➡ Chris Penn Biography

Chris Penn was born on October 10, 1965, in Los Angeles,  California. He was an American actor, who left us on January 24, 2006. He was typically cast as a tough character, featured as a villain or a working-class thug, or in a comic role, and was known for films such as The Wild Life, The Funeral, Rush Hour, etc. To know more about how the actor lived his life, continue reading the facts mentioned below.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Chris Penn

1. First Step In The Acting Business

To emulate his parents, Penn began acting at the age of twelve in the Loft Studio. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film “Charlie and the Talking Buzzard”. ^[1]

2. Black Belt In Karate

In the 1989 film Best of the Best, Penn, a black belt in karate, played Travis Brickley, a brazen member of the American Taekwondo team competing against the Korean squad. In Best of the Best 2, he reprised his role.

3. Fortunate Time Of His Life

In 1996 he won the award for Best Supporting Actor at for ‘The Funeral’. He was also featured in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as the voice of crooked officer Eddie.

4. Rejected Because Of Weight

Being a leading guy had always been Penn’s dream. He believed that his weight had cost him the opportunity. He admitted to the Guardian in 1997 that he would “never stop playing character roles, but I regret missing parts that I could have received if I’d been slim.”

5. Worked Hard Till His Last Breath

He was born into a well-known family in Hollywood. However, in his last days, Chris Penn was still hustling for his big break.

6. An Addict

Penn battled cocaine and alcohol addiction for years and even attended rehab once. Penn continued to be a well-liked figure in Hollywood and outside of the industry while his life progressed on the parallel tracks of work and addiction.

7. Final Work

Aftermath (2013), Penn’s final movie, was released seven years after his passing. though he continued to work steadily until his death in 2006 from health issues. His premature departure robbed the entertainment industry of a talented player.

8. He Was Tired And He Lost

At the age of 40, Penn was found dead in his apartment on January 24, 2006. Heart disease was shown to be the underlying cause of death by an autopsy. In Culver City, California’s Holy Cross Cemetery is where Penn is buried.