Leo Z. Penn was an American actor and director and the father of musician Michael Penn and actors Sean Penn and Chris Pennsylvania
Background
Penn was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Elizabeth (née Melincoff) and Maurice Daniel Penn (also from Lithuanian origins). Leo Penn may have had distant Sephardic ancestry, as his father"s surname was originally "Piñon.".
Career
Penn served in the United States Army Air Forces during World 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 blacklisted, 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 Columbia Broadcasting System ousted him after receiving an anonymous accusation that he had addressed a political meeting. Barred from acting in film or television, he became a director
He acted in numerous roles in the early years of television In 1956, he was cast as Mr.
Rico in the episode "Ringside Padre" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads.
In 1957, he appeared in the episode "One If by Sea" of the military drama series, Navy Log. He was also cast in an episode of Beverly Garland"s 1957-1958 groundbreaking crime drama, Decoy. In 1960, he played Cabbage in "The Poker Fiend" on Richard Boone"s Columbia Broadcasting System western series, Have Gun - Will Travel.
In 1961, he was cast as Tiko in the episode "The World Is Her Oyster" of the American Broadcasting Company adventure series, The Islanders, set in the South Pacific, and appeared in an episode of the American Broadcasting Company crime drama The Asphalt Jungle.
He also appeared in another American Broadcasting Company adventure series, Straightaway, which focuses on automobile racing. Penn landed work as a director for many television series, including Star Trek, I Spy, Blue Light, Starsky and Hutch, Custer, the 1976 western Sara, Saint Elsewhere, Kojak, Cagney & Lacey, Columbo, Trapper John, Doctor of Medicine Penn later resumed some acting roles.
On March 3, 1961, he co-starred with Peter Falk and Joyce Van Patten in the episode "Cold Turkey" of the American Broadcasting Company legal drama series, The Law and Mr. Jones starring James Whitmore.
He directed also for the original hit television series Hawaii 5-0.
In the 1961-1962 television season Penn acted in the Columbia Broadcasting System crime drama, Checkmate in the episode The Button-Down Break and starred as Jerry Green in Gertrude Berg"s Columbia Broadcasting System"s sitcom Mistress G. Goes to College renamed at mid-season as The Gertrude Berg Show.