


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posted by Lucinda at 5:53 AM on January 25, 2006


It's funny, I just rewatched Pale Rider, and I was surprised to see Penn in it, I'd forgotten that he was so young and thin once. He did a creditable job.
posted by OmieWise at 6:35 AM on January 25, 2006


ironic indeed. hopefully it was not drugs, but i do if it could be health related. 43-year old people don't usually just drop dead of 'natural causes'. while i enjoyed watching him in that "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" episode (playing "Tommy Onerato" in episode: "Death Roe" (episode # 4.15) 13 March 2005), i did take note of his ballooning weight - and his change in skin tone/colour which even make-up did not hide - with some concern.
posted by TrinityB5 at 6:55 AM on January 25, 2006


I just watched The Funeral, last night. He is exceptional in that
posted by ZippityBuddha at 7:26 AM on January 25, 2006


The bitterest irony for me is that his newest film premieres today (or tomorrow?), and that it's called the Darwin Awards.

Oh yeah, and

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posted by illovich at 7:40 AM on January 25, 2006


He was underrated as an actor.

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posted by kaseijin at 7:57 AM on January 25, 2006


Wow, you are all a bunch of assholes.

Well, insomnia_lj seems to be, anyway.

I confess to experiencing the odd juxtaposition of both enjoying his work and frequently mixing him up with Michael Rappaport.

What that says I don't know, but may he rest in peace.
posted by jalexei at 8:25 AM on January 25, 2006


He was the ideal big lug. Anyone know what capped him?
posted by Hobbacocka at 8:25 AM on January 25, 2006


"Comin' Home In A Bodybag. Great fuckin' movie." - Chris Penn, True Romance

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posted by NationalKato at 8:27 AM on January 25, 2006


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posted by hardshoes at 9:07 AM on January 25, 2006


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posted by Dr-Baa at 9:55 AM on January 25, 2006


> Dang...he died awful young.

Dang... he died so fat. Americans, put down the food. Step away from the food.
posted by catchmurray at 9:57 AM on January 25, 2006


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posted by zpousman at 10:29 AM on January 25, 2006


SF Chron had this under "Sean Penn's Brother is Found Dead", which I thought was a hell of an epitaph. I mean, we know he's one of those dreaded less-talented brothers, but still...
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:09 PM on January 25, 2006


So you're telling me he just died all of a sudden, out of the fuckin' blue?!

Now why don't you tell me what really happened?
posted by dgaicun at 1:32 PM on January 25, 2006


Americans, put down the food. Step away from the food.

you can have my twinkies when you pry them from my cold, dead ha... oh, wait -- pry away.
posted by Hat Maui at 2:40 PM on January 25, 2006


I actually found him sexier than Sean... and just as talented.
posted by Lillitatiana at 5:14 PM on January 25, 2006


Footloose.
posted by mecran01 at 8:53 PM on January 25, 2006


Well, the autopsy didn't turn up anything. Is it normal for an autopsy to be performed so quickly in a death where no apparent foul play occurred?
posted by Gator at 9:05 PM on January 25, 2006


Like I said . . .
posted by dgaicun at 11:29 PM on January 25, 2006


I actually found him sexier than Sean

Ok, I know the mans dead and all, but . . . yeeaah.
posted by dgaicun at 11:45 PM on January 25, 2006


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