One of my favorite actors died yesterday.

Chris Penn, also known as "The Good Penn" to those of us who can't stand his brother, was found dead in his home. No cause of death has been named as of yet.

Chris Penn was an amazing talent... just as good an actor as his brother. Apparently, though, he didn't think that being a good actor and knowing what's best for the whole world were the same thing. His brother never figured that out. Anyway, Chris was great... you might not be sure if you've seen him in anything, but he was so good in such diverse roles in so many movies, I'm certain you've seen him.

My favorite Chris Penn performance, as the gonzo gangster "Nice Guy Eddie" from Reservoir Dogs, is probably his best work. Thanks to the popularity of the movie, Chris Penn fans can own an action figure of their favorite actor.

As a farmboy who wanted to learn to dance, Chris was first noticed by the critics in Footloose. I'm not a fan of Footloose, but I'm always surprised by how many people don't realize that Chris was even in the movie.

A small role as a detective in True Romance (among an outstanding ensemble cast) enabled Chris to steal every scene he was in, along with the Tom Sizemore as his partner.

The criminally, CRIMINALLY underseen At Close Range might be the only movie Chris made with his brother Sean, I'm not sure. At Close Range is an amazing piece of cinema and boasts great work from Chris and Sean... plus outstanding performances by Christopher Walken, David Strathairn, Mary Stuart Masterson, Crispen Glover, and Kiefer Sutherland, who looks about twelve years old in the film.

Chris Penn was an outstanding, under-rated actor. It is to his credit that I have no idea where he stood on any political matter. He didn't see his talent and his fortune as a reason to try to run the world. He'll be missed.

Labels: Entertainment, News