A Fond Farewell to Chris Penn
by Fred T. Beeman

English poet John Donne (1571-1631) once observed, “..any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved with mankind…” With those words in mind, all of us at A Minor Consideration were indeed “lessened” with notification of the passing on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 of former child actor Christopher Penn. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has issued a formal statement that the primary cause of death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy," an oversized heart, with the "effects of multiple medication intake."

Performing came naturally for Chris, whose parents were the late Leo Penn (a noted director of TV shows) and actress Eileen Ryan. Critics were quick to point out that he was every bit as talented as his more well-known older brother, Sean, citing many of his performances as proof of that.

Chris’ acting career began at age 12, under the tutelage of Peggy Feury (1924-85), who had been closely associated with Lee Strasberg’s The Actors Studio, and who formed The Loft Studio, where Chris learned “method” acting. And coincidentally, his most recent film was “The Darwin Awards” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival the day after his passing.

While we extend our deepest condolences to the Penn family and Chris’ many friends (including actor Martin Sheen), we continue to wonder why, on occasion, “the good die young.”