American actor and filmmaker, two-time Academy Award winner for Mystic River and Milk and a director of dramas including Into the Wild.
Background
Born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor and director Leo Penn and actress Eileen Ryan, he attended Santa Monica College and worked in television before breaking through on screen.
Career
He came to attention as Jeff Spicoli in Amy Heckerling’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” then transitioned to serious dramatic leads with Tim Robbins’s “Dead Man Walking,” Alejandro G. Inarritu’s “21 Grams,” Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” and Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” — the last two earning consecutive Best Actor Oscars. He directed “The Crossing Guard,” “The Pledge,” and “Into the Wild.”
Style
Penn is known for intense dramatic preparation and an extensive activism record in disaster relief and politics through his J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
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