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Leo Z. Penn (August 27, 1921 — September 5, 1998) was an American actor and director, and father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Elizabeth (née Melincoff) and Maurice Daniel Penn. Leo Penn may have had distant Sephardic ancestry, as his father's surname was originally "Piñon." Penn served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a B-24 Liberator bombardier with the 755th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, stationed in England as part of the Eighth Air... MORE

Leo Z. Penn (August 27, 1921 — September 5, 1998) was an American actor and director, and father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Elizabeth (née Melincoff) and Maurice Daniel Penn. Leo Penn may have had distant Sephardic ancestry, as his father's surname was originally "Piñon." Penn served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a B-24 Liberator bombardier with the 755th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, stationed in England as part of the Eighth Air Force. Penn supported the Hollywood trade unions and refused to accuse others to the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was black-listed, and Paramount refused to renew his contract. As a result Penn was not able to work as a movie actor. He found acting work in television, but CBS ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting. Barred from acting in film or TV, he became a director. In 1954, Penn won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the play The Girl on the Via Flaminia. Later, Penn would find work as a television director for shows such as LESS